WWYD - Sucky b-day situation

[psophia17]

Here's what we're working with:
Saturday - Christmas Eve at Uncle's house
Sunday - Christmas morning at home, followed by brunch at our house
Mon/Tue - b/c Christmas Even and day are weekend, these are officially bank holidays but most people work (or they did last year)
Wednesday - a regular old workday
Thursday - DS's birthday, also a regular old workday
Friday - regular old workday, but most people will leave early
Saturday - New Year's Eve, we are going out
Sunday - either we, or all our friends, will be hungover

If these are the days you have to choose from, which day would you host a 2nd birthday party? If you were to have 2 parties, one for kids and another for relatives, and you know that the kids would show and the relatives wouldn't (why would they - they didn't last year) what days would you do them on? Or would you bother doing the family party for more than just the immediate family (MIL and FIL, that is)?

WWYD?

The moral of the story really is not to have a baby between Christmas and New Year's - party planning becomes ridiculously aggravating.

[icunurse]

If it were me (and I am pretty laidback about these things), I would have the party for the weekedn after New Year's. Your most important guest (DS, of course!) won't realy get that it isn't the exact day, it will give plenty of time for people to recover from the holidays, and give a breather to everyone for a kids party. I would plan a little something special for the actual birthday, even if it's just a trip to McDonalds ro Chucky Cheese or whatever, for maybe just the three of you. (All this being said by a girl born right before Christmas :) )
Traci
~Connor's Mom 02/2004~
Agency paperwork completed - waiting for #2!

[Lynnie]

I agree that having the party the weekend after new years would allow people to catch their breath, and might be easier on you (unless the kids and parents would like someplace to go on new years day - serve bloody mary's for the parents, and let the kids go wild together). As far as a relatives party, you could have a small one on his actual birthday, but really just count on your immediate family being there, a simple dinner, with a cake, and let the rest of the family know they are invited. If they show, great, if not, the most important part of the family will be there, and then DS can get excited about his second birthday party with his friends.

[caheinz]

I agree with PPs. Do it AFTER the holidays. DS won't be too overwhelmed, and people will be looking for a reason to get together after two weekends in a row of required holidays.

Heh. DH and I purposely aimed to have DS away from the late fall/early winter months, since that's when both of our birthdays are. (Mine, BTW, is also during the week between the two holidays...)

You could do an extremely small party on his birthday -- it's always good to acknowledge that (could just be a birthday cake and song after dinner!). And then have the invitations-type party the weekend of the 7th (or whatever date it is). I wouldn't bother inviting anyone you don't want to on his birthday (small party), and just invite everyone to the one "big" one.

[C99]

If you need to have the party ON or very close to his birthday, I would have a kids-only party on Thursday, especially if most of his/your friends are SAHPs. I wouldn't bother doing a relatives party; IME, the first birthday is a big deal, but subsequent birthdays are less so. When Nate was 1, we did a family & friends party; it was just too many people for our little house so last year we split it: a friends party w/ kids on one Saturday and relatives over the next day. Only my MIL/FIL showed up for the relatives "party."

Otherwise, you can have a celebration on his birthday with just you, DH and DS, and then have a birthday party for him on the first full weekend in January, as a PP suggested.

This year, we're having a combo friends/family birthday party and the party itself is a co-party with Nate's cousin, who turns 3 in the first week; Nate doesn't turn 3 until the last week of January, and the party is sometime in the middle.

[jamsmu]

a lot of my friends have been having 2nd b-days at lunchtime or after naptime on Monday or Friday. Pizza and playroom time seems popular.

nak

[kensjen]

If you can't have it on a weekday afternoon (that would be my first choice) then the weekend after new years would be good. I think it is fine to have it later than his birthday, and he won't know anyway.
FWIW, my birthday is in mid October, and my mom often had my parties at the end of the month and they were Halloween themed. I loved it!

HTH!