Timing of birthday party and the holidays

[kaitlyns.mom]

DD's birthday is Dec. 23. She really wants a party this year with a bunch of her friends. Do you think Dec. 21 is going to be inconvenient for a lot of the families? Should we go all the way to Dec. 14/15?

[BabbyO]

I think it will be inconvenient. I suspect that a lot of families will be traveling since many can take just Monday off and have a 5 day weekend. I'd bump it up or wait till after the holidays altogether. I'm sure that isn't want your DD wants to hear...but, if she wants a lot of her friends there, that may be the way to do it.

My brother's birthday is Dec. 27 and sometimes my mom would celebrate his 1/2 birthday just to keep it away from Christmas? Maybe you can do that in the future? Or celebrate the 1 month anniversary of her X birthday?

[tabegle]

My dd's birthday falls between Christmas and the New Year. We tend to delay dd's kid's bday party until MLK weekend in January. Everyone is already so busy between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it just seems easier all around.

[YouAreTheFocus]

I agree that the 21st will be inconvenient--I think the last wkd before Xmas tends to be crazy with last minute shopping and/or traveling. I would do the wkd of the 14/15.

[AnnieW625]

I would delay until after Christmas or just do something on the 20th or the 21st. In my area the 14th seems to be really popular for adult parties as well, but you could always try.

Could you do something right after school is released? My mom used to do that for us (mainly me as my half birthday is Christmas and it was easier to invite over classmates after school than get ahold of everyone during the 3rd or 4th week of summer vacation and then she didn't have to call it a birthday party). My brother had a good friend who was born on Christmas so he had his birthday either during Christmas week or one year had a half birthday party, which was pretty cool. Especially with the holidays I think it is important to have a birthday party or give your DD the option to have a few friends go to the movies or mini golf on her birthday or on that weekend. Not everyone travels for Christmas.

I also did a party for DD1 this past year on the day school got out for Spring Break because her birthday was in the middle of spring break and there are other girls with April birthdays in her class so if I bumped back two weeks there could have been a conflict. About 20 kids came total and my only mistake was not getting enough candy for the pinata, and I ordered about 2 too many pizzas, but we had it at the park and it was great.

TBH though a lot of people here delay December/January birthdays to February or March, and there has been no ill feelings.

[erv917]

My dd's birthday falls between Christmas and the New Year. We tend to delay dd's kid's bday party until MLK weekend in January. Everyone is already so busy between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it just seems easier all around.
:yeahthat:
No BTDT for me, but if I were you I think I'd strongly consider waiting until January. Weekends in December always seem to be so busy, whereas in January it's actually nice to have a fun activity that occupies DD on the weekend!

[kaitlyns.mom]

I don't really want to postpone it until January. It's not a bad idea at all, but last year we didn't have a party because she chose to go to Disneyland instead, but her brother got the stomach flu, then she got it and we never went!! She knows her birthday is two days before Christmas and really, really wants to have a party next month.

[infocrazy]

We have family that is considering coming in the weekend of the 21 and have 3 holiday parties on the 14. Could you do the weekend before... 7th I think?

I would probably recommend polling the friends that she really wants there that "make" it the party she wants. We got back from Disney, then got the "Disney flu" about two weeks before DS2's birthday last year and just couldn't pull together invites. I tried to get him to delay the party but he wouldn't. I warned him that it was very short notice for a lot of people (end of May) and it might be very small but he didn't care. I checked with his best buddy and he could make it. With family I knew it would be ENOUGH so we sent the invites and then some a bit since I figured late notice would be an issue...and ended up getting all yes RSVP(!), so be prepared for that too!

[AngB]

I do my best to avoid Dec. babies when we are TTC for partly this reason, after having a birthday Dec.27th, it's just bad timing as far as having friends over to celebrate.

I would probably do Dec.14/15.

[Seitvonzu]

i have a 23rd baby too, just your daughter's age :) we are having our party on the 14th -- and we just got a party invite for the 15th last friday (a classmate in kindy, sent home in the take home folder, so i'm guessing that party is "whole class). our party is at a paint your own pottery place and is spendy, plus the max is 15 kids-- so i can't do whole class. that said- i ran around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find invitations today. i want to give them out thursday at daisies (this is how i decided to limit and figure out who to invite-- daisy troop and 2 extra "old" friends we know). also, with inviting early i'll know what the turn out will be and can invite a couple more friends if necessary.

last time we did a venue party (last year we didn't, we just had a friend playdate), i sent the invites out to preschool before thanksgiving. the party was on december 17th i believe and the turn out was really good-- i want to say maybe just one or two kids couldn't make it? (and one of those might have been an extra friend?) i thought turn out might be bad for that party, but we live in an area were people either don't travel much (family is in town) or that was just far enough away to be alright.

honestly though, i see nothing wrong with waiting until after the holidays. i've had lots of people tell me that they feel a bit "let down" after christmas and it's nice to have something to look forward too :)

happy birthday to your daughter! what a happy surprise those little angels are 2 days before christmas, right? :)

[ett]

December is a very busy month so I would just ask your closest invites which days they're free. DS2 is going to a birthday party on Dec. 7 and the evite was sent out 6-7 weeks in advance. I definitely would not do the weekend before Christmas. Our school gets out on the 20th so lots of people will be traveling already.

[ArizonaGirl]

DS birthday is the 22 and we are doing the party on the 14, I sent the invites out last Friday.

[carolinacool]

My DS is turning 4 on Dec. 4, and his party is on Dec. 7. Granted, this is only his third party, but I've found the first full weekend to be good for us. It's the weekend after Thanksgiving, but a week before a lot of the holiday parties swing into high gear. I do send my invites out a month beforehand. It might be too late this year, but something to consider. I totally get your daughter wanting to celebrate her birthday near her actual birthday. I do, too!

My best friend's son was born on Christmas, and she would hold his parties either the second or third weekend. As someone said upthread, not everyone has big travel plans/guests around Christmas.

[kaitlyns.mom]

DS birthday is the 22 and we are doing the party on the 14, I sent the invites out last Friday.
Thanks! Looks like I am slacking. :)


With family I knew it would be ENOUGH so we sent the invites and then some a bit since I figured late notice would be an issue...and ended up getting all yes RSVP(!), so be prepared for that too!
She just relayed her list to me and without family/siblings of invitees it's 20 kids... Maybe more "no's" would be best!


I do my best to avoid Dec. babies when we are TTC for partly this reason, after having a birthday Dec.27th, it's just bad timing as far as having friends over to celebrate.


Yes, but it's a little late now! :ROTFLMAO:

[essnce629]

My best friend's DD's bday is Dec. 22nd and she's doing the party the weekend of the 14th. That's what I would do too.

[kaitlyns.mom]

happy birthday to your daughter! what a happy surprise those little angels are 2 days before christmas, right? :)
Happy early birthday to your daughter as well. :) Although mine is less of an angel these days. ;)

Thanks for the feedback all! I'm now thinking of maybe trying to do a joint birthday party with her brother. He's turning 3 on Jan. 16 so we could do a party on Jan. 4... most of his friends are the younger siblings of her friends. I asked DD what she thought and she said, "As long as there is a boy cake and a girl cake." :ROTFLMAO: So that's an option.

[pb&j]

Yes, but it's a little late now! :ROTFLMAO:

Snort!! LOL.

I have a bday between Xmas and New Year's.

Here's my take -
Yes, it is inconvenient. However, I'd set the date early, make sure that a couple of key friends will be available, and just go for it. DS also has a bday that tends to fall over Christmas break, and we just make sure that his BFF and one other friend can make it, and so far we've had pretty good turnouts.

I dislike the notion of celebrating half birthdays if the actual day is "inconvenient." I never want to send the message that the child's bday is an inconvenience, KWIM? My parents went out of their way (and still do!) to make my birthday special, and that was the most important thing. I almost never celebrated my bday more than a week or so away from the actual date. It worked out fine. I'm not scarred for life or anything!! :)

Also, if you're up for a drop off party, I'm sure there are more than a few parents who would welcome an hour or two without their kid so they can do some shopping/wrapping/relaxing.