Enjoy Your Christmas Birthday

Sharing a birthday with Christmas Day has its pros and its cons. It's easy to feel left out while the whole day is devoted to celebrating Christmas and the disappointment of receiving one gift for both occasions is something many Christmas birthday celebrators experience. Sometimes you get upset by the lack of attention paid to your birth. Don't worry, there are ways to enjoy having your birthday on one of the most celebrated holidays.

Steps

  1. Accept that your birthday is competing with an important festive occasion. Part of the disappointment arises from feeling a sense of injustice or deprivation because you feel that you're missing out on what others are experiencing as an individual event for the rest of the year. By accepting that your birthday is sharing a spot with the highlight of the year's celebratory calendar, you can begin to look more positively at getting others to celebrate your birthday more enthusiastically.
  2. Look on the bright side. Since it's your birthday, you have a lifelong excuse for not being the principal cook, decorator, or host on Christmas Day. That is something rather powerful! Moreover, people are in a festive mood and you're most likely to see more people for your birthday than other people get to see for their birthdays. Then there is the great bonus that you won't have to go to school or work on your birthday (well, unless you're a shift worker doing Christmas duty). It's also very hard for anyone to forget your birthday! And you have the choice of birthday cake or fruit cake.
    • Accentuate the positive. Your birthday is a good excuse to ask feuding family members to chill, in honor of it being your day and not just the usual Christmas get-together. Whenever people seem grumpy, narky or complaining, you can remind them that it's your birthday and that positive vibes rule. Point out that if Christmas bothers them, they can enjoy celebrating your birthday instead. Keep your jesting lighthearted, in the spirit of goodwill.
  3. Talk to your parents, spouse, housemates or whoever else is responsible for throwing you a party. Given that Christmas Day is already busy, it's unlikely that a full-blown party is going to be added to the day's list of events. However, there is no reason that you can't organize a special breakfast or brunch or an intimate meal for dinnertime that is focused on giving you birthday gifts, a cake and a few treats that have been purchased or made especially for you. And a large party can be postponed to later in the holiday week, which is great because a lot of people will be around on vacation.
    • Try celebrating your birthday on Christmas with your family, then with your friends as close to Christmas to possible, either before or just after.
    • Remember that other people who celebrate their birthday on Christmas Day have the same experience as you, so you're not alone. They're all postponing their birthday party to another day too.
  4. Put up birthday decorations as well as Christmas ones. There is something decadently fun about doubling up on the celebratory messages and to have both birthday and Christmas decorations around at the same time is a great way to recognize that it's not just Christmas Day but also your birthday.
    • Hang a Happy Birthday banner near the Christmas tree.
    • Keep your birthday cards in a distinct part of the house and request that no Christmas cards be placed in the same spot.
  5. Be appreciative of what you receive by way of gifts. Sure, there will be some less-than-thoughtful people who will give you one gift for both occasions (combination presents) and smile smugly saying "Well, we thought it'd be easier this way." In some cases, perhaps you benefit from this approach because you might receive one much more expensive item than two cheaper and less interesting ones. However, most people will be at pains to give you separate gifts and if you've already arranged for a separate gift-giving time (such as at breakfast or brunch), then this is obvious and easy for everyone to cope with.
    • Have immediate family members make it clear to everyone else that the household rule is "No birthday presents in Christmas wrapping". Tell everyone that if it's in Christmas paper, then it's a Christmas gift and it will be presumed that a birthday gift is yet to be given. The best people to do this are your parents, whatever your age, as it doesn't look so egotistical coming from them.
    • If people ask you if you'd mind a combined present, already know whether or not you mind this and be polite but clear in your response. You might decide that it's fine provided it's substantial.
    • Some people might assume that it's unfair that you're getting "more" presents than them. Calmly reassure them that you are getting no more presents than they do, it is just that this happens to be your birthday as well as Christmas. Don't let such people get to you; it's their misunderstanding, not a reality.
    • In order to slow down a feeling that there is an avalanche of "too many gifts" on the one day, consider asking your family and friends to keep back the birthday gifts until a later date when you've arranged for a birthday party. This means that you'll get to have fun over two days. For example, perhaps you can have your birthday presents on Christmas Eve or Boxing day. Then they will be spread over two days instead of having them all on one day.
  6. Go online and commiserate with other Christmas Day babies. There are plenty of other people in your situation and sharing your online tales of annoyance, woe, irritation and amusement can help salve the feelings that you're missing out on something special.
  7. See if you can celebrate a "half-birthday" in six months time instead. This way you can celebrate in June and receive the attention and presents without conflicting with Christmas.

Tips

  • Think of your mom, having to spend Christmas Day in a hospital giving birth to you!
  • You aren't the only one who's birthday is on Christmas. There are many people who share your birthday, including:
    • Sir Isaac Newton
    • Clara Barton
    • Alice C. English, the Aunt of Elizabeth II
    • And, as everyone knows, it is the chosen date for celebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ (even though Christmas or Birthdays were not celebrated in that day).

Warnings

  • You may hear lots of jokes about you being the Second Coming. Grin and bear it, or respond with levity and confirm the silly joke.
  • Avoid bragging or Be Less Whiny about your birthday. Being pleasant will be far more effective.

Things You'll Need

  • Birthday banner and decorations
  • Place to put your birthday cards
  • Birthday cake
  • Decision on when to celebrate your party/open birthday gifts

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