With all the goodwill and merriment floating around at this time of year, December can be a great time to have a birthday. Friends are often more likely to be in a party mood and festive lights and decorations transform city streets into picturesque backdrops. However, if you’re not careful Christmas can easily overshadow a winter birthday, making a child feel like they’re playing second fiddle to the main event.
To avoid this, and to ensure your December baby has a fantastic day, you need to get a little bit creative. Keep reading to find out more.
Avoid combined presents
The number one rule for keeping December birthdays separate from Christmas is to avoid combined presents. Few things make a child’s heart sink faster than receiving a birthday gift that doubles as a Christmas present. As well as diminishing the importance of their birthday, this money-saving tactic also means their annual present haul is always that bit smaller than that of kids born at other times of the year.
Don’t use seasonal wrapping paper
Even if you have stacks and stacks of festive wrapping paper piled up in the garage, resist the temptation to use it for your child’s birthday presents. Wrapping paper of the non-Christmassy variety can sometimes be hard to find at this time of year as shops tend to fill every available space with festive decorations and gifts. A little bit of forward planning helps here, so start stocking up on birthday wrap in advance.
Do a non-festive activity
Instead of watching a festive film or having friends over for a Christmassy party, plan a tinsel-free activity for your child this December. If you do organise a party, ban Christmas songs from the playlist and avoid using any festive decorations in the space. Adrenaline-pumping indoor activities are always a good choice for this time of year as they’re non-festive and don’t depend on the weather. Make use of local sports centres, which often offer parties such as gymnastics or football parties indoors. Or try out the latest craze- trampolining parks!
Choose a non-seasonal theme
Although the shops may be full of festive decorations, Santa suits and other Christmassy accessories, it’s best to avoid anything seasonal and pick a completely separate theme for your child’s December birthday celebration. The theme you choose will depend on their age, their interests and your budget, but as long as it doesn’t feature reindeer, tinsel or a man dressed in red and white, you should be ok. If that sounds like hard work at this time of year, check out some of our popular party themes, we are experts at making the birthday child feel special, whatever the time of year!
Make a birthday tree
If your child’s birthday is very close to Christmas, you might just have to use the decorations you already have up. A good way to adapt your festive interior for your child’s big day is to turn the Christmas tree into a birthday tree. Simply remove the baubles, tinsel and festive touches and replace them with birthday cards and small hanging presents. This will create a fantastic centrepiece for your child’s celebration and ensure the day is all about them.
What do you do to make your December birthdays special? Share some ideas with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
