Kate's Take

I don’t think I’m alone here when I say that December birthdays are just hard. Our eldest daughters’ birthday is six days before Christmas and without a doubt, it’s one of the busiest weeks of the year. We’re inevitably wrapping up school and work before break, attending Christmas programs, doing some last minute shopping, attending parties, without childcare, battling some sort of illness and trying to celebrate this girls’ birthday all at the same time. I know that we’re not the only ones with a busy December schedule, which makes it a challenge to celebrate her day with anyone other than immediate family. Finally, after a little bit of trial and error I think I’ve got the December birthday down. This doesn’t mean I don’t end up exhausted but it does mean that I’ve discovered a few tricks to help make the birthday stand out from the rest of the month while maintaining some form of sanity. Read on for my TAKE on making a December birthday special!

Be consistent with your Birthday traditions. This helps both in preparation for the day and establishes baseline expectations for the kids. Some of our favorites involve starting the day with a donut cake aka tower of donuts and ending it with a birthday present scavenger hunt inspired by the book, The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle.
I often incorporate paper products into a birthday celebration and when that birthday celebration is in December…I stay away from typical holiday colors and go for something colorful and bright! This is an easy way to separate the birthday from the upcoming holidays. These are some of my favorite paper plates and napkins!
Perhaps my number one trick…is to forgo any birthday celebration with friends until after winter break. I didn’t catch onto this until a few years ago and it saves me ever year! Plus it spreads out all the celebrations and gives your birthday kiddo something to look forward to! Honestly, a birthday party in mid January is a godsend for kids stuck inside during the cold winter - you may end up with more RSVP’s than you had planned for! If celebrating in January isn’t your thing and you want to do something in December…plan way in advance (at least two months) so friends can get a date on the calendar. Another option is to poll some of your childs best friends about their schedule and settle on a party date based on availability. I’ve done all of these things but in order to enjoy the season a bit more…I’m sticking with a larger celebration in January!
Because we don’t host a birthday party in December we make sure to do something special on our daughters birthday…this can be something like dinner out, a play, ice skating, a trip to a museum, a movie etc… Something that marks her day and is not tied to the holiday in any capacity. This year we got manicures and went to the Toys R’ Us Adventure pop up in Chicago!
Being December it may take a little extra effort but carving out time to talk to or face time with relatives and friends on your childs’ birthday is a great way to make them feel special. Whatever you do, just make your child feed loved on their birthday and enjoy the day!

Happy Celebrating!

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