Having a Christmas birthday can be great, but in most cases, people born on or around the 25th of December will tell you it’s awful. In addition to having it feel like your birthday is an afterthought, holding birthday celebrations on your big day is not even worth trying. However, there are several ways to flip this around and give your child the Christmas birthday party they have always hoped for. So, let’s look.

Holiday birthdays, particularly Christmas birthdays, can be challenging to celebrate, and not for lack of trying. Your child’s friends are less likely to be available for a birthday party, and family members may try to hold off celebrating until Christmas. The good news is that there are a few ways you can make your child’s special day still feel special even when it’s already the most magical time of the year.

Here are a few ways to help your child’s holiday birthday stand out from the seasonal celebrations.

What Is It Like To Have Your Birthday On Christmas?

Having your birthday fall on Christmas can be downright depressing for kids. Often your child’s school friends are away on holiday or with their families, and the focus is typically not on their birthday but on the festivities of the season. In some ways, it may leave your child feeling unseen, especially if they have siblings whose birthdays fall out of the holiday season. Further, having to wait all year for a birthday that is then celebrated as an addition to Christmas rather than being the main event can be heartbreaking.

How Do I Make a Christmas Birthday Special?

If your child has a Christmas birthday, there are several things you can do to make it special and leave them feeling like their birthday is just as important as that of their siblings. So, let’s take a deep dive into five ways to make their big day meaningful.

Celebrate Christmas and Birthday Separately

It’s important not to do what’s convenient and roll your child’s birthday into Christmas, even if their birthday is on Christmas itself. Create a sense of separation between their birthday celebration and the holiday. For instance, if your child’s birthday is on Christmas Day, have the kids open their presents on Christmas morning and then have the kids go to their rooms to play with their new toys.

While your kids are playing, set up winter birthday decorations so your children will feel the love when the time comes to come back to the living room. Be sure to wrap your child’s birthday presents in birthday-themed wrapping paper, not Christmas wrapping paper, and be sure not to give them a Christmas-themed birthday card.

2. Dress Them in a Custom Happy Birthday T-Shirt  

The demand for online original design t-shirts has grown over the last five years. A custom birthday t-shirt is a great way to help your child feel special on their birthday at any time of the year, but especially during the holiday season. When so many people are dressed in holiday garb and ugly sweaters, a custom birthday t-shirt helps separate your child from the pack. Custom Christmas birthday shirts can also come in handy when your child’s birthday is on Christmas Day itself. Have your kids wear their pajamas in the morning to open presents before going to get dressed for the rest of the day. Custom birthday t-shirts can make your child stand out from the other holiday outfits your family is wearing.

3. Embrace Your Family’s Birthday Traditions

During the holiday season, things can get hectic. There are friends and family to see, presents to shop for, and your home to decorate. It’s important, despite the busy holiday schedule, though, to embrace your family’s birthday traditions during the holiday season. Consider getting most of your holiday shopping done by the end of November so you’re not as overwhelmed during the holiday season. This will give you plenty of time to do special birthday activities with your child, like taking them out for a birthday dinner, going to the arcade, or going to another play place.

If the person celebrating a Christmas birthday doesn’t want a holiday-themed birthday party, you can try the following birthday party ideas for kids:

4. Separate Your Child’s Birthday and Christmas Gifts

It’s true that the holiday season can be expensive, especially if you have a large family. However, if your child’s birthday gifts are the same as their Christmas gifts, then it can feel as if your child never really had a birthday at all. Consider creating a birthday party planning checklist and a budget for your kids throughout the year. This way, even if your child’s birthday is on Christmas or New Year’s, you’ll be able to afford them birthday presents (not wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper) and not just Christmas presents.

Be sure to give your child their birthday presents at a separate time of the day, too. Don’t have them open their birthday presents on Christmas morning with their siblings and the rest of the family. Instead, have them open their birthday presents at a different time of the day, preferably after they’ve blown out the candles on their birthday cake.

5. Make Sure They Have a Proper Birthday Cake

Speaking of birthday cakes, it’s important to make sure your child has a proper birthday cake. Sometimes it can be tempting to make a birthday cake holiday-themed or even winter-themed with snowmen and snowflakes. However, unless your child absolutely loves snowmen, it’s best to keep the birthday cake birthday-themed. Don’t put a candle in Grandma’s apple pie and consider it a birthday cake.

You want your child to know their birthday is being celebrated and you’re happy to have them. You don’t want them to feel like their special day is inconvenient or needs to be sandwiched into the family’s holiday plans. By following the tips above, you can help your child’s holiday birthday feel uniquely special even during the most wonderful time of the year.

What Are Some Christmas Birthday Party Ideas?

While throwing a Christmas birthday party with a Christmas theme can be tempting, you want your child to feel as though their birthday is as important as this holiday, not an add-on. As a result, we suggest throwing a party with a winter theme but not a Christmas one.

Using any of these themes makes it easy to find seasonal decor and activities that don’t relate to Christmas. For example, holding a Winter Olympics-themed party for sports-lovers means you can set up a series of winter sports like ice skating, snow sledding, and snowman building with fun prizes. Alternatively, a Pancakes and Pajamas theme could mean friends showing up in winter PJs or joining in on a sleepover followed by a pancake-decorating breakfast.

Picking a theme not related to Christmas also makes it easier to make a cake and snacks relevant to birthdays instead of filling the table with festive foods that may make your child feel like an afterthought. Providing a unique experience and coming up with unique Christmas birthday party ideas may take a little more effort, which during the festive season can be challenging, but the smile on your child’s face will be worth it.

When Should I Celebrate a Christmas Birthday?

Knowing exactly when to celebrate a Christmas birthday can be tricky. While it is essential to celebrate your child’s birthday on their actual day of birth, it is important to ensure that holiday festivities do not overshadow this. Following the tips shared above can help you do this. However, when it comes to having a party, we suggest holding a Christmas birthday party in early January; that way, you can extend the birthday celebrations and ensure that your child’s friends and classmates are around to join in the fun. It also allows your child to have a day that is all about them.