How to Make Holiday Babies Feel Extra Special
Holiday babies: the gift that keeps on giving.
Five years ago, my daughter was born on Christmas Eve. Even though the thought of her being born so close to the biggest holiday of the year was super special and exhilarating, it wasn’t exactly ideal. I was a bit nervous about her future birthdays potentially being overshadowed by Christmas. I envisioned birthday parties filled with caroling, snowflakes, and candy canes instead of traditional birthday flair. Most people in this world have a special day they can claim as their own without sharing it with a holiday. But now, I feared she would get easily lumped in as a 2-for-one, where her birthday would haphazardly fold into the larger holiday festivities. Would she ever feel special?
My husband and I discussed our diversion plan early on. As we stared at her newborn face, we both agreed and vowed to never jumble her birthday into the larger Christmas holiday. Now, as we near her 5th birthday, I can look back and say we have done pretty well thus far!
The guide to separating a holiday birthday from Christmas:
- Be intentional about celebrating their big day separately and plan accordingly. It’s easy to get so caught up in the holiday hustle and bustle that we are too busy to put the extra effort into additional party planning. BUT, we are intentional about taking time to focus just on her celebration.
- Avoid Christmas themes. I know Christmas wrapping paper is on-hand and readily available. But make a special effort to celebrate with a birthday theme. This includes the decorations, cake, and party invitations. Use colors other than the red/green combo. Blues, purples, oranges, yellows, and all pastels in general scream birthday!
- Celebrate on the actual day. During the holidays, many people are busy or already have plans with family and friends. If you feel overwhelmed, it may be tempting to push off the celebration until after the holidays, or to a “better” day that fits everyone else’s schedules. But my husband and I decided this approach wasn’t fair to the birthday girl, and vowed we would at least try to have a party on her actual birthday. Besides, with enough advanced notice, friends and family may be able to attend. The good news is that so many people are on vacation and looking for fun things to do anyway!
- Make them feel extra special. We make a special effort to shower our daughter with birthday praise and try not to mention the word Christmas when discussing her big day. We let her know that her special day is all about her and that she is extra special for having 2 big “holidays” back-to-back!
So for all you mamas out there in the same boat, don’t fret! A holiday baby is irreplaceable and is the Christmas gift that just keeps giving!
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