Comments on: First Christmas and First Birthdays – All in 2.5 Weeks http://www.hdydi.com/2009/12/first-christmas-and-first-birthdays-all-in-2-5-weeks/ Moms of Multiples Tell it Like it Is Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:03:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Amy http://www.hdydi.com/2009/12/first-christmas-and-first-birthdays-all-in-2-5-weeks/comment-page-1/#comment-7738 Amy Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:33:54 +0000 http://www.hdydi.com/?p=3829#comment-7738 My twins are turning 1 January 23rd. I feel really bad that we are asking people to come to a party just a month after Christmas and even though we don't expect gifts, we just want to celebrate our twins 1st birthday with family and friends, I don't want people to feel like they have to give anything. Also we have to plan a party for a decent number of people only 1 month after Christmas. Then 1 1/2 months later, my son will turn 2. Since it is his 2nd birthday we won't be doing something as large, but it is tough to have birthdays so close to the holiday and each other. .-= Amy´s last blog ..<a href="http://thiscrazylife.blogspot.com/2002_07_21_archive.html#79403237" rel="nofollow"></a> =-. My twins are turning 1 January 23rd. I feel really bad that we are asking people to come to a party just a month after Christmas and even though we don’t expect gifts, we just want to celebrate our twins 1st birthday with family and friends, I don’t want people to feel like they have to give anything. Also we have to plan a party for a decent number of people only 1 month after Christmas. Then 1 1/2 months later, my son will turn 2. Since it is his 2nd birthday we won’t be doing something as large, but it is tough to have birthdays so close to the holiday and each other.
.-= Amy´s last blog .. =-.

]]> By: Jen from Diagnosis: Urine http://www.hdydi.com/2009/12/first-christmas-and-first-birthdays-all-in-2-5-weeks/comment-page-1/#comment-7680 Jen from Diagnosis: Urine Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:31:05 +0000 http://www.hdydi.com/?p=3829#comment-7680 My mom and her brother have their birthday January 3, and my husband's birthday is the same day. It stinks! I know my mom and her brother disliked the shared birthday celebrations (they aren't twins, just three years apart) and I feel bad now that celebrating with my mom always takes 2nd place to celebrating with my husband. And last year, my dad actually forgot my mom's birthday (not like him at all, and devastating to her after 40 years of marriage)! My mom says she celebrates the whole month of January. I think the idea of pushing the birthday party to the following weekend (or making it further from the holidays) is a good one. .-= Jen from Diagnosis: Urine´s last blog ..<a href="http://www.selfconsciouslyunaffected.com/2010/01/this-cat-has-made-pussy-of-me.html" rel="nofollow">this cat has made a pussy of me</a> =-. My mom and her brother have their birthday January 3, and my husband’s birthday is the same day. It stinks! I know my mom and her brother disliked the shared birthday celebrations (they aren’t twins, just three years apart) and I feel bad now that celebrating with my mom always takes 2nd place to celebrating with my husband. And last year, my dad actually forgot my mom’s birthday (not like him at all, and devastating to her after 40 years of marriage)!

My mom says she celebrates the whole month of January. I think the idea of pushing the birthday party to the following weekend (or making it further from the holidays) is a good one.
.-= Jen from Diagnosis: Urine´s last blog ..this cat has made a pussy of me =-.

]]> By: Stephanie http://www.hdydi.com/2009/12/first-christmas-and-first-birthdays-all-in-2-5-weeks/comment-page-1/#comment-7650 Stephanie Mon, 04 Jan 2010 04:33:03 +0000 http://www.hdydi.com/?p=3829#comment-7650 I feel so overwhelmed by busy time at work this time of year, Thanksgiving, girl's birthday, Christmas, and we always go on vacation the last 2 weeks of the year. We celebrate birthday and half-birthday in June. Last year, when the girls turned 2.5, we invited another set of twins that share a December birthday to celebrate with us. It was fun for us all, as we all understood the significance of half-birthday. I hope to continue this tradition. I feel so overwhelmed by busy time at work this time of year, Thanksgiving, girl’s birthday, Christmas, and we always go on vacation the last 2 weeks of the year.

We celebrate birthday and half-birthday in June. Last year, when the girls turned 2.5, we invited another set of twins that share a December birthday to celebrate with us. It was fun for us all, as we all understood the significance of half-birthday.

I hope to continue this tradition.

]]> By: Nolan http://www.hdydi.com/2009/12/first-christmas-and-first-birthdays-all-in-2-5-weeks/comment-page-1/#comment-7625 Nolan Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:25:32 +0000 http://www.hdydi.com/?p=3829#comment-7625 My girls were born in May, but my birthday is January 2nd. I was a "surprise" baby and came along 13 years after my brother and three sisters. I only remember having a couple of birthday parties ever, and often was just taken shopping on New Year's Day (this was the 70s, and there were no good stores open on that day back then!) since my parents wrapped up all my presents for Christmas and forgot to hold any out for my birthday! We have a ton of family birthdays in December, including Christmas Eve, but it seems like having a birthday the week after Christmas might be the worst of all ;) As an adult, I find that the 2nd is too soon after New Year's for anyone to want to come to a party or go to dinner, and as a child, it was usually the day we headed back to school. I would think a birthday at least two weeks after Christmas would be better! But as long as you make an effort to recognize their birthday as a separate event, and then I guess you have the whole issue of celebrating them as individuals (why are twins so much more complicated?!), then you'll be okay. I remember one year, my (then) husband and I received ONE gift for my birthday, his birthday (Christmas Day), and Christmas! Good luck :) .-= Nolan´s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WelcomeToTheTwindig/~3/wEJ0GOyfU8o/crawling-talking-waving-eating.html" rel="nofollow">crawling, talking, waving, eating</a> =-. My girls were born in May, but my birthday is January 2nd. I was a “surprise” baby and came along 13 years after my brother and three sisters. I only remember having a couple of birthday parties ever, and often was just taken shopping on New Year’s Day (this was the 70s, and there were no good stores open on that day back then!) since my parents wrapped up all my presents for Christmas and forgot to hold any out for my birthday! We have a ton of family birthdays in December, including Christmas Eve, but it seems like having a birthday the week after Christmas might be the worst of all ;) As an adult, I find that the 2nd is too soon after New Year’s for anyone to want to come to a party or go to dinner, and as a child, it was usually the day we headed back to school. I would think a birthday at least two weeks after Christmas would be better! But as long as you make an effort to recognize their birthday as a separate event, and then I guess you have the whole issue of celebrating them as individuals (why are twins so much more complicated?!), then you’ll be okay.

I remember one year, my (then) husband and I received ONE gift for my birthday, his birthday (Christmas Day), and Christmas!

Good luck :)
.-= Nolan´s last blog ..crawling, talking, waving, eating =-.

]]> By: Sadia http://www.hdydi.com/2009/12/first-christmas-and-first-birthdays-all-in-2-5-weeks/comment-page-1/#comment-7623 Sadia Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:21:49 +0000 http://www.hdydi.com/?p=3829#comment-7623 My husband's aunt's triplets AND singleton all have birthdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. They get parties the weekend of their birthday, but I have to admit that everything does get lumped together with general holiday jollity. Their parents get them separate gifts, but I think most of the extended family gets them a single gift. Now that they're teenagers, I don't think it's as big of a deal, since they'd rather celebrate their birthdays with their friends than us anyway. In general, extended family gives Christmas gifts, but not birthday gifts, and that goes for the kids whose birthdays are on opposite ends of the year from the holidays too. My mother-in-law, their aunt, always makes a point of getting them un-Christmas-y birthday gifts. One upside to having holiday birthdays is that there's more family around to celebrate with them in person. In fact, this year, the singleton, turning 16, put off his birthday celebration until the night before the extended family Christmas celebration so that more of us would be present. We went straight from his party to the town's Christmas parade. .-= Sadia´s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rodrigueztwins/~3/cF6Jo5r7dnY/2009-family.html" rel="nofollow">2009: Family</a> =-. My husband’s aunt’s triplets AND singleton all have birthdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. They get parties the weekend of their birthday, but I have to admit that everything does get lumped together with general holiday jollity. Their parents get them separate gifts, but I think most of the extended family gets them a single gift. Now that they’re teenagers, I don’t think it’s as big of a deal, since they’d rather celebrate their birthdays with their friends than us anyway. In general, extended family gives Christmas gifts, but not birthday gifts, and that goes for the kids whose birthdays are on opposite ends of the year from the holidays too. My mother-in-law, their aunt, always makes a point of getting them un-Christmas-y birthday gifts.

One upside to having holiday birthdays is that there’s more family around to celebrate with them in person. In fact, this year, the singleton, turning 16, put off his birthday celebration until the night before the extended family Christmas celebration so that more of us would be present. We went straight from his party to the town’s Christmas parade.
.-= Sadia´s last blog ..2009: Family =-.

]]> By: Lara http://www.hdydi.com/2009/12/first-christmas-and-first-birthdays-all-in-2-5-weeks/comment-page-1/#comment-7614 Lara Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:11:34 +0000 http://www.hdydi.com/?p=3829#comment-7614 My twin boys were born on my birthday 12/17. So I have tried to make the difference for them since I know how it feels to have a birthday so close to christmas. Many years I got birthday/xmas presents and was quite resentful as a kid. I understand it now. They are only 2 now so it really hasn't mattered to them. In the future I have pondered the 1/2 birthday idea or waiting until the middle of Jan. I would love more ideas. My twin boys were born on my birthday 12/17. So I have tried to make the difference for them since I know how it feels to have a birthday so close to christmas. Many years I got birthday/xmas presents and was quite resentful as a kid. I understand it now. They are only 2 now so it really hasn’t mattered to them. In the future I have pondered the 1/2 birthday idea or waiting until the middle of Jan. I would love more ideas.

]]> By: M http://www.hdydi.com/2009/12/first-christmas-and-first-birthdays-all-in-2-5-weeks/comment-page-1/#comment-7612 M Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:26:03 +0000 http://www.hdydi.com/?p=3829#comment-7612 In our immediate family, we have birthdays to celebrate Dec 2, 16, 17, 26, & 30. One is a child and the rest are adults. None of the adults gets a celebration(anymore) and the child always gets a really low key event. The ones with the birthdays before Christmas all report that they almost always got a gift for their birthday and a separate gift for Christmas. The two after Christmas say they almost always got a larger gift for Christmas and only one gift for both occasions. I have to admit, that most years, I was one of the people purchasing a more expensive gift for my brother (our Dec 30th b-day) and calling it good for his birthday. My mother, on the other hand, made such a big deal of my brother's birthday each year, that his 4 sister's, as adults in their 40's, still resent it. She incorporated his birthday celebration with a New Year's Eve celebration. He didn't receive many gifts ... but he always had a blow out of some kind that lasted in to the wee morning hours ... one year it was a New Year's Eve cruise, another year it was a dinner theater event followed by breakfast, another year it was all day and night at Disneyland for their New Year Celebration ... etc. For the record, my brother loved doing this in place of getting gifts ... And for the record ... as a person who has to come up with all these extra gifts at this particular time of year, every year, I'm not so fond of the Dec. birthdays either. .-= M´s last blog ..<a href="http://over40momadventures.blogspot.com/2009/12/things-that-didnt-get-done.html" rel="nofollow">The Things That Didn't Get Done</a> =-. In our immediate family, we have birthdays to celebrate Dec 2, 16, 17, 26, & 30. One is a child and the rest are adults. None of the adults gets a celebration(anymore) and the child always gets a really low key event. The ones with the birthdays before Christmas all report that they almost always got a gift for their birthday and a separate gift for Christmas. The two after Christmas say they almost always got a larger gift for Christmas and only one gift for both occasions.

I have to admit, that most years, I was one of the people purchasing a more expensive gift for my brother (our Dec 30th b-day) and calling it good for his birthday.

My mother, on the other hand, made such a big deal of my brother’s birthday each year, that his 4 sister’s, as adults in their 40′s, still resent it. She incorporated his birthday celebration with a New Year’s Eve celebration. He didn’t receive many gifts … but he always had a blow out of some kind that lasted in to the wee morning hours … one year it was a New Year’s Eve cruise, another year it was a dinner theater event followed by breakfast, another year it was all day and night at Disneyland for their New Year Celebration … etc.

For the record, my brother loved doing this in place of getting gifts …

And for the record … as a person who has to come up with all these extra gifts at this particular time of year, every year, I’m not so fond of the Dec. birthdays either.
.-= M´s last blog ..The Things That Didn’t Get Done =-.

]]> By: Suzy http://www.hdydi.com/2009/12/first-christmas-and-first-birthdays-all-in-2-5-weeks/comment-page-1/#comment-7602 Suzy Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:25:08 +0000 http://www.hdydi.com/?p=3829#comment-7602 My twins turned one on December 24. This was a huge Christmas at our house. They were born at 35 weeks during a wicked snow storm last year. As a result, my three year old spent Christmas at my friend's house, my husband spent Christmas curled up on a tiny plastic chair, and I spent Christmas in a drugged haze (c-section), incredibly grateful for two healthy babies and the pain pump. So.... We had a big birthday party with family on December 24. Elmo decorations, pink and blue birthday cakes, etc. Santa came on the 25th. I think when they get older, I will dedicate one room in the house to birthday decorations only. This year, we were all grateful just to be together. Ditto on the no Christmas wrapping paper! My twins turned one on December 24. This was a huge Christmas at our house. They were born at 35 weeks during a wicked snow storm last year. As a result, my three year old spent Christmas at my friend’s house, my husband spent Christmas curled up on a tiny plastic chair, and I spent Christmas in a drugged haze (c-section), incredibly grateful for two healthy babies and the pain pump. So….

We had a big birthday party with family on December 24. Elmo decorations, pink and blue birthday cakes, etc. Santa came on the 25th. I think when they get older, I will dedicate one room in the house to birthday decorations only. This year, we were all grateful just to be together. Ditto on the no Christmas wrapping paper!

]]> By: Carrie http://www.hdydi.com/2009/12/first-christmas-and-first-birthdays-all-in-2-5-weeks/comment-page-1/#comment-7598 Carrie Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:45:48 +0000 http://www.hdydi.com/?p=3829#comment-7598 I have 23 month old twin boys who will be turning 2 on January 29th. As this will only be the boys' 2nd birthday I haven't had too much experience with it but so far it's kind of a pain in terms of timing. My birthday is in June and I loved having my big celebrations spread out like that. I feel bad that the boys' now have everyting all at once (it seems) and then nothing for the rest of the year. The way I have done it this year and last is to buy a bunch of gifts for them and then divide up what is for Christmas and what is for birthday. It's not ideal but it's what has worked so far. This past summer I did regret that there wasn't a birthday to celebrate so that the boys could get some fun summer toys etc. I guess we will just be buying that stuff as it's needed, which is kind of a pain but it is what it is . So far it's not great but I'm hoping it will become more "normal" as time goes on and we will all just accept it. Not much else we can do! Carrie I have 23 month old twin boys who will be turning 2 on January 29th.

As this will only be the boys’ 2nd birthday I haven’t had too much experience with it but so far it’s kind of a pain in terms of timing.

My birthday is in June and I loved having my big celebrations spread out like that. I feel bad that the boys’ now have everyting all at once (it seems) and then nothing for the rest of the year.

The way I have done it this year and last is to buy a bunch of gifts for them and then divide up what is for Christmas and what is for birthday.
It’s not ideal but it’s what has worked so far.

This past summer I did regret that there wasn’t a birthday to celebrate so that the boys could get some fun summer toys etc. I guess we will just be buying that stuff as it’s needed, which is kind of a pain but it is what it is .

So far it’s not great but I’m hoping it will become more “normal” as time goes on and we will all just accept it.

Not much else we can do!

Carrie

]]> By: Elaine http://www.hdydi.com/2009/12/first-christmas-and-first-birthdays-all-in-2-5-weeks/comment-page-1/#comment-7597 Elaine Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:44:59 +0000 http://www.hdydi.com/?p=3829#comment-7597 My girls were due Feb. 14th and I ended up in the hospital the week before Christmas. They had to be delivered 8 weeks early on December 23. We all spent their first Christmas in the hospital. Luckily I had a whole year to prepare everyone for the fact that combining Christmas and their birthday was just not acceptable. It is now a standing rule that the birthday celebration is the weekend before Christmas and there is NO Christmas wrapping paper allowed! My girls were due Feb. 14th and I ended up in the hospital the week before Christmas. They had to be delivered 8 weeks early on December 23. We all spent their first Christmas in the hospital.
Luckily I had a whole year to prepare everyone for the fact that combining Christmas and their birthday was just not acceptable. It is now a standing rule that the birthday celebration is the weekend before Christmas and there is NO Christmas wrapping paper allowed!

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