Maine Nesties
maeghan21
member
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Birthday vs. Christmas
DH and I were having a gift/holiday conversation last night. He was saying that in his childhood Christmas was the big gift holiday. For his b-day it was mostly about the cake and ice cream and he'd get a couple of things. My childhood we got quite a bit for Christmas, but your birthday was a big deal with a lot of gifts. Being 1 of 4 kids, it was your day to shine. DH is an only child.
How was it in your family? We're not doing a whole lot for DD this year since she's little and doesn't need much, but when later b-days come up I would like to get a lot for her celebration.
Re: Birthday vs. Christmas
One of my friends growing up had (still has, I suppose) a birthday 4 days after mine. We would discuss our lists and she would tell me that I couldn't ask for somethings because that was more for Christmas, or that she was "saving that for my Christmas" She is an only child. I have a sister.
My family always gave what they felt like and could afford when they felt like it. Sometimes I got a lot of gifts, sometimes not so many. My parents never stressed about remaining consistent from year to year for any given holiday/birthday.
For both of us, Christmas has always been bigger than birthdays in terms of quantity. We got a few things for birthdays, but Christmas has always been a bigger deal (which is odd to me since my family is not religious).
Even now that we are adults, my mom gives my sister, my husband, and I all one thing that is worth around $100. Christmas is usually one item, but it is worth more.
This was my family, too. We still have special birthdays with "treats" but not necessarily lots of gifts.
This was my family as well.
Same here! With the exception of 13th, 16th, and 18th birthdays. My mom always felt that these 3 were very special and she got us big gifts for each of those.
Edit: This was supposed to include quoted post from above.
I guess I was just caught up on what kind of gift for each holiday. I want to get DD a kitchen and DH does too , but he thinks it's big (in size and cost) so it should wait till Xmass regardless if we have the money and want to get it for her. I just think it's silly.
When I was younger I got a lot of toys, but as a lot of you are pointing out that was when I had two parents. My dad died when I was 6. As I got older, being the youngest of 4, my mom and I would just "do lunch" or something special, just the two of us. Definitely the special meal etc.
This year, since DD's b-day is on a Monday, I had planned to start the lunch tradition with DD, btu DH is taking off from work so we can have a family day.
I think ours was similar - there were two kids. Christmas seemed bigger on the gifts, more of them anyway. Birthdays were more about having a party with friends, having a special dinner either out or at the house, and maybe a couple gifts or one bigger gift. I'd like to stay away from either holiday being big on gifts, really, which is why we've started really small when he's been young with limited gifts for both occasions.
Seth and I already decided that we will take Abe's birthday off each year so we can spend it all three of us.
When we were younger, we'd have parties for our birthdays on the weekends but it was nothing extravagant. Usually friends, some gifts, pizza, cake & ice cream and a few hours of fun. As we got older, it was more about a favorite meal, family time and a present or two- nothing major, but more of a recognition of your special day with family. Like PP said, 16th and 18th birthdays were somewhat of a big deal with something really awesome, but still not like a lot of what you see today (I never got a car or anything).
Christmas was always the bigger gift holiday for us, although it still wasn't over the top or anything. We usually had my grandmother down from Bangor, which made it feel more special. Holidays for the most part in our family were heavily based on quality time together with less emphasis on gifting.
The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware; joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware. -Henry Miller
http://cookthehumbletable.blogspot.com/
love this. your mom sounds so special, annie.
Christmas was always bigger. Birthdays were all about the party. And my mom threw the party of the school year. Everyone talked about going and the whole class was invited. All she did was organize games (like relay races such as kick the balloon to the finish line and back or what team can each participant put the pillowcase on the fastest, etc) or we had a barbie judging contest and everyone would bring the barbie.
My dad would always get us one gift for Christmas, and I remember what he got us all these years later. That was better than getting a ton IMO.
For Adrian, I feel like it's better for toys we want to get him to just arrive. I debated this for a bit, because we have a lot bought in advance (like an awesome used train track for $5). I'd rather have the train tracks available now (or whenever he's ready to play with it) and then get him a small special train to go with it on his birthday. I don't want him to think that holidays are big gift getting experiences.
My parents did these sorts of things and I loved them! We did get birthday gifts but my mom's budget was 1/2 the size of what you'd get at Christmas. Birthdays were much more about making the birthday persron feel extra special through choosing dinner, getting a birthday cake, and getting to pick what we did after dinner, etc.
Annie, I loved what your mom did - now that's what I want to do for my kids!
Christmas has always been a bigger deal than birthdays. Birthdays were cake, a dinner out, and one present. Christmas was a gazillion presents. It's still like this, with both mine and DH's families.
Christmas was/is huge... like fill the dining room huge... I would stop asking my parents for toys in like August because I knew it wouldn't be coming until Christmas... but was almost always definitely coming at Christmas...
Birthday was new summer clothes and sneakers (we got winter stuff and new shoes if our "school clothes" we got in September were too small at Christmas too...) a couple of toys and a party with cake and ice cream, we would always have a bbq around that time and my parents would invite all their friends and their kids... there was like 25 kids all in the same age range in my parents friends group and since my brother and my birthdays are only 2 weeks apart this saved them from having to invite all those kids to two parties...
Birthdays were always special and, like other posters said, all about the birthday girl. Dad would sometimes sing "happy birth-minute" to us which is funny now, but was not so amusing in the wee hours of the morning during the summer when we wanted to sleep in. I remember lots of birthday parties with friends and family. My grandmother baked birthday cakes all her grandchildren until we were in our teens. The birthday kid got to pick the type of cake and the shape. She made everything from a 3-D Garfield to a bowling ball and pins to Big Bird. When we got older we would go out for a birthday dinner as a family. My dad still sends me birthday presents.
My parents probably spent more money on Christmas but we had gifts on both occasions. It was perhaps easier to do that because my sister and I had summer birthdays so there was separation between birthdays and Christmas.
Since Feisty was born 1 week before Christmas I'd like to make her feel totally special on her birthday without focusing too much on gifts. I love the idea of taking the day off and having the birthday be a family day.
This, including quoting shuga.