Ask any child to name the three most favorite days of the year and their birthday will be one of them. The presents and the cake are important for kids, and even more important is the fact that the whole family and their friends celebrate them. What sometimes casts a shadow on the birthday is when everyone celebrates something else. Here, we will share how you can handle a holiday birthday and advice on how to keep this day special for your kid.

Decorations & Designs

If the birthday is around holidays when you decorate the house like Christmas, you should wait until the birthday is over to decorate. If the birthday is after this celebration, you can take down the decorations to celebrate the special day.

Avoid using holiday wrapping paper for birthday presents. Make the birthday a separate event with special decorations and paper.

No Combined Gifts

Combined gifts can upset the majority of kids, although older kids may appreciate them if it means they can get a larger present that they would get otherwise. If not, keep a separate budget for birthday gifts to avoid temptation to buy combined presents. For older kids, you can use cash envelopes: one for the birthday and one for the celebration.

Combined gifts are often perceived as unfair, but getting two gifts on the same day can also be a little bit too much for young children. You can also run out of ideas of what the child wants. In order to avoid this, try doing a special activity on his/her birthday (a visit to the zoo or Disney, for example), and then give gifts the day after or at the end of the day. This is a great idea for young kids.

Go Above & Beyond

One way to compensate for the crummy timing is to go out to make the birthday special. If you over-celebrate the holiday birthday, the kid would love it and won’t want to change the day.

Even if it means blowing candles during the a holiday or inviting guests that dress in Halloween costumes, some kids love to play up their birthday. Tell the child that the world celebrates with him/her! If your child is old enough, ask his/her opinion about this kind of celebration and stick to it.

Celebrate the Birthday Before or After the Holidays

If your child was born during the time when everyone else is going out of town (such as Thanksgiving), you can have the holiday birthday party a bit earlier. However, if your child is too young he/she may not understand the idea and think that “around his birthday” date can’t be speical. A lot depends on age and ability to understand why you have it earlier.

Celebrating after the holidays can also be a good idea if your child can wait for gifts. Just ask the kid and watch the reaction to see whether or not it suits you.