Oh, look, October’s almost over! And I haven’t even had time to start stressing about Halloween yet. Mostly because the kids were good about deciding what they wanted to be this year, and Sophie and Jonah are wearing costumes we already had. WHEEE!
But don’t worry, I’m totally already stressing about the 38-day period that includes Sophie’s, Bobby’s, and Jonah’s birthdays and Christmas – and this year – bonus event!!! Our favorite babysitter whom we love like a little sister is getting married December 15th and Sophie is a flower girl.
That’s just WAY to much packed into five weeks! But, like every year, it is ON like Donkey Kong.
Sophie, like her mother before her (shot myself in the foot there) is SO EXCITED about her birthday, it’s been all she could talk about for two or three weeks already. And of course, the shower for the bride is being held that day (her birthday falls on a Saturday) and I was already planning on having her friends party that day AND our family party that evening, but I can’t handle ALL that in one day, so I’m moving the friends party off-site. Yep, I’m forking out huge cashola to have the party where Sophie takes gymnastics. It relieve me somewhat but it’s honestly more than we can typically afford. And I feel guilty about it. I told her it was special for this year only since we have so many things on one day – and if we don’t do it all on her birthday? There’s NO TIME to do it at any other point. Thanksgiving, other birthdays, etc just take over! It’s now or never. We have to get it out of the way so we can move on to the next event!
The money hemorrhage has started early! Birthday presents aren’t a *huge* expense as we keep it reasonable with our four gifts system – but since we have two more family birthdays before Christmas, it all adds up. Quickly.
I was hoping this year poor Jonah would get a REAL birthday party for once, but with the wedding being the weekend of his birthday, I imagine it will just get lumped in with our family Christmas celebration again. Which is a bummer because I am hoping this year he will really “get” and understand what’s going on. But since he won’t remember…and we have SO much going on…it might just be our little family celebrating him on his actual birthday and then present-palooza for him at our family Christmas (my nephew Alan, born December 27th, seems unscarred by this happening so hopefully it will do no long-term harm to Jonah!)
But anyhoo. I’m tired and stressed about it already! Which I hate, because I LOVE celebrating my kids, my husband, and my Savior. Christmas really is my favorite time of year. But it all gets so crazy so early on for us that it’s hard for me to relax about it.
Maybe it’s just a personal problem.
Anyone else have a crazy birthdaymaspalooza holiday time like we do? What’s your solution?
It started 36 years ago when we said, “We’ll do “that” (insert event or task here) after…”, and it’s never stopped!
I’ve never caught UP!
Our oldest daughter’s birthday is December 23. Since she was a year and a half we have had a “summer birthday” party with her friends for her somewhere between June and August each year. Since it’s not her actual birthday there’s no pressure to have it on a specific date or weekend which makes planning SO much better. It was so ridiculous for this small child to have that giftapalooza in December so this has worked much better for us. She is almost 9 nine now, so a few years ago when she was old enough we let her choose if she wanted to keep having a party and presents in the summer or not and she chose to keep having a summer party when her friends could actually attend! She doesn’t get presents on her real birthday but we usually do make a cake so she can blow out candles and the immediate family goes to dinner somewhere and maybe a movie on her actual birthday. It works out for us.
I hear ya! My oldest birthday falls on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Then, it is one crazy birthday, anniversary celebrations for members of our family until Christmas. We like to do birthdays off site for the same reason and the skating rink has been very affordable!
I hate to burst your bubble, but Alan has already started complaining that his birthday is gonna get all lumped in with Christmas again this year. Scarred, no. Bummed, yes.