Kim

My DD has her birthday on the 21st of December.  So we always have a separate birthday party for her.  I don't want her to feel cheated, like my sister did!  Another idea that I heard of is to decorate the Christmas tree with birthday decorations!  I always let my daughter decide what she wants.  Last year she chose to go to Disneyland, the year before, whalewatching!  I also make sure and buy separate gifts for birthday and Christmas.  It may mean less gifts for everyone, but they don't know!  Christmas is too commercial anyway!  I try for the family traditions. Both old and new!  Like making a gingerbread house and making our own ornaments.  We also go to the Harbor and see the boat parade!  I hope that offsets the lack of gifts that they may receive.  Of course, what they don't know, won't hurt them!
Kim

Nanci and Thomas Kuykendall

I also make sure and buy separate gifts for birthday and Christmas. It may mean less gifts for everyone, but they don't know! Christmas is too commercial anyway! I try for the family traditions. Both old and new! Like making a gingerbread house and making our own ornaments.
>Kim


We go for the more homemade celebration as well. I'm pretty old fashioned. This year the big gift for my boys is going to be a new, bigger dress up trunk and some new props and outfits for it. Some of it we are buying, but other things we are making. We have a couple of other things for each of them, stockings and Thomas' birthday gifts, that's it. I feel secure in the knowledge that the warm and intimate family celebration, full of love and tradition, will be far better a gift for them than a mountain of presents.

I come from a dysfunctional family, and there are usually enough presents to dwarf the tree. I am sick to death of mounds of useless and gimicky junk, with little or no thought put into their selection. Blech.

Nanci K.

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