Ever wondered what it must be like to celebrate birthdays around the holidays? Often times these birthdays are just blended in with everything else during this busy season. I wondered about it, so I recently started a discussion on Twitter Moms, “How do you celebrate birthdays that come up during the holidays?“. There were quite a few responses from moms willing to share their opinions and traditions. One of these really grabbed my attention. Dawn Sandomeno from Paryblueprints Blog has started a very unique and creative family tradition – the Happy Birthday Tree. I just fell in love with this idea!

Dawn took a few minutes out of her busy schedule just the other day to to answer a few questions that I’d like to share here:

This is such a unique tradition, how did it come about?

Truly out of necessity. I really felt that my son Jake’s birthday was never quite as special as those for our other sons. Everyone was spent (emotionally, physically and financially) after the Holidays and it just seemed that his birthday was “another thing”. One year we were having family over for his birthday party and I was decorating for the celebration. I looked at our Christmas Tree, wishing I had taken it down earlier, when it hit me that it could become a his own Brithday Tree! I stuck balloons and Birthday wishes on it. This year I think I will add streamers too. He loved it, it made him feel special and it turned Christmas decor into a fun Birthday Decoration!

Why do you feel it is important to separate holidays and birthdays?

Because they are two separate life celebrations and each deserves their own tribute. There are ways to combine them, like the Birthday Tree, that don’t lessen the importance of the Birthday. I think it cheats the Birthday boy or girl if you try to pass off a Holiday celebration as a Birthday Party. We each only get one, right?

Dawn also made one final comment, “Making celebrations special, doesn’t require lots of time or money. The simple things seem to touch people most.”

I couldn’t agree with her more!

Dawn should know too, she is a party and lifestyle expert and a partner in Party Bluprints Inc. Dawn and her business partner, Elizabeth Mascali, are co-founders of the first-ever website to provide online electronic party plans – Partybluprints.com.

Find Dawn on twitter as well: DawnSandomeno

Thoughts, ideas or suggestions about this topic? Leave a comment!

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit: Free Birthday Treats.

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Ever wonder what it would like to have a child whose birthday fell close to or even on a holiday? Are you a parent who struggles with keeping your child’s birthday special even in holiday season?

Well, Tori Tait (Founder & Editor and Chief of Thoughtfully Simple) is sharing tips on how to accomplish this big task. She has great advice, gained from the experience of having not one but two children born just days before Christmas.

Thank you Tori for sharing your insight and experiences!

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Birthdays are a very special occasion, one that should be celebrated in a big way. After all, you only get one day a year that is completely and utterly devoted to you. And for children, this is a big deal! However, what happens if your birthday falls in holiday season, during a holiday week, or even on a holiday? For parents, the tasks of planning and celebrating their child’s birthday close to a holiday can be tricky (and costly).

I should know because I have firsthand experience at managing this balancing act- birthdays and Christmas to be exact. My daughters are six year apart who just happened to be born December 22nd and December 23rd. I know right, what are the odds? Not only do we have the challenge of keeping Christmas separate from their birthdays, we have the hard work of keeping one child’s birthday separate from the others.

It is my experience that those with holiday birthdays (or parents of children with holiday birthdays) can have very strong opinions on the subject. I’ll warn you now, I fall into that category. In our family, there are rules that govern what is allowed and what is not allowed when it comes to celebrating their birthdays. For example:

• My daughters were never referred to as “Christmas Babies.” Even despite the fact that with my youngest (born December 23rd) we actually did spend Christmas in the hospital. In no way were they delivered to us via Santa’s red sleigh and they definitely were not simply discovered Christmas morning under the tree. Not. Christmas. Babies.
• There is absolutely no excuse for giving birthday gifts wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. This is simply not acceptable. They make birthday wrapping paper year round and it is important for children to feel their day is special not a mere extension of a holiday that happens to be taking place.
• Speaking of gifts, no combo gifts are allowed either. This is typically the biggest complaint you will hear from a child whose birthday falls near a major holiday. If you would like to purchase a birthday gifts for our little ones, that is so generous of you. However, you have all year to do this- so why not plan ahead and avoid getting them a “combo” gift. It is not the idea of having one present over two that irritates me- it is the simple thought of making their birthday feel…well, like a birthday that is most important.
• Birthdays are birthdays. Even though the last few days before Christmas are typically reserved for baking, last minute wrapping, and activities such as caroling- this is not the case in our home. Each of our girls has their birthday completely devoted to them.

Not only do we take the above items into consideration when it comes to planning and celebrating holiday birthdays, we also look for ways to save on the birthday and holiday expenses.

Want to know how we do save on our celebratory costs? I’ll share those tips with you here too, so check back soon! I’ll show how you keeping birthdays separate from holidays can be done on any budget, really.

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit: Free Birthday Treats.

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I think back to my childhood birthdays and it’s not necessarily the gifts I remember, but the people I celebrated with and the food. Figures. Before I ventured into my teens, my mom would cook my favorite dish and cake, which would be cashew chicken and German chocolate cake. Yum! My mouth is watering already. As for the people, it was generally just my family and a few friends.

This year we decided to keep birthdays low key and be creative. I couldn’t have been more thrilled with my iced vanilla coffee from Wendy’s and fresh cut flowers my husband brought me, however it was the birthday cards that brought tears to my eyes:

Like most entrepreneurs, I put in many long hours and at times feel like folding in the towel, but my husband continually supports and encourages me to follow through. This is reflective in his pick for my birthday card “You Can Do It”.

My daughter, who I know will some day be a famous author, picked up somewhere how to make these cool 8-page booklets from one sheet of paper and made this cute card filled with quotes like:

The most wasted of days is one without laughter.  E.E. Cummings

And my son, he is the artist and poet:

Yep, didn’t have a dry eye after these and there is no doubt about it, I’m one blessed mom to have such a wonderful family. Oh and I have no idea where this angel theme came from with the kids.

Of course, I also took advantage of some birthday freebies like my free creation at Cold Stone Creamery, a gourmet burger at an Islands Restaurant and a free car wash at Danny’s.

So I ask again, what makes a birthday special to you? Please share!

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

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