Anonymous wrote:You should start celebrating half birthdays with your kid. Just have cake and a small present on the actual birthday. Do a big birthday present on the half birthday in June.

Both of my kids have December birthdays so we do birthday presents on their half birthday. Works well for us.

Anonymous wrote:I do big gifts for my DD’s December birthday, but I would probably give a bike when the weather warms up, even if it’s not for an “occasion”

We never made our kid "wait" on something that they needed or was appropriate. This was one thing that DH and I decided early on.

new backpack, instrument, computer, new Beats headphones, bike, scooter, etc.... why should they have to wait for their birthday, which is somewhat arbitrary - one born in July the other in Jan? We ended up getting these items whenever they were necessary (previous one broke for example). Birthday ended up not being big gifts. We celebrated, went to a special restaurant and had a party - the friends usually gave the gifts (usually junky until they got older).

For us, Christmas was big.

Not every birthday has a half-birthday.

I had a December birthday. Friends rarely came to my parties. It’s a really rough birthday. My parents made Christmas bigger for both of us, to help deemphasize the birthday.

You should start celebrating half birthdays with your kid. Just have cake and a small present on the actual birthday. Do a big birthday present on the half birthday in June.

Anonymous wrote:I have a December birthday and Christmas was always the bigger gift. Birthday stuff was more like art supplies etc. As I got older I got jewelry and clothes for birthday.

Same here. Big gifts go under the tree. For all kids. Birthdays are more subdued gifts, and parties, and experiences. Like a winter pool party or escape room or trampoline place.

My bday is next week and i remember getting a bike for my 14th birthday. I needed it to ride to school and back which i did year round.

I would do an outside gift like bike or scooter anytime of year. We are outdoorsy people though so would still use them in Jan etc.

My daughter’s bday falls on Christmas Eve. We didn’t get bikes for the very reason you mentioned. Seasonal toys like that seem inappropriate unless you know where to go. That being said, we have gotten her big gift like play kitchen.

I do big gifts for my DD’s December birthday, but I would probably give a bike when the weather warms up, even if it’s not for an “occasion”

I have a December birthday and Christmas was always the bigger gift. Birthday stuff was more like art supplies etc. As I got older I got jewelry and clothes for birthday.

I have a December birthday and so does DD. You give the big gift regardless of what the weather is. So if you want to give your kid a surfboard for their December birthday or for Christmas, you give it. If you want to give your kid with a June birthday skis, you give them.

Also, don’t merge the holidays. The birthday is a separate event from Christmas.

OP I was born a week before Christmas. I got scr**8d every Christmas. One year I got a plastic Christmas tree for my birthday.

My brother, with an early August birthday, always got the bike, etc.

As an adult, I totally get why it happened that way, but just saying, I'm 53 and still roll my eyes and chuckle when I think of my birthday when growing up. It was lame. (Then when I got older, there was an exam every year on my birthday, esp. in college)

Give the big gift. If it's snowing, let the kid ride her bike in circles in the garage.

Ask your child. As they are older they will have a preference. I like birthday to be more special.

My birthday is right before Christmas and I always got big gifts - including my bicycle (40 years later and I still remember how much I loved that baby blue 3 speed!) - on my birthday. I was still able to ride it in the winter. As long as there wasn’t snow on the ground we all just bundled up and rode all over the neighborhood on the weekends.

If your DC has a birthday close to Christmas, do you still get the big toys (like a balance bike, for example) for birthday or Christmas, even if they won't really get a chance to get outside and use it for months? Or do you just randomly gift it during the year during the season they'll use it most? Both DH and I have middle of the year birthdays and grew up getting the "big" gifts birthday or holiday, never any other time of year, but it worked out seasonally. Sort of stuck on whether we stick with gifting for birthday/christmas only, or the kid lucked out and he just gets the big things when he will use them.