When people talk about holiday birthdays, they usually refer to the most quintessential holiday for a birth: Christmas. I, however, am a holiday birthday baby, and my birthday falls on Halloween.
If you, too, were born on Halloween or you have children who are Halloween babies, buckle in as I share a little about surviving a Halloween birthday.
I always believed having a Halloween birthday was pretty much the best birthday anyone could have. As a child, though, I spent some years coming home in tears because the other kids at school teased me and called me things like, “devil’s child,” “witch,” or – worst of all – “Rosemary’s baby.”
Why “Rosemary’s baby”? Well, if you don’t know what it refers to, Rosemary’s Baby is a 1968 horror film by Roman Polanski about a woman named Rosemary who becomes pregnant with the devil’s child. I have not seen the movie because I’m a big scaredy-cat (ironic in a Halloween baby, right?). But guess what? Child me didn’t know what Rosemary’s Baby was or why it was so bad that my mom’s name was Rosemary.
That’s right. My mom is Rosemary, and I’m a Halloween baby.
So let me share a few tips about surviving a Halloween birthday with you. As a parent to a Halloween baby, you can thank me later for these tips and tricks. And if you are a Halloween baby, give me a shout out and tell me what you’d add to the list!
1. Never, ever, ever try to plan a birthday party on October 31st.
Just don’t.
Between people going trick-or-treating or to any number of events, you’ll have maybe two people show up to the birthday party, and one of those will be grandma. I never had a birthday party on my actual birthday because most kids plan to dress up and beg strangers for candy. (Seriously – can I just say how weird it is that we let our kids take candy from strangers one night out of the year and none other?)
2. Assume the days leading up to Halloween are busy, too.
Take a look at the KMB Halloween Events list and then tell me what days look available for a birthday party. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Back? Maybe you noticed there are events all around Halloween. Churches plan events, communities have parties, and it becomes tricky to plan around any of it. I’m not saying not to have a party near October 31st; I would just plan very carefully around events that your friends or your child’s friends might be attending. For example, if you go to the same church, don’t plan your child’s birthday party the same night as the Trunk-or-Treat.
3. Expect a few insults, especially from other children.
Perhaps you as a parent think having a Halloween birthday sounds awesome and you’re excited for your child. A Halloween birthday really is fantastic. What other birthday allows you to get presents, dress up as your favorite character, and take candy from strangers?
Unfortunately kids are cruel, and your birthday boy or girl might come home upset by some insults from schoolmates. I know I did. The most important thing for you is to be able to help your child understand that a Halloween birthday doesn’t make them a witch or a devil’s child or any other nonsense. Kids will be kids, and sometimes all we can do is offer comfort until the whole thing blows over (usually on November 1st).
4. Celebrate both the birthday and the holiday.
This one is sort of optional. If you don’t like to celebrate or participate in Halloween, then by all means, ignore it. But if you’re like me and you love holidays and birthdays equally, then take time to celebrate both! Being a holiday baby means people will ignore your birthday in favor of the holiday. It just comes with the territory.
You can make the birthday special, however, if you choose to celebrate it specifically. Maybe it is a costume birthday party complete with jack-o-lanterns and presents. Or maybe it’s something extra special, like what my parents and I did a few times. They would take me to Gatlinburg to a favorite restaurant for a birthday dinner, and then we would watch the mass of people in costume who ran around the businesses to get their fill of candy.
Good things to keep in mind, Rachel. Thanks for the post! I could only imagine how tough it would be to have a birthday on a holiday, but the kids you went to school with sound especially cruel! Our girl’s birthday is the day before Halloween, so I’m hoping to host some costume parties for her in coming years.