How to Save on Christmas Birthdays

Christmas is a tough time of year. Especially with the way the economy is and the way the cost of gas was all summer long. Many people are in a bind from this summer, and they are still trying to dig themselves out of the problems that the cost of gas caused. When you have to buy gifts, it is pretty simple, set a budget and stick to it the best you can. But what do you do when you have to buy someone not just a Christmas present, but a birthday gift also? For people who are buying the gifts, it can be costly. And for the person who is having the birthday, it just isn't the same as with other people, and they usually get cut short on what they get either way around.

Some ideas to help with this is to celebrate the birthday on a different day. My cousin usually celebrated his birthday on the 24th, to help give him a day that is all his. His to open his gifts, his to have cake and ice cream, and it is his day. Separating the days is helpful and can be more enjoyable for both the birthday person and the giver.

Knowing what you normally give a person for there birthday is a great place to start. If you normally buy a certain amount for each person's birthday, be sure that you do the same with this person. When it comes to the birthday gift, have it wrapped in birthday wrapping paper, not Christmas paper to show that you know that there is a difference.

When it comes to purchasing a gift for the birthday person, be sure that you let others know what you are getting him or her. This will help keep them from getting duplicate gifts, which there is a high chance of this happening around the holiday season. Be sure to work out things with others. If you know that he is getting an Xbox for Christmas, you don't want your gift to be a game for it, they will surely know what they are being given. Find something that they may want and work your birthday gift and Christmas gift together. Using the Xbox idea, you can give the person the console for his or her birthday, then turn around and give a game to them for Christmas.

Some great gift ideas to help with this is to take the person out to someplace special for their birthday instead of buying a gift. If they are a younger teen or a child, taking them to a place such as Chuck E Cheese where they have food and games to play, will help keep them from getting the hum drum feeling of not knowing if it is their birthday that is being celebrated, or if they are celebrating Christmas.

Take them to a movie, bowling, roller skating, ice skating, to watch a game or a concert. This is a great gift idea and it is something that can be done anytime before or after the holidays. This helps to separate the two celebrations from each other also.

A great gift idea is giving them a gift card for them to use. This way the day after Christmas, they can start to shop for something to go with what they got for Christmas or maybe to go with something that they got for their birthday. You can also purchase different gift cards for specific things that they get to choose such as video games or movies.

The one thing that you have to keep in mind no matter what you choose to do is to keep the two celebrations separate. Keep each of them as though they are separate days, because they actually are.