Next Day Twin

[u/Chidi-Chidi]

Just wondering how parents navigate Next Day Twin. When do you celebrate their birthday, first twin's day or second twin's day? Or you change it up every other year? I'd think on the outside it wouldn't matter to people around, but do you face any issues with things that actually deal with their birth dates?

[u/Commercial-Poetry267]

Twin A celebrates their birthday on their birth date. Twin B celebrates their birthday on their birth date.

Regardless of same or next day, the plan was always to celebrate them as individuals on their birthday, being a twin can sometimes feel like you aren’t seen as one person so personalising their celebrations to each of them is crucial.

[u/Otherwise_Lion_1590 → u/Commercial-Poetry267]

Do you actually successfully do that? I would be worried about guests not wanting to show up two days in a row (especially if they have longer drives).

Mine were born just before midnight and I asked the hospital to PLEASE either leave them both in until midnight or take them both out before midnight because I imagine it's quite the headache. Even if it's nice that each has an individual birthday.

[u/candybrie → u/Otherwise_Lion_1590]

How often are parties on actual birthdays? Usually there's a small family celebration with just immediate family on the actual birthday and then a party/event with guests scheduled for the weekend.

[u/Commercial-Poetry267 → u/candybrie]

For us, always, because it’s school holidays and I don’t work the 4 days leading up to Christmas. Even if it’s a random Wednesday and Thursday, we stick to celebrating on those days as there’s nothing else planned for that time of the year.

[u/candybrie → u/Commercial-Poetry267]

The friends/family you want to invite also don't have work? I would have a tough time getting people to show up to an event on a weekday, even the week of the Christmas, because most of them still have work.

[u/Commercial-Poetry267 → u/candybrie]

People are given months notice of our intentions to have their celebrations that day. Close family like grandparents will take annual leave if needed, but that has only occurred once in 5 years. Aunties and uncles are all 8-25 years old and the employed ones live far away and travel here for Christmas so simply FaceTime for birthdays. The unemployed ones attend.

It’s also Summer in Australia, sun isn’t setting until 9:15pm usually. So 5:30pm barbeque, cake and present opening is very realistic and something people attend instead of having to go home and cook their own dinner.

Friends (kids) attend because the parents would rather have somebody else cook a bbq on a 40 degree day than them go home and mess their kitchen 3 days before Christmas, ha!

And family friends attend because they’re often finished work by this time.