Christmas babies, young and old, often hate feeling like their big day is overshadowed by the "most wonderful time of the year," but friends and family can help mitigate that feeling Firstly, wish the person in question a happy birthday before you say Merry Christmas. If you've got a spouse or kid whose birthday falls on a major holiday, you have to make a big deal about the birthday by creating buildup and devoting a portion of the day to the individual. This could be at the exact time of birth, if practical, and when the extended family is around. Prepare a funfetti cake that's not Christmas-y, candles, streamers, birthday whistles, and sparklers so the birthday boy or girl can have their moment in the spotlight before going back to the carols and pumpkin pie.

Remember the Christmas birthday golden rule: "No Twofers Allowed!" Buying someone a Christmas gift that doubles up as a birthday gift is a cop-out unless it's a high-value present the birthday honoree really wants that combines your budget for two different presents. Christmas babies also appreciate the attention to detail. Put neutral or birthday-specific wrapping paper on the birthday gift, and wrap the Christmas gift in stationery adorned with snow, reindeer, and other festive motifs.

When birthdays are sandwiched between Christmas day and New Year's, you may want to take the tree down to distinguish between the two special days. If there's time, and the birthday person is game, consider swapping out the festive ornaments for birthday baubles. You could also split a tree with ornaments—one half could be for the holiday, and the other for the honoree and their gifts.

For the primary homemaker, Christmas can mean spending hours in the kitchen whipping up a feast. When it's the head chef's birthday, help lighten the load by divvying up kitchen duties, fetching groceries, tidying the house, and making life as easy as possible. If families take turns to host, ask the birthday person what they'd like on the menu—it'll mean so much more when they don't have to make it themselves!

Speaking of special birthdays, you can play with quantity for significant celebrations such as a child reaching double digits, sweet 16s, 21sts, or champagne birthdays (turning 25 on the 25th). Chat with close family members and regular gift-givers so you can arrange for the number of gifts under the tree to match the noteworthy age. Naturally, don't forget to match the candles on the cake, too.

Celebrating a half-birthday on the 25th of June allows the Christmas baby in your life to get a whole day that's all about them. It's the perfect weather for a pool party, which is pretty novel for a winter baby. For those who aren't keen on a summer theme, you can plan a party in early December, before venues are booked out and while folks are still in town, or push the event to early in the school year.

Make a Christmas birthday feel momentous by adding birthday decor or totally replacing the Christmas decorations in one room after the special person has gone to bed. This way, they will wake up to decorative touches meant just for them. A Happy Birthday sign can accompany a Merry Christmas sign, and you can drape balloons along the staircase and near the mantle. Other surprises—like secretly flying in a friend who lives in another state—can make the event even more wonderful and really prove it's Their Day.

Christmas usually means swapping a birthday spent with friends with one celebrated with family. It's a busy day, but find a moment to call the birthday boy or gal if you won't be together for the holidays. Getting birthday-focused calls proves to the birthday person that they are in your mind even when the demands of the season are all around you.

Holly and poinsettia are a dime a dozen during Noel, so if you're sending flowers, opt for the other December flower: paperwhite narcissus. Gift cards for cozy coffee drinks, jammies and warm socks, and the latest fireside novel are all great ideas for simple gifts that match the season of their birth without re-emphasizing the Christmas season.

It might seem like New year's eve babies have very little to complain about. They have a natural bookend to their year, a countdown to the big day, and promise lingers in the air. But NYE is another big event that tends to overshadow everything else. Most of the suggestions for Christmas birthdays can be co-opted for New Years' babies—celebrate them before the general holiday, and you'll help them feel just as special as every other birthday person!