Christmas has and always will be a time for children. Everything about this holiday season just screams childhood and nostalgia. Being a new parent will make this day, even more, exciting, and you will understandably want to treasure every moment. Regardless of how old your baby is, they can still get involved with the festivities and family traditions. Here are some unique and wonderful ways to commemorate your baby’s first Christmas for all new parents to try.
Christmas Card Tradition
An excellent family tradition to start is creating your own photo Christmas cards. These commonly feature your family in a wintery or Christmas setting. It’s a beautiful thing to send to all of your friends and family and can showcase your little bundle of joy. This is ideal if they live far away or if they haven’t had the chance to see your baby yet. Sit your baby in front of a Christmas tree and dress them in a cute reindeer or elf outfit. You can head to a photography studio and a professional photographer or just take the picture yourself. It might take a few attempts, but you’re bound to get some beautiful ones if you can make them smile and laugh. If your baby is still very young and sleeps a lot you can also create some adorable pictures, everyone will love to receive in the mail.
Websites, such as Touchnote can turn your baby’s photographs into Christmas cards and postcard in just a few simple steps. A fantastic addition to this is creating a scrapbook of your Christmas photo cards that you can add to each year. The scrapbook can display your cards and show your baby, and the rest of your family grow older and change over the years.
Personalized Clothing
Christmas is a time where we either get dressed up in our best clothes or get cosy in our pyjamas. Your baby should be no exception. Add some extra personality to your child’s Christmas attire by having it personalized with their name or initials. You could even have ‘first Christmas’ stitched on instead if you prefer. Why not have a dress embroidered or a pair of socks. You can find a good range of personalized newborn clothes at this site. There are so many options out there to choose from, as personalisation has become more and more popular over the years. These garments also make wonderful keepsakes that you can show to your baby when they get a bit older.
Have a toy made for them
We all used to have a favourite toy as we were growing up. That one toy we would take everywhere with us, or that comforted us as we went to sleep. So why not use this opportunity to have a toy made especially for your baby. This could be a toy they treasure for the rest of their lives and may even get passed down to their children. Teddy bears are always popular choices and make great lifelong toys. Build a bear workshop is a great place to choose, stuff and dress a bear that your baby will love. Just remember not to include anything that could be a choking hazard. Soft fur and a happy expression are guaranteed to get your child interested in their new friend. If you really want to buy something unique for your baby’s first Christmas, why not get a Budsie made. This involves you drawing an animal from your imagination and uploading it onto their site. They will create a toy that looks like your drawing or photograph and send it to you. If your child is old enough to hold a crayon, get them to add their own spark and color to the design. This is an ideal way of getting creative together, and you will adore the amazing results. Your child will grow up playing with this toy, and it will always remind you of this special occasion.
Buy a Christmas stocking for them
Stockings hung above the fireplace are a classic symbol of Christmas. So treat your baby to their very own stocking this year. Choose something that you like as you will be getting this out year after year. It’s important that you also find one that is durable and think about an appropriate size. If you usually only put small gifts inside your stockings go for a smallish one and vice versa. Also don’t buy one that features a popular cartoon character or looks too simple. Your child may not like that character in a few years, meaning you will probably have to get it changed. You also want your baby to be interested in the stocking and something too modern and simple looking just won’t draw their attention. Stick to classic Christmas themes and colors that will look good and suit your decor. As an additional extra, why not also consider personalising the stocking like you did with the clothing. That way as they get older they will be able to work out which stocking is for them.
Start a new tradition
Traditions differ from family to family, but it’s important that you make your baby feel involved. If your current family traditions are not entirely suitable for them at the moment, why not adapt them or introduce new ideas into the mix. They don’t have to be over the top. They can be something as simple as reading a Christmas bedtime story to them or putting the angel on the tree. You could start a family game night or Christmas movie marathon, where they can sit and watch everybody. Make this a ritual that you carry out each year and always take lots of photographs to cherish these beautiful memories.
Take a trip to see Santa
Even though your baby won’t understand who Santa Claus is just yet, there is no harm in taking them to see him. Your friends and family will love to see your baby sat with Santa, and it will make an excellent day out for you all. Remember that your baby may get scared and confused to give them plenty of attention and make sure they are comfortable. There may be a few tears here and there, but they are bound to disappear when they see everyone being so happy. The Grotto or department store that you choose to visit may have some facilities that provide souvenirs. These are usually in the form of photographs, key rings and t-shirts. If not it’s guaranteed, you will have taken plenty of pictures on your phone or camera. These photographs will not only look great in a frame on your mantelpiece but will also make wonderful gifts to send to everybody.
Buy keepsake decorations
Decorating your home and your tree with beautiful decorations are all part of the fun and magic of Christmas. To treasure the memories of this special time why not buy a keepsake ornament or decoration to start a collection for your child. If you do this each year, their collection will get bigger, and they will really appreciate and cherish it when they are older. For their first Christmas why not get a bauble painted with their name on or one that features an animal they like. You could create an ornament with snapshots taken throughout the year, which will fill you with nostalgia in years to come. You could even make your own angel or wooden star hanging decorations that feature all of your family’s names. Another brilliant idea is buying some plain decorations and using your baby’s hand and footprints to decorate them. Just use a safe and child-friendly paint in a festive color and press onto the surface. This adds some character and personality to your tree, and you can make hanging these up another Christmas tradition that you do each year.
Make a Christmas record book
Record books are a unique and wonderful way of documenting what you did each Christmas day. You can buy a pre-bought one or create your own. Write down in bullet point everything that happened throughout the day including anything funny that your baby did. Fill it will loads of photos, drawings and trinkets from the day. This could include small gifts and jokes from the crackers or ribbons from the presents. When they get older, you can get your child to write their own entries and drawings into the book. This log will become one of your most treasured possessions, and everyone will want to add their own entry into the book.
However, you choose to commemorate your baby’s first Christmas, just ensure every part of it is enjoyable and special. Your baby will be a lot happier and more interested if they see how much fun you are having too. Always put your baby’s safety and comfort first and don’t put them through anything they clearly won’t enjoy. They might get grouchy and upset during the holiday. But use your baby’s tantrums to your advantage and take some unique pictures that could never be recreated. This adds some more fun to the day and to your keepsakes.
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