Baby’s first Christmas is one of those things that is a rite of passage in your parenting life span. There are so many wonderful milestones to look forward to and embrace along your journey. The first Christmas is however one of the most meaningful along the way.
This is a time that’s all about creating lasting memories and inventing new traditions. The irony in all of this, however, is that baby won’t remember a thing! Knowing this, how can you still make the season bright for Baby and create memories she can look at later through pictures, Christmas cards and other mementos?
Pick a Theme
We did this for my daughter’s first Christmas and carried the tradition over into my son’s as well. We picked a classic Christmas theme such as snowmen or angels and then geared all of their special trinkets around that.
In my daughter’s case, we choose angels and bought her an angel ornament that first special year. We have since carried this through and get an angel ornament for the tree in her honor each and every year.
This idea can carry over into the outfit that Baby wears or even in the Christmas cards that you pick. It’s just a fun way of marking the occasion of your child’s first Christmas.
Celebrate the Season
When you become a parent you are instantly introduced to all of the fun Christmas events around town for kids. I found a great breakfast with Santa and a local Christmas parade that we took our daughter to the first year. She may not have understood what was happening the first year, but this became the backbone for an excellent family tradition.
We still attend these local events years later, as we have incorporated them as a fun family tradition. We knew that as our little one got older she’d love to be involved in these types of Christmas events, and so the first year presented the right opportunity. It has been such fun to see how she has evolved through the years and has really come to embrace a tradition that started when she was tiny.
Show the Growth
We all like to see how our baby grows through time. Celebrate baby’s first Christmas by snapping a photo of her sitting next to a festive stuffed animal in the house or in a photographer studio. Keep this special stuffed animal only for this picture each year and mark the occasion with it.
The point here is that just as you would use some creativity to come up with ideas for a birthday party, you want to use that same thought process in developing fun little traditions based on baby’s first Christmas. This gives you something fun to celebrate with them now and something fun to look forward to each year.
You’re going to take a picture of baby that first year for the family Christmas card anyway. If you put the thought into it you can show your child’s growth by using a festive stuffed animal as the measure. Have her hold the animal each year while you snap a pic. This is so easy to put together, costs you next to nothing, and yet is a great way to kick off years of fun Christmas photos starring your little one.
Baby’s first Christmas is an amazing occasion and one to really enjoy every moment of. It’s all about creating new traditions that can be savored that first year and well beyond. This is a wonderful time for you as a parent. So use a bit of creativity and you’ll quickly see how this will be your best Christmas yet.
This is a guest post by Mary Frederick, who used inspiration and creativity to plan her baby’s first Christmas. She still looks for inspiration as her kids get older, such as how to throw an amazing birthday party. Click here to see what fuels her party planning skills and keeps her going.