As new parents facing your baby’s first Christmas, you may think involving your little one needs to wait till next year. That’s not the case at all! There are many ways to make the season memorable and record the milestone in ways your child will appreciate when he or she is older. The following are some ideas for making baby’s first Christmas unforgettable.

Establish Family Traditions

Holiday memories mark childhood more significantly than anything else in life. Now that you’re a family of three, the traditions you share mean more than ever. Have an Ugly Sweater Party and take family photos in your worst Christmas knitwear. Get everyone in the family a meaningful ornament representing the year. Decide on what your family will do every Christmas Eve, such as visit in-laws or stay home, play board games, and watch Christmas movies. Establish family traditions that you can look forward to every year.

Just for Baby

These are some of the things you can do to get your baby involved in the joy of the season:

• All the sparkling lights of a Christmas tree catch a baby’s interest at just about any age. Place your bundled baby in view of the tree.
• Choose a special holiday book for children, and make it a tradition to read it every Christmas Eve. Hold your little one while reading a classic such as The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! By Dr. Seuss, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Robert L. May, or The Christmas Story.
• Don’t let your little one miss out on a visit to Santa! Bring your baby for a photo shoot with the jolly old elf. It will probably be a treasured photo for life.

Make or Buy a Commemorative Ornament

You can buy a moldable clay ornament and put the imprint of your baby’s hand and foot on it. This is one of many options for ornaments. There are always Baby First Christmas ornaments from Hallmark and countless other sources. You could also start a tradition of having one ornament with a photo of the child that year framed in it.

Travel for Christmas

If everyone is healthy, it should be fine for the family to travel over the Christmas season, whether to see relatives or visit a lodge for snow skiing. Enjoy any and all activities that fit with having a new baby in-tow, including traveling by air.

Give Back

A wonderful tradition that contributes to a child’s development is to participate in giving to those who are less fortunate during the holidays. Bringing your baby along for a visit to a nursing home would bring a lot of joy. You can also hand out small gifts or homemade cards, sing Christmas carols, and just spend time visiting the elderly.

Take a Lot of Pictures

Schedule a professional photo-op, but don’t stop there. Keep a camera handy and take plenty of pictures of your baby throughout the Christmas season. Set up a video for Christmas morning, too, as an annual tradition. One day you’ll have enough pictures for a photo album of Christmases through the years.

Most of All, Don’t Stress!

Being a new parent can be challenging, but don’t get stressed! Enjoy the Christmas season with your little one. Get a baby's first Christmas onesie or a seasonal baby bib. You may only get about 18 of them before they’re off on their own for life. 

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