Sentimental Christmas Gift

How about a special Xmas ornament? Pick one that represents something she was into that year. Put her name/date on it. When she grows up and moves out, give her all of her ornaments to start her own tree!

My mother gave my brother and I special ornaments each year. Now it is a family tradition and we always look forward to putting up the tree!

Hi D.,

I received an "Add-a-Pearl" necklace from one of my mother's friends when I was born. My mom added a pearl each year and it has been my most favorite piece of jewelry since high school.

J. Penfield
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Each year, I give my kids a charm that represents an accomplishment or memory from the year. We sew it onto their stocking and also record in their special Christmas journal the charm that they received and the reason that particular one was chosen for them. My kids are young (four under 9 yrs old), yet they seem to appreciate this.

Mu aunt bought me a Christmas ornament each year. Now I have a whole set of ornaments for my own tree and family.

I am a grandmother to three wonderful little girls. I have bought them a special xmas ornament ever since they were born. I know when they were little they didn't remember but believe me, now at 7, 5, and 4 1/2 they can tell you each year what ornaments are theirs. I also try to pick something out personally that attains to each girl and inital it or something so when they leave home they will have enough oranments to decorate their own xmas tree. You could also write a note each year and put it in a speical box and when she grows up she can read them.

How about an ornament? My parents did it for us--each year they got my brother and sisters and me a new ornament--the tradition still continues. We actually got it before Christmas, after the tree was up. We put all the ornaments on the tree every year--all told, nearly 700 with my parents' ornaments!--and when we left the house after getting married or just out on our own, we took the ornaments with us and put them on our own trees. It's fun to look back and remember each Christmas.

Hello D., Congrats on your Baby Girl!
Just two simple ideas that you may have already thought of-
Write her a letter each year- sorrda gathering all the wonderful things that year brought and how much you love being her mommy and you can write another letter to her at the beginning of the year telling her what your goals are for you as a mom and what you plan to do the new year as a family- whatever fun stuff. Also you can make her an ornament for each year and when she is grown she will have a Christmas tree full of wonderful ornaments passed to her that you created.
Hope this helps!
God Bless

My friend buys her niece the Longaberger Christmas basket set every year and has since she was born. My grandma had bought my aunt an add a pearl necklace and not only added to it for Christmas but also special events like baptisim, first tooth, first dance, license, prom, all the special moments in a girls life, she then wore it when she got married.

I buy my kids an ornament each year. The each have a "first Christmas" one, then each year after that is something that represents their interests of the year. this year my 4yo has a Cinderella one and my 18month old has a car one.

I find this to be really special, Buy her a authentic pearl each year, and when she turns 18, she will have a beautiful necklace to wear as an adult...A real string of pearls. Something they can wear on their wedding day.

When I was a little girl, my grandmother gave me a musical snowglobe or music box for Christmas each year, and I love having them now! Now, she buys my son a piece of a Fontanini Nativity set each year. I know that he will love having them as an adult, and hopefully will be able to share a complete Nativity with his own family.

snapfish.com
make her a book about her first year. They have the templates you just upload picture and add captions. There are even some blank pages so you can write a little story about the picture or how wonderful this year has been. You could do one every year and recap the year for her. Now that you ask and I recommend I think I want to do this for my boys. You do have to do it by the 18th to make sure you have it by Christmas though. I think the books are $25.00. Good luck, hope you find something perfect.

I think ornaments are a simple yet wonderful tradition. My mother did it for my sisters and I as we were growing up. She got us our own ornament usually related to our favorite activities/things from that year, I am 30 and she still gets me one every Christmas. Each ornament was dated and then when we left home we took them with us so we would have ornaments for our own Christmas tree. I now have 3 children and do the same for them and my husband. I love having such a personalized Christmas tree and it makes decorating so much more fun. We all enjoy looking back at ornaments from my childhood and more recently from theirs.

Hello,

You can start her with a charm bracelet. Every year add something unique that she's doing. Ie; Dance, ballet, cheerleading etc…

There was an idea in an article I loved. It had the kids make a plate from a pottery painting place each year. Then when they got older they had plates for special occasions. My cousin also bought a set of extremely nice silverware for her kids every year, and plans on giving it to them when they get married.

You could add miniature sentiments or charms to a stocking. You can get a premade stocking and add charms to it, along the edge or in a grid pattern in a consecutive order.
Maybe also a mini journal, at each Christmas, make an entry about her year's accomplishments or highlights, and attach a photo.
There are also ornaments that can be made or ordered with her photo, but that might not be something you would want her take when she gets older.
Another idea, might be to quilt something for her. You could use pieces of her clothing that she has outgrown, or have them copied onto iron on transfer fabric if you don't want to ruin them.
Last thought, a nice decorative or personalized storage box/trunk to store her future Christmas ornaments, and a photo storage box to keep special occasion cards she has received in the mail for her first year, and any years after that you might hold on to.

My sister gets her boys and my 2 girls a new Christmas ornament every year....it's a tradition for almost 12 yrs now. She makes sure she puts the childs name and year given too - my kids love getting them out each year.

Here are a couple of ideas. With our daughter, who is now 7, we bought her a special ornament. When she was old enough, she started to pick out her own ornament, so she gets a new one every year. Once she's an adult and on her own, we'll give her all of her ornaments to put on her own tree. She loves getting a new ornament each year, and she's always excited about hanging them on the tree. We also do the same thing with nutcrackers. She's actually gotten them from other people too, so she already has quite a collection. Another idea I've heard of, which we haven't done, is to buy a pearl each year, and then eventually your daughter would have a strand of pearls. Hope this helps give you some ideas.

Dear D.,
Congratulations! Getting her a special Christmas ornament every year would ensure that she would have a nice collection by the time she has her own household. I am sure that it would be something that she would treasure for years to come.

My best friend, who lives in Texas, bought my daughter a charm bracelet with a charm on it for her first birthday. She wrote her a really sweet note and told her that every year until she is 16, she will send her a charm to put on her bracelet. Last year when my daughter turned two she sent her a charm. She turns three next Saturday and I'm curious to see what kind of charm she will receive from her! She took the links out to make it fit her now, but included the links so we can have them put on when she's older so she can wear it when she is an adult, too. I think it is the sweetest present she has ever received. I wish I would've thought of it! ;-)

Hi
A co worker told me about how she buys a ornament for the tree for each grandchild every year of a favorite character. she started with barbie for each granddaughter different ornaments. for one grandson she buys fishing ornaments. I wish I would Have thought of this.

K.

I have a journal I keep for each of my kids... I have 4. I write whenever they have a birthday...lose a tooth, first day of school, write their name, holidays...you get the picture. My hope is that they will cherish this special gift someday. They will be able to read all my thoughts and know just how much I love them. I doesn't have to be anything fancy...they have some really nice journals at Walmart or Target. Good luck...you could also buy a special ornment each year and then give these to your child when they move out to put on their own tree.

Words mean a lot to me...If you have time, maybe write to her in a journal ( it's what I do with my boys) and tell her all you have learned about her this year. It's a journal you can write in, for holidays, or any time. I have this idea that when they get married, I will give it to them--or when they reach a certain age, I will give it to them, and they can see all the things that brought us joy, what they were like from birth through the years. I bought a homemmade paper journal for each boy, and though my oldest is three, I have only filled a quarter of the journal. It's like a letter a month--but if you start it on Christmas of her first year, it's still the "birth" of a new tradition.