Guest Blog:
10 Ways to Celebrate the First Holidays with Your Baby

You're probably finding out by now how fun it is to experience new things through your child's eyes. While you want to take them on many adventures and show them different activities, events, and parts of the world, you can't do everything during their first holiday season. While they're little, choose to enjoy a somewhat slower holiday. These ideas are excellent ways to enjoy your baby's first holiday season with them.

1. Take a Handprint or Footprint

Your little one won't be little forever! Consider memorializing this time by making a note of how little their hands and feet were. That way, you can look back on the imprint forever and fondly remember your first holiday season with them.

You can take their handprint or footprint with ink on paper, or you can get a bit more creative and make a salt-dough ornament out of it, allowing their prints to be memorialized on your Christmas trees forever.

2. Travel Somewhere Fun

Travel can be difficult with an infant. Generally, you should wait until your baby is at least two or three months old before you travel via airplane.

A car trip might be more manageable, though. Try to find a peaceful destination near where you live so you aren't driving for a long time. Then, you can take family photos at your destination and find some baby-friendly activities to do.

3. Get a Custom Ornament

If you celebrate with a Christmas tree, make sure to build the tradition that your baby gets a new custom ornament with each holiday season that passes. The decoration should have their name and the year on it, but other custom ornaments might detail that it's your baby's first Christmas.

By purchasing similar ornaments every year, your baby will eventually have a collection that they can look back on. You may want to keep these ornaments for yourself, though! Collectible tokens of the past are a great way to relive fond memories of the season – ones you'll start making this year.

4. See Santa Claus

Many people take their kids to see Santa Claus at the mall. These meet-and-greet opportunities are an excellent way for your child to pose for photos and tell Santa what they want to see under the tree most of all. Your baby might not get the most they possibly could out of meeting Santa, so you may opt to start this tradition in later years if you want to.

If you don't want to take your little one to see Santa directly, you can still introduce them to him via a live video chat or pre-recorded videos.

5. Wear Matching Outfits

Matching outfits are a great way to pose cute pictures with fun stories behind them. As your child gets older, you may add more kids or animals to the family, which means you'll have more opportunities for matching outfits. Plenty of stores offer matching holiday pajamas or party or event outfits.

If you think the matching outfits in stores are too pricey, you can create your own. A Cricut machine can help you make the custom clothes of your dreams. Take a baby onesie and think of something witty, creative, or festive to put on it. Once you complete the vinyl transfer, you'll have a better idea of how it works and can create custom onesies for future significant events or holidays.

6. Make a Quilt

You don't have to have many crafting skills to make a quilt for your baby. Consider gathering every bit of their clothing up from their first year – or, if your baby is still very young, get everything together from their first holiday season. You can sew these garments together to create a soft blanket that you or they can keep for years.

If you don't know how to sew, now is the perfect time to teach yourself a skill that will be handy as your child grows up. Next year, you'll be able to wrap them in their holiday quilt from the year before.

7. Build a Holiday Library

Reading to your baby can encourage mental development. Why not expand your library by building one specifically for the holidays? Try to get your baby a couple of different holiday-themed books every year. You can choose ones with named characters to hold their attention better or with topics about other holidays in the winter you may not celebrate.

Whether you decide to keep these books out year-round is up to you, but you always have the option to make them special and only have them out for the holidays.

8. Take Festive Photos

What's a holiday season without festive photos? Get the whole family together – including pets – to take some fantastic photographs to commemorate the end of the year. If you want to go all out, consider a few different outfit options for your family and have an extended photoshoot.

If just one photo works for you, set it up in a place that means a lot to your family, like the living room. No matter which route you take for your photoshoot, you'll have incredible pictures you can look back on.

9. Create a Christmas Card

Many people turn their family photos into Christmas cards they can send to family and friends. Sending a Christmas card is a great way to let people know you're thinking of them during the season, especially if you won't be able to meet up for the holidays.

If you don't want to send just a photo, you may opt for a traditional card with a holiday family photo nestled inside. This way, people can repurpose the card after the season by using it for a future postcard or gift tag.

10. Work on a New Recipe

You may only be able to start this tradition if your baby is old enough to sit up by themselves. Consider their likes and dislikes when putting together a new festive recipe you can make.

If your entire family enjoys it enough, you can create a tradition out of making it every year. If not, you know to try something new next year! Your child will love the opportunity to participate instead of just watching as they get older.

Enjoy the Holiday Season

Above all, you want to make sure you enjoy this season. Your baby is only this little once, so you should cherish the time you have with them instead of running around trying to cross things off a to-do list. You only get so many holiday seasons with your child before they're an adult, so be sure to make the most of every moment. Then, you'll naturally build traditions that will last in your family for years to come.

About The Author:

Rose Morrison is a home living writer with over five years experience. She is the managing editor of Renovated.com, a home living site where she loves to cover home renovations and decor to inspire everyone to live their best DIY life. When she isn't writing, you'll find her baking something to satisfy her never-ending sweet tooth.