A first-Christmas ornament marks the year something began: a baby, a home, a marriage, a puppy. The tradition that grows from it is small: one dated ornament each Christmas, kept together in one box and hung on the same branch every year, so the tree slowly becomes a record of your family.
In short:
- Before the baby arrives: the Personalised Bump's First Christmas Ornament with Due Date.
- For the new parents themselves: the Personalised New Parents' First Christmas Ornament.
- For the years in between: the Personalised Family Ceramic Christmas Ornament with Names, with the year added.
The idea: one dated ornament a year
Each Christmas, one new ornament goes on the tree with that year printed on it, marking whatever happened first. Some years it is simply the family, as it stood that December.
For a new baby, start with the Baby's First Christmas Ceramic Ornament with Name: Baby's First Christmas above a small sleeping bear, with the name and the year beneath. Our guide to baby's first Christmas keepsakes covers it alongside the photo ornament and the prints.
Every ornament in this guide is a round ceramic ornament 7.5 cm across, with the same design printed on both sides and a red ribbon for hanging. They match in size and shape, so a run of them on one branch looks like a set.
Before the baby arrives: Bump's First Christmas
The first first can come before the birth. The Personalised Bump's First Christmas Ornament with Due Date has Bump's First Christmas in small capitals above a terracotta heart and two stars, then the name in forest green serif and the due date at the base.
Both boxes take up to 15 characters. The name can be Baby and the surname, as in Baby Bennett, simply Bump, or a name already chosen. The due date is free text, so Due May 2027 fits, and so does Due Spring 2027 if you would rather not give the month. A year later, the baby's own first-Christmas ornament can join it on the dated branch.
The new parents' first, not only the baby's
The baby gets an ornament. The people doing the night feeds deserve one too. The Personalised New Parents' First Christmas Ornament has First Christmas as in small capitals across the top, above a small bear and two stars, then the title you choose in large forest green serif: Mummy & Daddy, Mummy & Mummy, Daddy & Daddy, Mum & Dad, Mummy or Daddy. The baby's name follows in terracotta italic, up to 30 characters, with the year at the base.
Hung beside the Baby's First Christmas ornament, the two make a pair.
The new grandparents' first
A new baby promotes the whole family. The Personalised New Grandparents' First Christmas Ornament follows the same layout, with the title you choose: Nanny & Grandad, Grandma & Grandad, Nana & Grandpa, Granny & Grandpa, or a single Grandma, Grandad or Nanny. The grandchild's name and the year sit beneath.
One idea, if you are the new parents: give it to them from the baby, with an early photograph tucked in beside it.
The first in a new home
The Personalised First Christmas in Our New Home Ornament with Names and Year carries a line-drawn house with a heart on the door, your names beneath, up to 30 characters, and the year. Add the house name or number, up to 20 characters, and it goes on a line of its own. It makes a good first ornament for the dated branch.
Our guide to the first Christmas in a new home has the photo ornament, the mug and the prints to go with it.
The first as Mr & Mrs, Mr & Mr, Mrs & Mrs or Engaged
The Personalised Our First Christmas Ornament has a small pair of rings, the title you choose from those four, both names, up to 30 characters, and the year.
The Engaged title gives a couple two firsts. One Christmas the ornament says Engaged; the first Christmas after the wedding, a second one says Mr & Mrs, or whichever title is theirs. Hung side by side, the pair tells the story.
The puppy's first
A first Christmas with a puppy can mean chewed wrapping paper and a tree that needs defending. The Personalised Puppy's First Christmas Ornament with Name has Puppy's First Christmas in small capitals above a terracotta dog silhouette in a small green Santa hat, with the puppy's name, up to 15 characters, in forest green serif beneath. The year is optional, though for the dated branch you will want it.
The silhouette is the same for every order. Hang it high, where the puppy cannot reach it: like every ornament here, it is a decorative item, not a toy.
The years in between: the family list
Not every year brings a first. For the years that do not, the Personalised Family Ceramic Christmas Ornament with Names records the household as it stands that December: the surname across the top, as The Patel Family, above a sprig of holly, and everyone's names beneath in up to 80 characters. The year is optional, so add it for the dated branch.
Order one each Christmas and the list changes as the family does: a new baby's name appears, a partner joins, a puppy goes on the end.
Storing and displaying them
Keep the dated ones in a shallow box of their own, so nothing sits buried at the bottom. Wrap each in tissue paper so the ceramic pieces do not knock together, tuck the ribbon in with it, and lay them in year order, oldest first. Unpacking them becomes part of the evening.
On the tree, give them one branch at eye level, add each year's new one at the end of the line, and keep the branch above the reach of small children and pets.
The full range is in our Christmas Ornaments collection.
Photograph the tree each year
The last part of the tradition costs nothing. Once the new ornament is on, take the same photograph each year: the same spot, the same angle, the tree lights on in the early evening, with whoever hung the new ornament standing beside it. Then take a closer one of the dated branch. Over the years the pictures show what the ornaments cannot: the room changing, the children growing taller, the puppy becoming a dog.
Before you order
Check each name, title and date before you pay. They are printed as spelt, and some designs set a line in capital letters. Our FAQs explain proofs and what can be changed after you order. Delivery times and charges are on our Delivery page, and the last order date for Christmas is on our Christmas order deadlines page.
All eight ornaments here are also in our Christmas Keepsakes collection, and each is printed to order in the UK.
Questions about first Christmas ornaments
Can I order a first Christmas ornament before the baby is born? Yes. The Bump's First Christmas ornament takes a name, such as Baby and the surname, and a due date, each up to 15 characters.
Does every ornament carry the year? The year is required on the baby's, new parents', new grandparents', new home and Our First Christmas ornaments, and optional on the family and puppy's ornaments. The bump's ornament carries the due date instead.
Can the puppy's ornament look like my dog? No. The dog silhouette is the same for every order; the name and the year make it yours.
When should I order for Christmas? The last order date is on our Christmas order deadlines page, and delivery times are on our Delivery page.
More gift guides
- How to fit every name on a family Christmas ornament also sets out the order of the names and what to do when the family grows.
- Personalised anniversary gifts by year follows the traditional list, from paper for the first to gold for the fiftieth.
- Gifts for new grandparents and the wider family covers everyone a new baby promotes, from Nanny and Grandad to the older children and the godparents.