The Importance Of Christenings Over The Years (Christening Gifts)

30 June 2011

A baby's christening is a momentous occasion, acting as a naming ceremony. Family and friends attend and depending on a family's religious beliefs a christening (or baptism) can be as important a day in the baby's life as its wedding might be decades in to the future. Although usually a Christian ritual, there are similar ceremonies in the Jewish faith and all differ slightly depending on the denomination within a religion. christening gifts are tricky to choose. A wedding or a birthday is much easier as there are standard presents you can always easily buy, but what do you buy for a newly-christened baby? Fear not! There are many options available to you to suit a variety of budgets and with the internet now more popular than ever you can buy just about anything online.

A wonderful and unexpected present for a new baby is a genuine star in the sky. They can grow up and always know that a bit of the cosmos belongs to them. The Name A Star pack for a new baby is presented in a sleek metal tin and includes a personalised certificate and the coordinates of their exact star to be viewed with a telescope. At just under £20 it is an inexpensive option and will make your Christening gifts stand out from the crowd.

Engraved presents are always a popular option as when baby grows up they make lovely keepsakes. You can get many engraved Christening gifts at lots of different prices. A relatively cheap option is the engraved wooden rattle in a teddy bear design. It can be engraved with any name and date of birth and is £22.99. It's beautiful high quality design and classic look make it suitable for boys and girls and could be passed down the generations for years to come. You can also buy engraved Christening mugs (in a design for a boy and a girl), children's cutlery and even baby hairbrushes. For something the child can use as he or she grows up, how about an engraved money box? Perfect for learning about the importance of saving those pennies early.

For Christening specific gifts relating to the special day you could buy a beautiful embroidered satin bib for the baby. It looks far more expensive than it's £12.99 price and is embroidered with the message 'On Your Christening Day'. Once your order is placed, the child's name and date of birth or date of christening is embroidered making this a lovely and surprisingly cost efficient present.

A great present that the parents of the baby can utilise is a picture frame. That way they can display a favourite photograph of the special day in a frame picked out by you. These come in lots of prices and designs. A modern metal frame with the message 'Baby's Christening' at the base is just £4.99, although you could splash out for the mum and dad and buy a unique personalised hand-print frame. At around £30 it can be used to display baby's hand or footprint in a rustic-looking wood-effect frame. The parents will receive a kit in order to make the prints of their baby's hands or feet then send the prints back whereupon they are framed, personalised with baby's name and age and sent back ready to mount on the wall within 10 days. This is a special gift that will be treasured long after baby has reached adulthood.

An image to display in a child's nursery is always a memorable present. For around £50 you can get a framed personalised name frame in a variety of designs for boys and girls. The hand illustrated letters can spell out 'Oliver' with his favourite animals around his name, or how about 'Jenny' with fairies adorning her name. There are also dinosaur designs and you can choose from lots of different colour options for the mount. This highly unexpected gift is beautiful and will look wonderful on a child's wall for many years. For a similar present at a slightly lower price, how about a personalised name canvas for a child. At around £35 these, again, will adorn a child's wall for years to come and are available in many hand finished designs from cats to space-ships, there is something to suit everyone.

Christenings vary as much as children do and the christening gifts you choose should reflect that. If the parents of the baby involved in the ceremony are slightly wacky then don't be afraid to be out-there with the present you select. An engraved christening spoon is an obvious gift but it won't suit every family. Choose carefully and your present will be the pick of the pile.

Related article: The Best Unusual Christening Gifts (Christening Gifts)