If you’re a lover of Christmas like me, there’s nothing quite as exciting as celebrating your baby’s first Christmas. I was determined to make Oscar’s first Christmas extra special, and even though he wouldn’t remember a thing, I knew I would never forget it. Plus, I’d have plenty of photographs to show him in years to come!
From meeting Father Christmas to starting new family traditions and choosing those all-important keepsakes, here are 14 things we did to make our baby’s first Christmas magical, with plenty of ideas and inspiration for celebrating your own little one’s first festive season.
A little note: I originally wrote this post back in 2019, when Oscar celebrated his very first Christmas. I’ve kept all those special memories and photographs, but updated the post for 2026 with fresh ideas and links to current festive experiences, so you can plan your own baby’s first Christmas.
14 Baby’s First Christmas Ideas
1. Take your baby to meet Father Christmas
I was so excited for Oscar to meet Father Christmas that I actually took him twice!
For his first visit, we went to the Chelsea Christmas Grotto on Pavilion Road, which was running a lovely ‘My First Grotto’ experience for under-twos in collaboration with children’s entertainers Sharky and George. It was super cosy and festive, with Father Christmas reading the children a story and crafts for the older ones, rather than everyone simply queuing to meet Santa.
Of course, I dressed Oscar up as the big man himself for the occasion… and as soon as he met Father Christmas, he cried! I popped his dummy in and he promptly fell asleep. We did manage to get some reasonably good photos though!
His second meeting was at the famously hard-to-book Harrods Grotto, where I went with my sister and her boys. This time Oscar was dressed as an elf… and still cried when he met Santa!
Sadly, neither of these grottos is still running, but there are plenty of lovely places to meet Father Christmas in London. If you’re planning your own baby’s first festive outing, take a look at my guide to the best Christmas grottos in London for children for some current inspiration.
2. Decorate the Christmas Tree Together
Living on the 13th floor of a block of flats, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to have a six-foot Christmas tree! Thankfully, Pines and Needles delivered us the perfect tree for Oscar’s first Christmas.
There have been years when we’ve been a little lax in the Christmas tree department, but of course, with a new baby in the family, we had to go all out! Even though Oscar was far too young to help decorate it, I loved the idea of him experiencing all the twinkling lights and Christmas magic for the very first time. These days, for practicality sake we use a fake tree from Balsam Hill.
Over the years I’ve collected lots of baby and toddler-friendly decorations such as soft toys that make decorating the tree less of a stress!
3. Get a Personalised Christmas Stocking or Santa Sack
I mean, we probably went totally overboard on presents for a five-month-old, but it was his first Christmas after all! And of course, we had to have the perfect way to present them, with a personalised Santa sack and Christmas stocking. I’ve always loved the selection at My First Years, and these are such lovely keepsakes to bring out year after year.
When we had Noah we returned to this tradition and had new matching bags made.
4. Buy a Special Baby’s First Christmas Bauble
My dear friend Binny had a personalised Christmas bauble made for Oscar’s first Christmas, which was such a thoughtful gift. Since having Noah, we’ve got him his own special bauble too, and I love bringing them both out when we decorate the tree each year. They’re such lovely keepsakes and reminders of those very special first Christmases.
5. Dress Your Baby in a Festive Christmas Outfitย
I definitely went overboard with the Christmas costumes for Oscar, but honestly, how could I resist? Baby Christmas outfits are so cute, and they’re relatively inexpensive too!
Over the festive season, Oscar made an appearance as Father Christmas…
An elf.
A reindeer (see above)
and a pudding…
He told me in no uncertain terms what he thought of the pudding…
6. Wear Matching Family Christmas Pyjamas
I absolutely love matching family Christmas pyjamas, and it’s become one of our favourite festive traditions! For Oscar’s first Christmas, we chose these cute ones from Next (Mr S had a matching pair too!).
When Noah came along, of course we had to continue the tradition, and these PJ from MORI were our favourites for his first Christmas.
Some of my favourite places to look for matching PJs are Next, Marks & Spencer, JoJo Maman Bรฉbรฉ and The White Company, which all have lovely festive options for little ones and their parents.
7. Take Your Baby to Hear Christmas Carolsย
It’s no secret that babies love music and singing, so hearing Christmas carols is a lovely way to introduce them to the festive season. For Oscar’s first Christmas, we were lucky enough to have a little Christmas party in our building, with residents playing instruments and singing carols. It was the perfect way to introduce him to Christmas without even having to take him out in the cold!
If you’re looking for something similar, Bach to Baby runs wonderful baby-friendly classical music concerts, including festive performances at Christmas. They’re designed with little ones in mind, so there’s no need to worry if your baby makes a noise or needs feeding during the performance.
For more festive outings with little ones, have a look at my guide to things to do with babies and toddlers at Christmas in London, which includes lots more ideas for enjoying the season with younger children.
8. Read Christmas Books Together
One of the loveliest ways to introduce your baby to Christmas is through festive books, and it’s a tradition you can continue year after year as they grow.
For Oscar’s first Christmas, I absolutely loved Spot’s First Christmas, which I’d definitely recommend for a five-month-old. It’s a sweet little lift-the-flap book, perfect for introducing babies to Christmas with colourful pictures and a simple story.
Since having Noah, our Christmas book collection has grown considerably! I love getting the festive books out every December and reading them together in the run-up to Christmas. It’s such a simple thing, but one of those little traditions that makes the season feel special. My personal favourite is The Jolly Christmas Postman.
9. Start a Baby-friendly Advent Calendar
Okay, so Oscar was far too young to eat chocolate at five months old, but that wasn’t a huge problem… I made sure to help him with it! Baby advent calendars didn’t really exist when Oscar was little, but I would have got him something like this if they had.
Of course, there are lots of lovely ways to do an advent calendar with a baby that don’t involve chocolate. You could choose a fabric advent calendar and fill it with little surprises, such as soft toys, baby-safe sensory items or Christmas books, or simply use it to mark the countdown to Christmas together. Alternatively you can buy a ready-made book calendar.ย
I also love the idea of a Christmas book advent calendar, where you wrap up 24 festive books (they don’t all have to be new!) and open one each evening to read together. It’s a lovely tradition that can continue as your children grow older.
And if your baby is still tiny, don’t feel you need to organise anything elaborate. Sometimes it’s the traditions we create for ourselves as parents that make that first Christmas so special.
10. Enjoy a Festive Afternoon Teaย
Oscar attended several festive afternoon teas with me during his first Christmas. Okay, so he didn’t fully appreciate them at five months old and yes, he slept through most of them, but I absolutely loved having him there!
One of the things I’ve always believed is that having a baby doesn’t mean giving up the lovely experiences you enjoyed before becoming a parent. Sometimes a festive afternoon tea is just as much a treat for Mum as it is for baby!
Now that Oscar and Noah are older, we’ve enjoyed some wonderful children’s afternoon teas together, and it’s lovely seeing them actually get excited about the cakes, sandwiches and festive treats rather than sleeping through the whole experience.
If you’re looking for somewhere special to take your little ones, have a look at my guide to the best afternoon teas in London with kids. Many of London’s luxury hotels also offer festive versions in the run-up to Christmas, which can make a lovely family treat.
11. Make a Christmas Eve Box for Your Baby!
I love the idea of a Christmas Eve box, filled with little treats and surprises to make the night before Christmas feel even more special. Of course, a baby won’t really understand what’s going on, but it’s a lovely tradition to start from their very first Christmas and continue as they grow.
For a baby’s first Christmas Eve box, you could include some festive pyjamas, a Christmas board book, a cuddly toy and perhaps a special decoration or keepsake to mark the occasion. You could even add a little letter to your baby about their first Christmas, which they’ll love reading when they’re older.
You certainly don’t need to spend a fortune or fill the box with presents. It’s really about creating a little family tradition, and as your children get older, you can change the contents to suit their ages and interests.
photo by SW1 mum
12. Have a Special Baby’s First Christmas Photoshootย
This is something we didn’t actually do with Oscar but we made sure we did for Noah’s first Christmas. There was something quite melancholy about Noah’s first Christmas; I had a feeling that Noah’s first Christmas would be my dad’s last Christmas and he died six weeks later so that Christmas is an extremely important one to me.
13. Keep Special Christmas Mementos in a Memory Box
I bought an absolutely beautiful memory box for Oscar and subsequently one for Noah. I really recommend Meminio who make really beautiful memory cases.
I’ve kept some of the most special mementos from each of the boys’ first Christmases in their boxes, including little keepsakes and pictures. I love the idea that one day they’ll be able to look through them and see just how special those early Christmases were to us.
14. See the London Christmas Lightsย
There are so many wonderful Christmas lights in London, and all those twinkling lights and sparkling decorations are a lovely sensory experience for babies. Even if they’re too young to understand Christmas, there’s something magical about watching their little faces light up at all the colours and illuminations.
One of the loveliest things about seeing the Christmas lights is that it’s completely free, and you can enjoy them on a gentle stroll with your baby in the pram.
I’ve put together a guide to the best Christmas lights in London with kids, including some of my favourite displays and a suggested walking route if you’d like to make a festive outing of it.
How to Make Your Baby’s First Christmas Special
Looking back at Oscar’s first Christmas, I can see that I probably went completely overboard! Two visits to Father Christmas, endless festive outfits, personalised stockings, baubles and more presents than any five-month-old could possibly need. But I wouldn’t change a thing.
Of course, Oscar doesn’t remember any of it, but I do. I remember him crying when he met Father Christmas, sleeping through our lovely festive afternoon teas and looking utterly unimpressed dressed as a Christmas pudding! And now, all these years later, I absolutely love looking back at those photographs.
Since having Noah, we’ve continued so many of these little traditions, from matching Christmas pyjamas to hanging their special baubles on the tree. And if there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s just how precious those memories can become. Noah’s first Christmas turned out to be my dad’s last, and I’m so grateful we made the effort to capture those moments together.
I suppose what I’m trying to say is that your baby won’t remember their first Christmas, and you certainly don’t need to do all 14 things on this list! But these are the moments that you’ll remember long after the decorations have come down.
