Blog · Children

Baby's first Christmas.
They won't remember it. You can keep it for them.

Fairy lights reflected in their eyes, wrapping paper more exciting than the present, grandparents taking turns to hold them. A baby's first Christmas is full of things they'll want to know one day. Here's how to gather them, so they're there when your child is grown up.

Erabox editorial team · Updated · 6 min read

A girl looking through a photo album by the Christmas tree, with photos of a baby girl in her grandfather's arms
In short

A baby's first Christmas is above all a celebration for the people around them: our earliest memories usually date from around age 3, according to a study of more than 6,000 people published in Psychological Science. That's why it's worth keeping it for them: photos, voices, small objects and a letter to read when they're grown up.

Why keep it

You remember their first Christmas for them

Shazia Akhtar and Catriona Morrison of the University of Bradford, with Martin Conway (City, University of London) and Lucy Justice (Nottingham Trent University), asked 6,641 people to describe their first memory and how old they were. Earliest memories, they explain, usually date from around 3 to 3.5 years of age.

39%

of people (38.6%, to be precise) said they remembered something from age 2 or younger. According to the researchers, many of these memories are probably pieced together from photos or family stories.

So your child won't remember their first Christmas on their own. They'll get to know it through the photos you take, the stories you tell, the things you put aside. These are the memories you'll hand to them.

They don't need to remember it. They just need to be able to discover it one day.

Ideas

Baby's first Christmas ideas

  1. A bauble with their name and the year. You'll hang it on the tree every Christmas. In a few years, they'll hang it themselves.
  2. The photo under the tree. Same spot, every year. In the first one, they'll fit on a blanket.
  3. A handprint or footprint. On a Christmas card, with the date. In a year's time you won't believe how tiny it was.
  4. Their first present, with the card. Keep the card from whoever gave it, along with a photo of them unwrapping it (or playing with the paper).
  5. Christmas voices. Record grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins wishing them a happy Christmas. One day they'll want to hear those voices.
  6. The menu and who was there. Write down who was at the table, what you ate, who held them the longest.
  7. A newspaper page. From 25 December: it shows the world they spent their first Christmas in.
A small child sitting with their back to the camera on a soft rug, in a bright room

If you'd like some of these ideas to become a yearly ritual, read our family Christmas traditions.

The box

What to put in a first Christmas keepsake box

Just one box, with the year written on it. It's for the small things that would otherwise get lost.

  • The loveliest Christmas card they received.
  • A piece of the wrapping paper from their first present.
  • Their Christmas babygrow or bib.
  • Printed photos, with the date and names written on the back.
  • The sheet with the menu and the names of everyone at the table.
  • A letter from you, to open when they're grown up.
The letter

What to write in a letter for their first Christmas

It doesn't need to be long or perfect. Tell them about that day as if they were grown up and had asked you. You could start here:

“We spent your first Christmas at…”“That day you were … months old and you could already…”“What made you laugh the most was…”“The person who held you the longest was…”“That evening, watching you, I thought…”“What I wish you for every Christmas to come is…”

Add a photo from that day and sign it with the date. Eighteen years from now, it will be one of the most beautiful presents they receive.

With Erabox

Their first Christmas, to receive when they're grown up

The box stays in the attic. The photos, the voices and your letter can reach them on exactly the right day: with an Erabox Memories capsule, you choose when.

1

Gather

The photos under the tree, the recording of the grandparents' wishes, your letter. You can add something every Christmas.

2

Choose who will receive it

Your child, once they're grown up. They won't need to download anything: they'll get a personal, secure link.

3

Choose the day

The Christmas after they turn 18, for example. Or on their 18th birthday.

Erabox keeps your memories on servers in Switzerland and delivers them on the day you chose, even many years from now.

See how it works
Frequently asked questions

Baby's first Christmas: common questions

Can't find your answer? Write to us from the Support page.

With simple gestures made for them: a bauble with their name and the year, the photo under the tree, grandparents wishing them a happy Christmas. More than the celebration itself, what matters is keeping the memory.
Almost certainly not: according to a study published in Psychological Science, earliest memories usually date from around age 3. That's why the photos, voices and stories you keep are so precious.
As well as a small toy, a gift that lasts: a bauble with their name and the year, a book with a dedication, a letter to open when they're grown up.
Tell them about the day: where you were, who was there, what made them laugh, how you felt. And a wish for all their Christmases to come.
In a box with the year written on it, with printed photos and cards. Or in an Erabox capsule that reaches your child when they're grown up, for example at 18.
Read also

Guides to go further

Baby journalTheir first years, written down for them.Read the guide Letter for their 18th birthdayWords to read on the day they come of age.Read the guide Time capsuleA piece of today, to open tomorrow.Read the guide
Start now

They won't remember it.
But one day they'll be able to discover it.

Gather the memories of their first Christmas and choose when they arrive.

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