My first Christmas dinner? Make it about yourself. This is your first Christmas too!

We asked mums of (ahem, much) older children, and their advice was to make the first two years all about you. And it’s true! My first Christmas Dinner that I can remember was age six! Can you remember yours? They say the first two Christmases are those where you get all the magic of having young kids, without any of the pressures of having to uphold all the secrets that make Christmas so special. Don’t worry if not everything is perfect – your baby won’t remember.

 

 

Here’s how to make baby’s first Christmas special for all of the family.

 

My First…Sensory Memories

It’s always the smell of something that takes you right back to a memory. These are so important for kids and babies too! Bake cinnamon sticks and orange slices with cloves on a low heat in the oven until they dry out. These make beautiful (and environmentally friendly) Christmas decorations and the smell fills the whole house! A smell your family will always remember for years to come and take them back to that moment.

Babies also love twinkly lights and this is a great way to set the magic of Christmas. Fairy lights are easy to get hold of, and LED ones last for years to come. Set them to twinkle and your baby will be amused for hours – especially sleepy babies!

 

My First…Decorations

For your first Christmas you may not have a garage full of decorations and that’s fine! You may have memories of your first Christmases where the family. get the same decorations out every year and they become a tradtion. Part of the fabric of your family’s Christmas. This is the start of your traditions so you don’t have to have them all ready for the first one! Only one corner of the house needs to look nice for the family photo – focus all of your decorations here. You can accumulate decorations over the years so no need to get them all now!

 

Which leads us to our next point…

Ask each guest to bring a Christmas decoration. They will all add up to a tree full of memories of each of your friends and family for years to come. Even the ugly ones – which can decorate the back of the tree nicely…They will all be a memory.

 

My First…Gifts

Gifts can be an awkward issue, but to make life easier for everyone it’s ok (and welcome) to give pointers. Decorations are a great one to go for. Things for the baby such as winter clothes, but often more importantly summer clothes in a larger size for the next season (it always happens quickly!)

We love mementos as Christmas gifts too. Bibs saying my first Christmas dinner look great in photos and are things you can keep forever.

And this way, everyone has plenty of options in their budget and plenty of opportunities to be as last minute or as creative as they like.

 

Fridge Space!

Ask guests to just bring drinks and not food. You never know what people will bring so you may end up with four chocolate logs when you had already planned mince pies. This way you can stay in control of the plan, there will be less food waste and you’ll optimise your vital fridge space!

 

Make and Keep the Memories

Make a photo album for the baby’s first Christmas. Get all of the guests to add a little note for the baby. This can be anything small – here are some ideas to get them started:

Your favourite Christmas joke

What was your favourite present?

The part that makes Christmas most special for you

A Christmas wish for the baby

What was your first Christmas like?

When baby grows up and starts earning money what would you like as a gift?

 

 

About us

Yhangry is a private chef platform which has been featured on Dragons’ Den. If you are planning to host Christmas, you can find and book local private chefs to cook in your home. You simply choose from our chefs’ menus starting from £25pp. The chef will bring the shopping, cook up a feast and clean up in the kitchen, so you get to enjoy a fabulous time with your loved ones without having to worry about the cooking.