Celebrating Baby’s First Christmas

Everything will be new for baby's first Christmas. Whether she's two days old or 11 months, you'll want to preserve every second of it. Get extra batteries for the cameras so that there's no chance of missing it. Snap shots of her opening gifts, greeting relatives she hasn't seen in a long time, and tasting traditional family foods for the first time (if she's old enough to eat them).

Dress baby in a memorable but comfortable outfit. There are adorable rompers that have cute wording on them to commemorate the big first. A mini Santa suit is always a good idea. No one can help but falling in love with a pint sized elf. And your pictures will reflect the joy and happiness of everyone around.

Baby won't usually understand what all the fuss is about. Christmas isn't meaningful to her yet; so try not to overdo it. She'll still need her nap and she won't want to eat many of the holiday foods even if she is almost a year old. Too much noise and traveling in and out of too many parties can be tiring for baby and she may get cranky. So, to make sure everyone has a merry Christmas, limit your outings. Invite people in to spend part of the holiday with you. You might have an open house so everyone gets to see your little cherub for Christmas. Then, when everyone leaves, you can have your own gift-opening ceremony.

Babies are often more interested in the wrapping paper than the actual gift. So don't go wild with the gift-buying. Aunts and uncles will come out in droves with armfuls of baby's first Christmas gifts. Instead, spend time with baby talking and playing and laughing. Those are the memories that are dear and irreplaceable.

If you want to start a new holiday tradition, this is the year to do it. Maybe you want to start an ornament collection for baby to take with her when she's grown up. Give her an ornament every year for Christmas and write the date on the bottom. Take a photo of the family with baby and the ornament. You'll have lots of lovely snapshot memories.

Don't be disappointed if your baby isn't as enthusiastic as you are about the holiday season. And ultimately, remember not to expect too much from yourself or from her.

Allow her to keep her regular schedule as much as possible, and if you're traveling, try to let her sleep at the same times she would at home.

Plan to work in a few extra naps as baby will be doing more things and is apt to need a little more down time to rest up.

When traveling for baby's first Christmas, don't make such tight timelines that you are likely to miss your plane.

Traveling with a baby can mean extra stops for changing and feeding. So build them into your schedule. Bring lots of extra bottles, diapers, and toys on the plane to occupy a bored baby. Think about ear plugs as well if you think baby may be frightened of the noise.