"What Every Mum Told Me Not to Skip for Baby’s First Christmas"

I love Christmas, it’s my favourite holiday. But Christmas 2024 just had me seriously impatient. I was four months pregnant, and all I could think about as we set up the Christmas tree with ornaments, thought about what ham glaze we would use and braved the shops for present-buying was, “Next year, I’ll have a six-month-old”. Now, the year has passed, and we’ve made it. It’s my baby’s first Christmas.

I am beyond excited as December creeps toward the 25th. See, when I say “I love Christmas”, I mean I am obsessed with Christmas. For me, it really is, truly and deeply, the most wonderful time of the year. It’s so wonderful to me, it becomes a burden to everyone else around me. 

For example, I set our Christmas tree up in early November (much to the dismay of my partner, Tom, a total Grinch). As soon as everyone’s Halloween decorations were down, my Christmas decor went up. I’ve booked friends and family in for all the big events – ham raffles, carols, Friendmas, the works.

Just as I expected, everything about the festive season has suddenly become more sparkly and bright now there’s a little person around. I’m seeing Christmas through his eyes, and I know every year it’ll only become more magical. Also, I can just tell he understands my intense Christmas cheer and will continue to support me in my Grinchy household for years to come.

Since this is Joey’s first baby Christmas, I am going turbo mode. More intense than usual! When I say Tom is alarmed, that is an understatement. I’ve been talking about Christmas since September, sourcing ideas from all over the place.

Here’s what I’ve got planned, if you need a few turbo-mode ideas yourself.

1. A Custom Baby Ornament

My first stop was Etsy to pick a custom baby ornament celebrating Joey’s first Christmas. I actually screwed this one up because the embroidered one I ordered arrived the size of a small dinner plate. It looks terrible on the tree, but here we are. My mum, who copied my idea, fared better. She ordered this one from Etsy brand Ribbon + Clay, and it’s a) so cute in real life and b) has made me really jealous.

2. A Loaded-Up Christmas Tree

Joey is starting to crawl, and look – it’s not ideal to have the temptation of a Christmas tree covered in baubles and trinkets, right as his little hands want to grab everything. But we persist, because that is the spirit of Christmas. As much as I am frustrated daily with Joey’s relentless shuffling toward the tree, it’s also really sweet that he loves all of its shiny things.

3. Starting Santa Immediately

I don’t care that Joey is six months old and won’t remember anything about his first Christmas – Santa is real, starting now. Joey is getting his first Christmas gifts from Santa this year, and every year to come! I will be aggressively protecting his belief in Santa. Like, he could be 15, and I’m still convincing him Santa exists. I also bought a really over-the-top Santa outfit from one of those Christmas shops (how do they make money year-round? A mystery I’ll never solve), for my dad to wear. I’ve given him strict instructions that he cannot, for one second, break from character. BE. SANTA. MAKE THE CHILDREN BELIEVE.

4. Santa Photos Galore

Speaking of Santa, I booked Joey in for a Santa photo back in November. The bookings had barely opened up, and I’m on the internet, grabbing my spot. I can’t wait for his cute little face (possibly crying, we’ll see) among all that festiveness. I didn’t go completely wild with the package, but I did make sure there were wallet-sized photos in the mix, since I plan to accost all members of our family with Joey’s first Santa photo. My mum still has a Santa picture of my sister and me up in her lounge room, all these years later. There’s just something special about them.

5. Carols, Fairs and Markets

Joey is being hauled along to every Christmas event I can find. We’re doing the local carols. We’ve already been to a few Christmas school fairs. There are markets in my diary for us to visit. I’m getting him in and amongst the festive vibes as much as I can, because I love it. But he also loves all the tinsel and music! We only get one full month of this festive cheer, and I plan on making the most of it.

6. Christmas Outfits. Many Of Them.

I try not to buy too many silly things for Joey, particularly in the clothing department, because I’m fully aware that he will outgrow everything by next season. This feels particularly obvious with Christmas outfits, because not only will he only get one season out of them, he will get like, a handful of wears maximum.

Still, I can’t go by some of the cuteness! We bought this Purebaby bodysuit way back in September, because how could we not? Then, I spotted this little romper in Kmart for $7! Impossible not to buy. I’m limiting myself to two outfits since that covers Christmas Day and our local carols visit, and since my sister is pregnant, my current mental argument is “Well, she will use them next year!”

7. Visiting The Christmas Displays

Is six months old too early to appreciate the technical mastery of local Christmas displays? I think not. I’ll be driving Joey to the best Christmas streets filled with lit-up houses and blow-up Santas, finding pure joy in his amazement. Some states will have maps showing neighbourhoods really going for it with Christmas lights, and there’s also this website that maps light setups, Australia-wide.

I hope you found some great ideas here, and we’d love to hear yours! If you’ve got Christmas plans for your baby, let us know on Instagram @onefinebaby.