It's a first!

It’s a first!

Those magic Christmas moments are doubly special when they’re a first

writes Fiona Cummins

Christmas is for kids, but there’s a special something in this time of year for mum and dad too. It doesn’t come in the shape of lavishly-wrapped gifts or a surfeit of good food, but something less tangible.

It’s all about memories: those heart-warming, lump-in-the-throat ‘aahhh’ moments that you know come once in a short childhood. It’s the poignant awareness that the wide-eyed innocence won’t last forever. So enjoy every single ‘first’ because children don’t stay children forever.

Here five families share their special moments.

FIRST christmas for baby

Teacher Keely Buckle from Southend-on-Sea was desperate to have a baby and had almost given up hope when she embarked on her fourth cycle of IVF. Happily, it was successful and she gave birth to her daughter Clemmie, now two, in May 2009.

‘We’d been trying for a baby for five years and I’d almost given up hope. So finally to be able to celebrate the big day with our

seven-month-old was the best present I could have asked for. My dad dressed up as Father Christmas, we put Clemmie in a super cute Christmas pudding outfit and she happily tucked into her puréed turkey and sprouts. She seemed to know it was special as she didn’t stop smiling, but she was far more interested in the wrapping paper than the presents!’

Make a memory

Colourful wrappings and big boxes are really all you need when it comes to gift s for the new arrival! Try to arrange dinner around your new baby’s naptime so she can join the fun.

FIRST visit to Santa

It’s a rite of passage and no childhood is complete without it. Penny Lanning from Peterborough queued for an hour-and-a-half so Lucy, then five months, could meet the man in red in December 2009.

She says: ‘Both Christmases we’ve taken her to see Santa. But the first time will always stay with me. It was a very long queue and Lucy fell asleep but thankfully woke up when we got to the grotto. Santa put her on his lap and she looked at him as if to say: “Who

on earth is this guy?” and then gave him this tiny smile. The only

time she cried was when she was handed back to her daddy, because she wanted to stay with Santa.’

Make a memory

Take a few things to keep them amused, along with a snack so they’re not grumpy when the special moment arrives. If they’re old enough, try to explain to them a little bit about Santa, so they don’t burst into tears at the sight of a stranger with a big white beard.

Christmas delights

We asked parents what they loved most about their own childhood Christmas experiences.

‘Having the whole family together. There seemed to be loads of us and everyone was always laughing and joking, at least that’s how I remember it.’

Nick from Leeds

‘My mum and dad always did a treasure hunt. They left clues around the house in little envelopes which led us to our presents.’

Chloe from Southampton

‘I always remember the reassuring weight of my present-stuffed Christmas stocking at the end of my bed. I used to wake up in the middle of night, feel around for it with my hand in the darkness and once I knew Santa had been, I’d go back to sleep quite happy till very early morning!’

Steven from Cheltenham

‘The smell of Christmas pudding and sprouts.’

Kate from Coventry

‘Eating a whole box of orange-flavoured Matchmakers before breakfast and The Wizard of Oz on the telly.’

Kathy from Middlesbrough

‘I always preferred Christmas Eve and the huge sense of anticipation. Carols on the radio while I helped Mum to prepare the vegetables, looking out of the window to see if it had snowed and

desperately hoping Santa would bring me a selection box.’

Eleanor from Southminster

FIRST homemade card

They’re a bit wonky and bits of glitter are falling off but they’ve been made with love. Shop-bought cards are not a patch on these

keepsakes created by little hands. Strategist Hannah Wilson from London recalls the first Christmas card made by her son Henry, three.

‘When I picked up Henry from nursery, he proudly thrust this purple stocking into my hands. He’d spent all morning making it. As soon as I got home, it took pride of place on the mantlepiece and it’s now gone into a special memory box. It makes me feel tearful to think about it as these moments are so, so precious. I hate to think of a time when he probably won’t even remember to get me a card, let alone make one.’

Make a memory

Heap praise on your child and watch him puff up with pride. Keep it in a safe place so you can enjoy looking at it in later years. Get them making cards at home for all the family.

FIRST school nativity

Dad-of-three Jason Shelley from Ladywell, south-east London looks back at five-year-old daughter Iris’s first nativity.

‘She was one of four angels in a long white dress with a tinsel

halo. When I saw her, it made me go “aahhh”. I wished I could

bottle the moment to savour forever. The hall was packed, it

was a cold day and it was just so sweet.

‘A few days later my wife was at the school’s Christmas fayre and she saw a dirty bit of paper on the floor that had obviously been accidentally dropped. It was a Best Singing

achievement award for Iris! It had been given to her by the deputy head a couple of days earlier for her performance but she hadn’t told us and obviously wasn’t that bothered!’

Make a memory

Practise with your child at home to boost confidence and remember they’re probably just as nervous as you. Don’t forget to film it or take pictures. Make an occasion of it by taking them out for a celebratory tea afterwards.

up with pride. Keep it in a safe place so you

can enjoy looking at it in later years. Get them

making cards at home for all the family.

FIRST wobbly ride on a shiny new bike

FIRST

FIRST wobbly ride on a shiny new bike

Heart in mouth, you watch them wobble along precariously until

you can stand it no longer and wade in to give a helping hand.

Mum-of-two Helen Bradley from Brighton bought her three year-old son Casper a bike for Christmas last year.

‘We thought it would be a great way for him to get some

exercise while I was pushing my youngest in a buggy. We chose a red Balance Bike and put it under the tree with a big bow on it. He rushed straight over to it and couldn’t stop beaming. He kept trying to ride it indoors.

Of course, we had to take him out on Christmas morning to try it out and we saw lots of other parents doing the same. There’s something so poignant about watching your child try out a new bike for the first time.’

Make a memory

Allow time to take them out and enjoy their new present straightaway. They’ll be dying to have a go and this is one time they shouldn’t be expected to wait!

November/December 2011

All information is correct at time of publishing

Family life