In this guide
Start a tradition that costs nothing
The best keepsake from a first Christmas may be a habit. A few that are easy to start this year and hard to regret:
- Take a photo in front of the tree, in the same spot, every year. In ten years you will have something worth looking at.
- Write a letter to yourselves and seal it. Open it on your tenth Christmas.
- Buy or make one new ornament every year, with the year on it. The tree becomes a record of your marriage.
- Merge the traditions on purpose. Pick one from each family and invent a third that belongs to you.
If the two of you are splitting the holiday between families for the first time, settle that early and write it down. Whatever you decide this year tends to become the plan for years to come, so choose something you could happily repeat.
An ornament with your names
An ornament takes up no room for eleven months, then comes back out each December to remind you of this year.
Our First Christmas ornament has your names in script, an occasion line and the year. The occasion lines cover how couples actually describe themselves:
Occasion lines
- AS MR & MRS
- AS MR & MR
- AS MRS & MRS
- MARRIED
You can choose Christmas art, or a style with your own wedding photo in a soft painted frame. On photo styles the year prints on the back, so choose front and back if you want it. On the back, you can add a line in script, such as Our first as newlyweds or The start of forever.
The ornament
First Christmas Married Ornament
Your names and the year for a first Christmas married, as a family, as grandparents or in a new home.
from $23.95See it on Etsy
If you are giving it to a couple
A few details are worth checking before you order, because they are the ones that make people wince later.
- Find out whether either of them changed their name. If you can’t ask, two first names (Jessica & Ryan) dodge the question entirely.
- Check the spelling on a wedding website or invitation. Jon, John and Jonathan are three different people.
- Use the names they use. If she has always been Beth, don’t write Elizabeth.
- Names go up to 14 characters, including spaces and the &, so Jessica & Ryan just fits. If theirs is longer, try a short family name like The Davises, and spell the plural with care.
The plural is its own small trap, and our family name guide covers it.
Using a wedding photo
Choose a close shot with both faces in view, since the ornament is about 3 in across. Full-length photos on the church steps look wonderful in an album, but the faces end up tiny here. The original from a phone or the digital file from the photographer prints best.
Only send photos you took or have permission to use. Wedding photographers often keep the rights to their pictures, so check your agreement or send a quick message.
Keepsakes for the wall or the sofa
If you want something larger, these all carry a date or a name from this year.
- A star map of your wedding night, in the Ivory and green style: The sky we married under, with your names, city and date. Our star map guide goes through the details.
- A family name woven throw with EST. and your wedding year, woven from cotton yarn. It suits a couch, where a lot of married evenings end up.
- A photo blanket with text, with two big photos side by side and a date line such as Married June 14.
Larger keepsakes
Star Map, The Night We Met
The real sky over your city on your date, with both names, in 5 styles.
from $45See it on Etsy
Family Name Woven Throw with Est. Year
Your last name woven big in cotton, with fringe on all 4 edges, in 6 designs.
from $89.99See it on Etsy
Other firsts
The same ornament covers other first Christmases: AS A FAMILY, AS GRANDPARENTS and IN OUR NEW HOME. For a couple with a new baby, see our baby’s first Christmas guide.
Questions people ask
What is a good gift for a couple’s first Christmas married?
An ornament with their names and the year is the classic choice. It is small, and it comes back out every year.
Should the ornament say the wedding year or this year?
This year, since the ornament marks the Christmas. Add the wedding date elsewhere if you like, such as on a star map or a blanket.
We got married last year. Is it too late?
No. Choose the occasion line that fits, such as MARRIED, and use the year of the Christmas you want to remember.
When should I order for this Christmas?
For Christmas delivery in the US, order the First Christmas ornament by December 1. Each listing shows its own date.
Orders go through Etsy. Each See it on Etsy button opens our shop, The Kind Porch, where you personalize, pay and message us.