What to do about Christmas bauble tradition…

[Xm4smad]

Before I had children I decided that every year I would buy a bauble and put it away for them to have when they move out. I started by picking baubles that were relevant to the year (first year I got my son a sheep bauble as we sang ‘baa baa sheep’ about a million times to him, second I got him a bear to signify his first word. Now he’s at an age he could probably pick something himself so do I;
a) continue to choose something myself that’s relevant to the year
b) let him choose his own, but have a little note about the year.
c) just give up now - he won’t care about them or want them when he’s older.

We have a similar tradition here, each year my DSS, DS and DD get to choose a new bauble to add onto the tree. We visit a lovely garden centre, watch the singing reindeers and then they choose a new bauble. Then they hang them on the tree when we get home. It’s a lovely Christmassey afternoon. If I was you I’d continue with the tradition but use the baubles on your own tree!

The children love looking through the decorations when the stuff come out of the loft, they do remember / talk about the ones they’ve chosen previously. But I’m not sure what will happen to them all in the future!

My two DD were both given a few as babies and as soon as they were old enough to choose / nag to buy sparkily things at Xmas, we started to let them choose one each each year. They get hung on our tree for now.

They are now 14 & 18 and are thoroughly into the tradition. We have a list of which ones belong to each child so they can take them with them when they move out and they enjoy discussing the evolution of their taste.

It also keeps my bauble shopping under control (as I used to get carried away at the garden centre).

So I say go for it @Xm4smad but let him choose so it becomes his thing and stop if he loses interest.

I have done this for my 3 DC - they love seeing their collection each year (and the inevitable “no, that one’s MINE” arguments!)
They choose their own now (ages 12 upwards), or choose one for each other if they find funny / relevant ones. They’ll each take their collection when they move out if they wish. It’s ’B’ from me :)

I'd say buy whatever token bauble that reminds you of your son but it's for your tree as the years go on, not his.

He will like to look at them when he visits at Christmas time etc

We do this and at age 17, 15 and 12 we have a very random collection of baubles, glass snowflake, straw robin, shiny red Kenwood mixer (yes really in the form of a Christmas bauble!)

We choose the 1st one and from their 2nd Christmas they have all chosen their own.
They all still love getting them out each year, remembering whose is whose and when they got them and why. I keep a list so we know for sure which year and which child they belong to.

I'm not sure when we'll stop. When they're 18? I think the eldest would be sad if they didn't get one but the other two did. When they move out, could be a very long time? We'll just have to see what happens.

Awww, I've made decorations over the years for DC, and bought them decs other years. They have been boxed up as theirs within the rest of the Christmas decorations, and they get to hang them on the tree. This year will be the first that one set are not on the family tree as DS has bought his own house. He fully expects to rake his decs with him, which also include some he made as a child. I think if you make the decs you have chosen for your child special, as they get to hang them each year, they will begin to think they are special too. I will be sad that my tree is less full this year, but I will buy, and start to sew, a few new decs for me.

Each child has their own box and there is a list with descriptions of each bauble and the owner. It is much more fun if the dc are involved in choosing. Obviously the first couple we chose but then they started to choose them and the older ones chose for the youngest when they were babies. The plan was to buy until they are 18 and then they get their own to take with them but they still want to go and get the decorations when home from university so I think it will be a few years yet. At 2 your eldest is young enough that he won't realise that he hasn't always chosen the decoration but old enough to point out the one he wants. We usually go to a garden centre and combine it with a trip to a coffee shop.

😁

I have done this. Kids are now grown up. It is a great idea and it works.

I bought a decoration every year. I chose it, quickly realised that it shouldn't be babyish, but something that will last.I bought all sorts, sparkly, wooden, felt, handmade, funny, cute etc etc.
I either embroidered or wrote their initial and year on it.

They each have a shoe box full of decorations.

Kids are now 21, 19 and 16.
They love them. 2 oldest are boys, so isn't a girl/boy thing.

They unpack them every year and laugh at them and chat about them. They are pretty cool, come from all sorts of places, and some have significance. The year that dd changed her name I bought ones shaped liked initials with her new initials. Some are souvenirs from places we used to live. They got glittery cars for their 17th as they started to drive. Ds2 has a ridiculous love for dinosaurs (as an adult) and so got pink glittery dino last year which he thought was really funny.

My tree is covered in a very eclectic bunch of decorations, and theirs fit in pretty well.
Do I think they will take their shoe box off to their new homes? Probably not. But it has been a really fun thing to do, and they still do love getting those shoeboxes our of the attic every year.

and it was a tradition that they opened them on Christmas Eve, and added them to the tree. It was always a bit of fun to see what Mum had got

My three dd's are in their thirties and all have special baby baubles, then as they got older I started buying them baubles in their teenage years. Later I bought some to celebrate engagements, weddings, first Christmas in a new house, anything specifically job related for one of them and they all love the tradition. Every year I say I'm not going to carry on but I always do and I challenge myself to find something unusual for them.

I would say that it is a great thing to do for NOW, not for them for the future. It is for you as a family for your tree as they grow up.
When they leave home they will do their own thing with their partners etc and come home and laugh and chat about the decorations on your tree.

I wish i'd thought of the shoe box idea! DD and I have always made it an occasion every year to go out and. choose a new bauble each. Our tree has no theme at all. it's a mish mash of baubles i bought for my past trees, our yearly purchases, ones DD has made at school and nursery and now the tree and baubles that belonged to my grandad who passed last year. Baubles mean a lot to me.

He wpm't want them so just keep buying one that means something to you and display them on your tree.

I like an eclectic mix of baubles but some people like it co-ordinated so a bunch of baubles would be clutter to them.

Some of my baubles were chosen by my kids and if they decide to take a favourite one when they move out then that will be fine but I’m not going to impose a bunch on their partners and them.

I have teens/young adults and you can’t predict what will end up as their favourites. A sheep would look great on my tree but not on a tree that is simple with plain baubles.

I have done this with my DC now 22 and 21. A one point they used to choose their baubles but now I do.
It's lovely every year when we decorate the tree as they each talk about the baubles, when we got them etc (eg from Disneyland or trips away). I personally think it's a lovely thing to do

D) Keep buying them as His Baubles if you like but put them on the tree each year. That way they might be sentimental to him, rather than a random selection of baubles he's never seen before but is told are very special when he's 18.

Don't be so sure. Xmas traditions tend to stick. My three were young grown ups and coming home for Xmas. They wouldn't go to bed but sat on the stairs until I read them 'The night before Xmas' by the light of the Xmas tree. Just as I finished that my son (19 years old) shrieked that he couldn't find his grapes. They were a Xmas decoration that he had made in Primary 3 and baked in a kiln. They had hung on the tree for 13 years but I ditched them when he moved out, not realising that old traditions tiled and Xmas had to stay the same. Forever!

Mine get a new bauble from Father Christmas in their stocking each year. Usually something relevant to that year but there are also a few generic ones in there. They may or may not want them as adults but at the moment they like getting them (oldest is 18 so not little!)

I was late to the game and only started buying my 'kids' them when they turned 21! They are novelty ones and buy them something they like or are interested in ie foods, drinks or animals. They get them in their stocking from Santa 😬 Not sure if I'll ever stop, though it might get tricky trying to find something they will like.

We used to always buy a bauble when we went on holiday. We haven’t been away for a few years so we have had random stuff that we are into.
I’ve just ordered this year’s bauble, a Tunnocks teacake.

lovely idea. We buy a Christmas tree decoration from everywhere we visit on holiday, brings back great memories hanging the on the tree.

Oh I love this 🥹 even if he doesn’t show appreciation for them at 18, one day he’ll be putting them on his Christmas tree with his family, and they will ask about the sheep bauble, and he’ll tell the story about how his parents got him a bauble every year that meant something 💕

Slightly outing
BUT
When I was clearing my Dad's house I found all of the old (100 year) baubles - dozens and dozens of them
There was no way I needed them all so I offered them to neighbours during my daily donation meeting.
Two women were in tears because their childhood ones had been destroyed in a house fire decades before and now they could replace them.
NEVER underestimate the power of happy childhood memories

Don't stop buying the Xmas baubles. My sister bought my DC a beautiful hand blown glass bauble each every year at Xmas. I used to put a tiny initial on them with a sharpie. When they grew up and moved out they all 3 took them with them. They each have enough to decorate their own Xmas tree now. It's a wonderful tradition to continue. Pick a lovely bauble for them each Xmas but label them if more than 1 DC.