With His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge being christened in a relatively low-key ceremony given his future status, it’s interesting to view the Royal Baby’s christening presents.
One of his gifts apparently raised eyebrows with his aunt, Pippa Middleton, buying a solid silver copy of his hands and feet, with a reportedly whopping price tag of £6000 ($10,000).
In reality you don’t have to spend vast sums to buy a present with a modern novelty factor. Baby casting kits are available from about £30. Currently baby prints of hands and feet are all the rage, but if you are looking for some longevity to your gift, you should ask the question: ‘will these be in vogue in 21 years?’
Of course it is worth bearing in mind that a christening is a religious ceremony and one might question such extravagance when the occasion is actually about baptism and the baby receiving God’s unconditional love, not how many silver spoons has baby been given?
If you are asked to be a godparent, then you will also promise to bring the child up in the Christian faith. Today, some Christians, particularly Christian Scientists, Quakers, the Salvation Army, and Unitarians, do not practice baptism. However most eastern Christians do baptise including Russian Orthodox.
Water is involved in baptisms and prior to modern practises, the recipient would be immersed in water, in some churches this still happens, and can include adults. I’m not suggesting you buy baby a water fountain, though it may make an interesting present, but it is perhaps an opportunity to think about relevance of the occasion.
One aspect to consider is your relationship with the parents. If they are close friends or relations and maybe you have been asked to attend as a Godparent, then this will affect the nature of the christening gift. Perhaps it needs to be of a more serious nature, more religious, even more responsible, certainly not flippant.
If you are taking your responsibility seriously as a Godparent, then you need to set a good example and not opt for the personalised champagne bottle, though fun, is perhaps not sending the right message to the godchild about alcohol and the potential difficulties with the ‘demon drink’. Also, not all people approve of alcoholic beverages – so it’s worth checking this out – you don’t want to give offence.
A safe bet is a dinner set such as Winnie the Pooh (I remember as a child loving my Beatrix Potter Dinner Set bought by an aunt) so the idea has been around for a while!
A piggy bank does encourage the child on the importance of saving a fun savings plan would be some premium bonds though the minimum you can now invest is £100.00 and the bonds have to be in the name of the parent or legal guardian until the child reaches 16 which could take a bit of organising so maybe a passbook from a building society with a deposit to start it off would be an easier option and also appreciated.
Another great traditional gift is a Christening Bracelet which you can have engraved from about £30.
Silver Anklets, for a modern twist, are also available in the shops for babies, their origins being that they are traditionally worn by girls and women in India. About £40-50.
Teddy bears are always a favourite but the chances are that the baby already has one or several so your gift will not stand out from the crowd and hasn’t the feel of a robust christening present unless you wish to splash out on an antique German bear which can be quite pricey.
What would I choose? Well! I’d pick out a beautiful glass angel suncatcher to catch the light and watch over baby in a guardian angel fashion for ever and ever. Ahh!..... heavenly.
