About twenty one years ago, I got decked out in a poufy white dress and veil, was given a bouquet of roses and walked down the aisle of my neighborhood church. No, it wasn’t a wedding. It was my First Communion, which was a really special rite of passage for me and my family. I remember shopping for the dress with my mom and even debating her with her about the number of rhinestones that were on the headpiece I wanted (my seven year old mind didn’t think it looked tacky at all—it was).

That day, my godmother gave me a very special gift, one that I still cherish to this day. When I opened the velvety box I saw a gold chain, and she explained to me that it was a charm bracelet, to which I could add special charms for milestones in my life. That gift meant so much to me that I decided to give one to my niece when she was baptized. I have given her silly charms, like one that depicts a baby bouncing in a jumping seat, to reflect her favorite things and activities. I’ve also gifted her ones to commemorate special occasions, like the one in the shape of a cake with one candle that gave her when she turned one. I hope that someday when she’s grown, she will look back on all of them and remember the special times we have shared together. I can’t wait to explain to her that I gave her one in the shape of a duck because she loved rubber duckies.

New traditions

Last week, my nephew turned one. I wanted to do something special for Aidan, but because he’s a boy, I struggled to come up with ideas. I couldn’t really give him jewelry and my sister would probably kill me if I started giving him collectibles since it would be another thing to find room for. I wanted to give him something with meaning that he could use or play with. Then I found the perfect idea.

When Aidan was born, I brought a copy of one of my favorite children’s books, Dr. Seuss’ Oh The Places You’ll Go, to the hospital as a “welcome to the world” gift. In the copy, I wrote a special inscription to the baby about the day he was born. I decided that to build a tradition with Aidan, I would give him another special book for his birthday with an inscription, another Dr. Seuss classic, Happy Birthday to You! I even got a little teary when I was writing to him! I plan on doing this every year so when he’s grown, he can look back upon his little library and learn about his own life, his family and some things that he may not remember.

These little traditions help me feel connected to their lives as they grow (which seems to be happening over night) from a baby to a child and eventually, into an adult. Do any of you have special traditions with your nieces and nephews?