When thinking about a celebration to welcome a child into their family, most people think of a christening, with long, lacy gowns and screaming babies who don’t take too well to being dunked in the font.
It doesn’t have to be like that.
At the end of January, I had the pleasure of performing a joint baby naming ceremony and first birthday party for a little boy named Max, whose favourite toy is his Batmobile. Max likes to sit in his Batmobile and play its tunes over and over, so we decided it should play a part in his ceremony.
Max’s mum and I had exclaimed ‘bubbles!’ at exactly the same time during our first meeting, so they had to be involved too, along with a sprinkling of glitter (of course).
- The Batmobile served as a metaphor for the potential Max has to serve the world he lives in as he grows up (whilst driving an awesome car, natch).
- Guests were asked to fill their bubbles with love and blessings as they blew towards Max and he popped them in delight.
- There were glittery tags which were tied on to a beautiful ‘wish tree’, each one with a message for Max written on it by family and friends.
- Guests and other friends and family had given Max pieces of material that meant something to them – a favourite shirt, a flag, etc – and they would be made into a keepsake quilt for him to remind him of the warmth and love of those who had contributed.
- There were no nominated godparents or guardians, as everyone who was there took part, just as Max’s mum and dad wanted.
When it comes to baby namings, weddings or any other life ceremony, you CAN break with tradition and do it in a way that is completely personal and meaningful. Max’s naming ceremony fitted Max perfectly. If you want a tailor-made ceremony too, give me a call.