Baby's first Christmas: a wood keepsake that stays up after January

A baby’s first Christmas mostly happens to the adults. The baby won’t remember it. So the gift that works is the one that is still on the wall when they are old enough to point at the letters and say their own name.

That changes what you are shopping for. You are not buying for December. You are buying for the nursery, and for the years after it.

Pick something that stays up after January

Ornaments come down in January. A name sign stays up. If you want one gift to carry the first Christmas forward, put it on the nursery wall, not on the tree.

We make two nursery signs, and they suit different rooms:

• The Safari Baby Name Sign is a round, dark-stained Baltic birch backer, approx. 10 to 18 inches across depending on the name. The name sits in raised laser-cut letters, with hand-painted safari animals around it. It costs $55.00 for a short name, $60.00 for a medium name and $65.00 for a long name.
• The Walnut-Stained Nursery Name Sign is the name alone, cut from Baltic birch and stained a deep walnut tone, approx. 12 to 20 inches wide and half an inch thick, finished in a natural matte oil. It is the quieter of the two, and it costs the same: $55.00, $60.00 or $65.00 by name length.

If the nursery already has a theme, the safari sign brings its own. If it doesn’t, or you don’t know the room, the walnut sign fits more walls.

If the baby hasn’t arrived yet

Some first Christmases come before the baby does. For that year, we make the Baby Announcement Ornament: a round layered ornament engraved “Merry Christmas Mommy & Daddy” across the top, two raised baby footprints in the middle, a hand-painted Santa hat beside them, and “See You In” with the arrival year you choose across the bottom. It costs $55.00.

It works for an expecting couple’s own tree, or as a gift that grandparents-to-be unwrap themselves. We do not have a stated diameter for it, so message us before you order if the exact size matters for your tree.

A gift for later: the name puzzle

The Wooden Name Puzzle is not a first-Christmas toy. Its letters lift out as separate pieces, so it is a choking hazard for children under 3, and we sell it for ages 3 and up. Give it to an older sibling, or wrap it now and put it away until the baby is old enough. It costs $44.00 for a name of up to 6 letters, $49.00 for 7 to 9 letters and $54.00 for 10 to 12.

What to put on it

Put the name. A name is still true in twenty years, and nobody needs it explained. A date or a joke can go on a card.

Then check the spelling twice. Every personalized piece gets a free digital proof by email within 24 hours of payment, and we cut only after you approve it. The proof is where a misspelled middle name gets caught, so read it slowly, letter by letter.

Cut, not printed

Every letter we make is cut into the wood or out of it, never printed on top. On a printed or vinyl sign, the name is a layer that can lift at the edges or fade. On ours, the name is a shape in the wood, so there is nothing to peel. The hardness, density and finish figures for the wood are published if you want to check.

When to order

Each piece is made after you approve the proof, so a holiday gift needs lead time. The order-by dates for Christmas delivery are on our shipping page. If you are close to those dates, email us with the piece and the date, and we will tell you whether it can still arrive in time.

Looking after it

Both nursery signs and the ornament have hand-painted or stained surfaces. Wipe them with a dry cloth, and keep them out of standing water and direct sunlight, which fades paint faster than it fades wood. Each product page lists its own care.