Your baby won't remember their first Christmas. You will, if you keep a few specific things while they're still easy to find. That means who was there, what your baby did, how the room sounded, and one or two photos you can find next December.
Most first Christmas lists are about ornaments, matching pajamas and gifts. Those are nice. This list is about the memories, and it fits a baby's naps, a crowded house and two tired parents.
Will your baby remember their first Christmas?
No, and that's normal. A 2025 Yale study published in Science scanned 26 infants aged four months to two years and found signs that babies' brains do store memories, most clearly in those older than 12 months. Adults still can't recall that period later, and researchers are still working out why.
So the first holidays are kept for your child by you. The photos, the notes and the stories you tell are how they will know what it was like.
The first holidays memory checklist
You don't need all of these. Pick the ones that fit your family and your baby's age. A newborn in December and a ten-month-old in December are very different holidays.
Before the day
- Charge your phone and clear some space. A full phone can stop a video halfway through the moment you wanted.
- Agree who takes photos when. If one parent always holds the camera, that parent is missing from every picture. Trade halfway through the day.
- Pick two or three moments that matter. Opening one present, meeting a great-grandparent, the walk to see the lights. Plan photos around those and let the rest happen.
On the day
- One photo of your baby with each grandparent. Faces level, both looking at the camera or at each other.
- One photo of the whole family. Use a timer or hand the phone to a guest. Nobody needs to be dressed up.
- A size photo. Your baby next to the tree, a stocking or a favorite chair. Take the same shot next year and you will see how much they grew.
- The ordinary part. Asleep in someone's arms, chewing wrapping paper you are about to take away, staring at the lights. These are often the photos people go back to.
- Ten seconds of video with sound. Voices, laughter, a grandparent singing. A short clip keeps the feel of the room better than any still.
- Ask one relative to record a message. A grandparent telling your baby about their own first Christmas, or what they hope for them. It takes a minute and you can't redo it later.
After the day
- Write three lines the same week. Where you were, who was there, and one thing your baby did. Our post on what to write in a baby book has prompts if you get stuck.
- Gather photos from both phones. Each parent took different moments. Relatives took more. Ask them to send their best ones in the first few days, before they forget.
- Pick your favorites. Three or four is plenty. Keep the originals until you know the favorites are somewhere safe.
How to keep holiday photos safe for a baby
A few rules from the American Academy of Pediatrics' holiday decorating guidance apply directly to setting up photos.
- Skip breakable props. The AAP says to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable in homes with small children, and to keep anything with small removable parts out of reach. Glass ornaments make pretty photos and bad props.
- No ornaments that look like food. The AAP advises avoiding trimmings that resemble candy or food, since young children may try to eat them.
- Keep lights out of reach. The AAP notes that string lights may contain lead and should be kept away from young children. Don't hand your baby a strand for a photo.
- Watch for button batteries. Light-up toys, flameless candles and string lights can hold button or coin batteries, which the AAP says can cause life-threatening injuries if swallowed. Check that battery covers are secure.
- Clear the wrapping paper. The AAP says paper, bags, ribbons and bows can be suffocation and choking hazards. Gather them up after presents are opened.
- Holiday plants stay up high. The AAP names mistletoe berries, holly berries and Jerusalem cherry as plants to keep out of reach. If you think your child ate something poisonous, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
If your baby falls asleep in a festive outfit, take the photo as they are. Don't add pillows, blankets or toys to the sleep space for a picture. The AAP's safe sleep guidance is a firm, flat surface, on their back, with nothing else in the crib. That holds at a relative's house too.
What if the holidays are hard this year?
Plenty of first holidays aren't magical. Your baby may be a few weeks old, you may be recovering from the birth, and relatives may expect more visiting than you can manage. It's fine to see family across several days, skip events, or keep the day small.
The memories don't depend on a big celebration. A photo of your baby asleep on your chest by the tree and three lines about how tired you were is a real record of that year. Your child will want that too.
How to keep first holiday memories with the rest of the year
The holidays mean more next to the weeks around them, when you can see how your baby changed from Halloween to New Year. The hard part is that the photos sit on two phones and in a family group chat.
Our Little World is a private baby book app for iOS that keeps them together. It finds your child in the photos on your iPhone and lays out their life month by month, so the December photos land in December without an album to make. Once both parents say yes, the photos of your child from each phone end up in the same place. You can add a line or a voice note to any photo, and your originals stay in Apple Photos. If two phones are your main problem, our post on how two parents can keep one set of baby photos covers the options, with or without an app.
Our Little World is on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. Every plan starts free, with 7 days on a monthly plan and 14 days on a yearly plan. Download Our Little World on the App Store.
