Celebrating the Grandparents of a Newborn Baby at Christmas with Personalized Keepsake Photo Ornaments

There’s a Romanian saying that goes, “Whoever doesn’t have grandparents should buy some.” Only you can’t buy that kind of goodness. I haven’t had the chance to really know one of my grandfathers, because he died when I was little, but I was lucky to spend a lot of time with two grandmothers and one long-lived grandpa who lived to be a few years past 100.

My centenarian grandfather could walk unassisted at 100 and even recite long poems. Maybe that’s because he led an active life, cherished his friends, and had the luck of good genes. He was the center of all the family’s attention at holidays, which we held to be unremarkable until I read later in various fiction how older people everywhere feel pushed aside, including physically at a family meal: a more remote chair, away from the main conversations. My grandpa couldn’t hear much (he didn’t want hearing aids), but when he talked, we all listened. And he talked about his childhood, his days as a professor, the winter day he slipped on ice and broke one of his ribs as he was taking me to primary school . . . a rib which stuck out in his lean body as he aged, because at the time he didn’t make much fuss about it.

Come to think of it, he was always looking for a laugh.

My maternal grandma, his wife, was more serious-minded. Between them they split the cooking, but when grandpa would go to meet friends for cards and tile rummy, grandma would spend her time knitting or cooking some extra desserts, like crepes, for me and my cousins. And then at night they would each have a book on their bedside.

They had a relatively quiet life (part of it having to do with the fact that grandma had a heart condition), but it made so much impact on us.

Then my other grandmother lived a difficult life, shopping for groceries and cooking and sewing for a living all her strong years and well into her old age. After my paternal grandpa passed away, she lived with one nephew or niece after another—rushing from the countryside to make a life for themselves in the city—and waited on them hand and foot. The sad part is that she didn’t get much gratitude back in her later years. And she was such a good and gentle woman.

I hope your grandparents are equally special and that you’ll celebrate them at Christmas, particularly if you can’t spend the holiday with them. And if you’ve just had a baby, I hope you’ll consider some keepsakes I created—personalized for grandparents!

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Here are some Christmas ornaments. Both photos on them and all the text are customizable.

Here are some other versions, one with a Christmas red frame and one with a simulated gold glitter edge. Note that you can personalize them for grandpa as well—or other members of the family (or godparents or friends) for that matter! You can also choose other words for grandma and grandpa, such as Gran, Granny, Nanna, Nana, Nan, along with Granddad, Granddaddy, Grandpappy, Grampa, and Gramps. Or, for people of Italian ancestry, Nonna and Nonno. The list goes on.

Note that these ornaments are made of porcelain. They have a diameter of 2.87″ (7.2898 cm) and a thickness of 0.156″ (0.39624 cm), and they weigh 1.4 oz (39.6893 grams).

Here are the above versions for baby boys.

Here’s a festive one for Grandpa—but as I said, remember that you can personalize all the text elements on these ornament, even as I have, in fact, made distinct keepsakes for grandfathers, aunts and uncles, godmothers and godfathers as well. But you can easily customize these for all the aforementioned family members and grandparents, as well as for other relatives, such as first or second cousins, mother-in-law and father-in-law, or various friends.

I have also made versions of the above for twins! Here they are, for two boys, two girls, and twin boy and girl.

I hope you found something to your liking!

To a happier, healthier life,

Mira

P.S. Pins and shares are much appreciated! 🙂