Allotments 4 All

Our nephew will be officially 'named' at a civil service at the end of February.  My darling is going to be one of the 'responsible adults', like God parents but without all the religion.  So, as I told him, we really need to think about a gift for the little tike.  I know lots of you have urchins, or grand-uchins, or chums with urchins, and I wondered what sort of gifts did you give or receive?  I had a little silver mug when I was christened some 35 years ago.  My darling received a .....napkin ring  ??? ??? ??? he tells me.  I think it is a ring to go around the birth certificate, but he doesn't look convinced.  :)  We haven't had ours done so have no personal experience.  Any great ideas?????  I can't really give him a veg box, I think he is a little to young to appreciate it!!

A trowel...........silver plated? ;D

We gave our godson brandy glasses and then for his 18th a bottle of brandy!  My children have had various silver/peter rabbit/thomas the tank china ware.  How about a vegetable book for when he is grown up or a set of gardening tools?  Girls are easier because you can buy jewellery too, it's a hard one isn't it!  One of my boys has a tankard which is quite nice because he will grow into it rather than getting too old for it.  It's lovely to be asked though.  Hope someone comes up with a good idea for you!

I have no suggestions, but both of our lads were given bottles of vintage port, dated to coincide with their date of birth ...

The boys are now almost 20 and 23, and the bottles are still unopened ...

Both our sons received pairs of silver cufflinks as well as silver tankards and the cufflinks have proved to be the more useful!  Son no 1 also got a bottle of port and we've another 2 years before it reaches supposed perfection when he's 18.  I can't wait!!

QuoteThe boys are now almost 20 and 23, and the bottles are still unopened

Hope they aren't "wood ports"  :'(

Oooo I like the port idea, but you will have to enlighten me MT on 'wood port'.  Same with the brandy idea Tulippa.

I actually really like the silver trowel idea MT !!!!  We will probably get him one serious gift and then something smaller from our 3, so keep these ideas coming.  I have been googling Christening gifts, but I think he will be bombarded with the 'usual' stuff, so these original ideas are just great. :)

Quote from: Merry Tiller on January 07, 2007, 23:17:51
Hope they aren't "wood ports"  :'(

I stand corrected, the vintage years were selected so the wines would be drinkable when the children reach 21 ...

Delaforce Sons & Co, Finest Vintage Port 1970 and 1977 ...

How about a tree, think it would be nice to see them both grow to maturity. :)

A wood port does all it's maturing in the barrel ie. before it's bottled and should be enjoyed within 10 years of bottling

A bottle port matures IN the bottle and will carry on maturing for as long as you like

What a lovely question EJ :)
Love the lil trowel idea; the tankard; the trees.
Had a bad experience with Port - my son was 'given' port by his landlord ex uncle, who swanned off with them a few years ago :'(
I thought my Dad was very unromantic with his present of volatile small business investment stock (not the flowers lol). This has had an unexpected side-benefit. The stock had its chances to soar and plummet, and has got son interested in, and understanding, investments, way before his time. Son is also a sassy bank-watcher, knows exactly where his money is and what's going in and out of his account. This nest-egg has shrunk and expanded a few times before he got his mitts on it, and he has kept it as a 'safety net' - not spending it when he was 21 :o - and his attitude to personal finance is much more mature than when I was his age :-[ ::)

well, I'm not as imaginative as you lot, we bought our grandson a premium bond in the hope he would win the million and let his grandad and grannie live in the style they'd like to be accostomed to  ;D ;D

A very large ledger to keep accounts of expenses. Then when he is 18 he can be presented with a bill for his childhood ;D

My Grandad bought me a £1.00 premium bond when i was born ,(shhhh.....48 years ago) not had a penny. :'( still i live in hope maybe 2moz. ::)

froglegs, have you kept them uptp date on any address changes?
You can check for wins online. type in holders number.

I love the port idea and the trowel

A TREE! Excellent idea unless they move house in next 18 yrs ???

Check online now and again with on luck. :'( Put the tree in the front garden so if ya move you will still see it as you drive by. ::) ;)

I usually give a silver photo frame.  The parents can put a baby pic in it to begin with, and the sprog can put in pics of his own choice when he is a bit older.

I had forgotten about our silver photo frames, we have one for each child and as Greyhound says they will always be in use.  They have christening photos in now but can be changed as they get older.  Thanks for the reminder, thay really were a good present - will be sad to part with them eventually... :(

Lovely ones we've had given for the children:

silver photo frames (the nicest are fairly plain; the ones decorated with teddies and alphabet blocks have already been grown out of)

cufflinks and a chunky but very plain square cross pendant (him) and a miniature silver ingot (her) with the hallmark of the year they were born. 

an 'adopted' acre of rainforest each (the ones we had 'given' were through the Rainforest Foundation -- the cash goes to help local communities get legal control of their land).

premium bonds -- (grandma) I think you have to spend £100 or more these days, though.

You're going to have lots of fun choosing, aren't you?  :)

Don't really have any suggestions, but would comment on the tree idea...

Some friends of mine have had naming ceremonies for both their daughters done in a patch of woodland, I beleive, in which the child is allocated a tree (not one in particular, but one of the wood) and the moderately small fee goes to maintaining the woodland. In theory you have no problems if "your tree" blows over or dies, and if one does then a new one is planted.
Seems like a really nice idea if you want to avoid any religious stuff.  :)