21 Christmas Keepsake Ideas for Kids!

Here’s a collection of 21 Christmas Keepsake Ideas for Kids!

Ornaments, cards, wish lists, photos, plates, snow globes, and more!

21 Christmas Keepsake Ideas for Kids!

I’m one of those moms that is absolutely CRAZY about keepsakes!

I just love ’em.

Any milestone, first, holiday, or whatever can (and in my opinion, should) be frozen in time with a sweet little something to cherish for years to come (just check out my Project Gallery for lots of proof).

I mean, the kiddos are only little for so long, so you might as well try and freeze time any way you can.

Time marches on and all that.

What better time of year to create special keepsakes than Christmastime, amiright?

The annual tradition of decorating for the holidays brings such joy and a bit of nostalgia, and today I’m sharing 21 Christmas keepsake ideas that you can create for your own kids, grandkids, nieces/nephews, or other special little ones this holiday season!

DIY Christmas Keepsake Ideas

Here are several crafty DIY Christmas keepsake creations that we’ve made for our son(s) so far!

#1 Ultrasound Ornament

We found out we were having a boy just six days before Christmas in 2012.

I found a cute (and totally appropriate) ornament frame and popped in one of our ultrasound images from that doctor’s appointment.

All I wanted was him!

Now it’s so heartwarming to pull out this sweet picture of Rowan…even if he looks like an alien. ;)

#2 Baby Hospital Hat & Bracelet Ornament

This idea couldn’t be easier!

I just bought a clear plastic ornament, popped off the top and added Rowan’s little newborn hospital hat as well as one of his bracelets and umbilical cord clip (not the stump though! I’m not that weird.) to the inside.

Instant keepsake!

I’ll probably go back and add a pretty blue ribbon to the top to jazz it up a bit, but I absolutely love pulling out this ornament each year.

#3 Newborn Birth Stats Ornament

I didn’t make this ornament myself but instead purchased it from Etsy.

I think it could very easily be a DIY project though, and I plan on giving it a try with my next one…whenever that day comes (UPDATE: it came!).

I just love how it captures all the stats from Rowan’s birth!

#4 Christmas Footprint Plate

We made three Christmas footprint plates at a local paint-your-own-pottery shop.

Two of the plates were given to the grandparents and one stayed with us.

Now it has a home on our mantel each holiday season and it fills my heart with such warmth to see my little man’s teeny tiny mistleTOES from his very first Christmas.

#5 Baby Footprint Ornament

For Rowan’s first Christmas, we also made three sets of these footprint ornaments with some oven bake clay.

After the ornaments were baked, I painted them with some craft paint, sealed them with Mod Podge, added some ribbon, then wrote his name and year on the back with a metallic Sharpie.

This was before I had my Silhouette Cameo or else I would have totally slapped some vinyl on there!

We made one of his handprints the following year too.

#6 Personalized Glitter Ornament

I made these personalized glitter ornaments last year for Rowan and my niece, Elena.

They were SO easy to make!

These also make great gift ideas, like this ornament I made for my hair stylist!

#7 Personalized Christmas Cards

I love making Christmas cards for our family to send out every holiday season, and I often miniaturize and laminate them to create the perfect holiday ornaments!

That way, each year, we pull out our previous Christmas cards and get to say “Awww, remember this one??”

Here are some of the Christmas-cards-turned-ornaments I’ve shared so far:

Reindeer Photo Christmas Card

Illustrated Family Portrait Christmas Card

Snow Globe Christmas Card

Hilarious Toddler Christmas Card

#8 First Trip to the Beach Ornament

For Rowan’s first trip to the beach, I created this personalized floating photo ornament, complete with actual sand brought back from our trip!

I’ve since made a second version of this ‘First Trip to the Beach’ ornament for my second son!

21 Christmas Keepsake Ideas for Kids!

These are some other great Christmas keepsake ideas I’ve spotted around the interwebs and thought I’d share!

#9 Baby Onesie Christmas Stocking

Here’s a great idea for repurposing all those cute little baby clothes that they grow out of way too fast: create their first Christmas stocking!

Patchwork Baby Onesie Christmas Stocking by Pretty Prudent

#10 Photo Transfer Ornament

Photos obviously make great keepsakes, and I love this easy transfer method!

Photo Transfer Ornaments by Landeelu via Tatertots & Jello

#11 Christmas Wish List Ornament

Never forget what the kiddos wished for each Christmas with this sweet idea.

I’m so going to start this once my son gets old enough to make his own lists for Santa!

Make a Christmas List Ornament by Honeybear Lane

#12 Photo Christmas List Ornament

I love how this idea combines the photo AND the Christmas wish list (and the metal stamping is so cool!).

Photo Christmas List Ornaments by Positively Splendid

#13 Silhouette Ornament

You can’t beat a classic silhouette of a child’s sweet face!

Silhouette Ornaments by Little Warriors

#14 Dual Footprints for Siblings

If you have more than one child, combine their two footprints or handprints into a lovely keepsake like this!

Salt Dough Footprint Heart by Hub Pages (roamingrosie)

#15 Hand Print Santa Ornament

How fun is this painted handprint idea?!

You’re creating a keepsake AND adding some extra Christmas spirit to your tree!

Hand Print Santa Keepsake Ornament by From ABCs to ACTs

#16 Thumbprint String of Lights

Create a colorful string of lights with your little one’s thumbprints or fingerprints!

This would be cute on an ornament, plate, canvas, or card!

Thumbprint String of Lights by Beneath the Rowan Tree

#17 Time Capsule Ornament

Add some of the little things your kiddos love and create a yearly time capsule to hang from the tree!

Time Capsule Christmas Ornaments by Bare Feet on the Dashboard

#18 Photo & Drawing Ornament

I really like how this idea combines a photo on one side and a drawing by the child on the other to create a totally personalized keepsake ornament.

Kids’ Photo Ornament Keepsake Craft by Jeanne Winters

#19 Family Santa Canvas

I love how this idea gets the whole family in on the Christmas fun!

A Family of Santas Canvas by How Does She

#20 Homemade Snow Globe

Put your kiddos in their very own snow globes with this simple idea!

How to Make a Homemade Snow Globe by Our Best Bites

#21 Graduation Tassel Ornament

As kids get older, they might be less inclined to sit down and create a holiday keepsake item (what a bunch of Scrooges!). ;)

That’s why I love this idea of sticking their graduation tassels in an ornament!

It’s super easy and would be nice for the parents to keep or for the kids to hang on their own trees when they leave.

Graduation Tassel Ornament by Do It and How

If You Enjoyed This…

Make sure you check out my Project Gallery for all of my other crafty creations, easy home improvement projects, and freebies!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and Merry Christmas! :)