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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!

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. ;)

Ultrasound ornament as a Christmas keepsake!

#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.

Baby Hospital Hat & Bracelet Ornament!

#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!

Birth stats newborn baby ornament!

#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.

Christmas footprint plate keepsake!

#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.

Footprint Christmas ornament made from clay!

#6 Personalized Glitter Ornament

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

They were SO easy to make!

How to make glittered personalized ornaments!

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

Personalized Glitter Hair Stylist Ornament!

#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

Reindeer Photo Ornament Christmas Card and Silhouette GIVEAWAY!

Illustrated Family Portrait Christmas Card

DIY Whimsical Family Portrait Christmas Card | Where The Smiles Have Been #Christmas #card #portrait

Snow Globe Christmas Card

DIY Snow Globe Christmas Card: A Cute & Unique Holiday Greeting! | Where The Smiles Have Been #Christmas #ChristmasCard #snowglobe #DIY #DIYcard #Silhouette #PrintAndCut #mockup

Hilarious Toddler Christmas Card

Hilariously Perfect Christmas Card for a Toddler! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#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!

How to Make a Floating Photo Ornament: Baby's First Trip to the Beach!

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

First Trip to the Beach Ornament with a Floating Photo, Sand, & Shells! | Where The Smiles Have Been #Christmas #ornament #beach #FirstTripToTheBeach #keepsake #vacation #ParentingTip #HolidayDecoration #ChristmasTree #DIY #PhotoOrnament

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

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#10 Photo Transfer Ornament

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

Photo Transfer Ornaments by Landeelu via Tatertots & Jello

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#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

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#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

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#13 Silhouette Ornament

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

Silhouette Ornaments by Little Warriors

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#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)

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#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

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#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

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#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

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#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

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#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

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#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

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

#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

What a great way to preserve a Christmas memory! 21 Christmas Keepsakes for Kids! | Where The Smiles Have Been

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! :)

Where The Smiles Have Been | Crafts. DIY. Home. Mom Life.

Linda Holder

Wednesday 23rd of March 2016

I love all the ideals that you have shared. I am going to make some of the Xmas list ornaments for this year for my grandsons to hang on their tree

Donna Wirthlin

Sunday 8th of November 2015

Great ideas! The reindeer ornament with your son's photo is so cute!

Christine

Sunday 8th of November 2015

Thank you so much, Donna! My little red-nosed reindeer ornament is definitely a favorite of mine. :)

Emily @ Two Purple Couches

Thursday 5th of November 2015

There are so many sweet ideas here, Christine! Already pinned for later :)

Christine

Sunday 8th of November 2015

Thank you, Emily! Yep, keep these handy! ;)