First Communion Gift Ideas

A few weeks ago our middle daughter received her First Holy Communion.  In the few days leading up to her First Holy Communion day the big question from some family and friends was, "What can we get her?"   It seems like every time we get invited to a party for a child who has just received this sacrament there's always the question of what would make an appropriate gift.

I think gift ideas can fall into two categories for this occasion, the expected or traditional gifts and the off the beaten path gifts.

A more traditional type of gift would be a crucifix for the child's wall.  You can find ones that commemorate the occasion or one that looks like it would be nice for a child's room.

A bible is always a great gift idea.  We have this Catholic Picture Biblewhich we use for our Jesus tree during Lent.  If you'd rather give a bible that the child can use for years to come I'd recommend this beautiful bible.  I reviewed it here last year.  We have the Douay Rheimsversion but it's also available in the NABtranslation.  I can tell you my daughter feels so grown up now that she has a bible that isn't a picture bible.  As soon as her communion party ended she pulled out this bible and asked me to show her to look up scripture passages.  

I think a missal for Mass is another great gift idea for a First Communicant.  Our daughter received this missal (in white).  The missal has a nice dedication page that makes it a great gift idea for a First Holy Communion.  It's a missal that she will be able to use for years to come.  

If you attend the Extraordinary Form Mass, this lovely prayer book and missal would be a nice option.  I love how beautiful the prayers are in pre-Vatican II prayer books, so I brought a copy of Jesus Make Me Worthy for my daughter.  (You can learn more about it here.)  She likes this prayer book and was interested in learning about the Latin Mass.  

I'm of the opinion that a First Holy Communion is the perfect time to give a child a beautiful rosary.  Ellie's First Holy Communion Rosary came from Trendy Traditions.  I like how Melanie offers personalization to give the rosary an extra special touch.  Check out Trendy Traditions, she has rosaries for the trendy fashionista, the sports fan and even some lovely First Holy Communion designs.  I knew that Ellie would love a rosary in her favorite color so I asked Melanie if she could put a chalice and host center on the design I liked best to make it a First Holy Communion rosary.

A nice box to store a rosary and other jewelry keepsakes from a First Holy Communion also makes a good gift idea.  Ellie received a very pretty box that had the Guardian Angel Prayer on the lid and a personalized message inside.  

A musical First Holy Communion box is also another great idea.  Last fall I reviewed one from Catholic Family Gifts. 

Typically when I give a child a gift for his or her First Holy Communion I like to give a book.  There are a lot of great books to give a child for this occasion.  Some of our favorites are:

Glory Stories from Holy Heroes are also a great gift idea.  The CDs are great dramatic retellings of the lives of the saints.  There's even a Glory Story that's perfect for a First Communicant.