The next time you get a baby announcement from a friend or relative, put together a gift album with news of the day. This project doesn’t have to cost a lot – you’re basically raiding your newspapers and magazines – and you can be as creative as you want with it. Mom and Dad will enjoy the freshness of your idea and the care you put into making something special for their baby; when the baby grows up, they’ll enjoy this time capsule of life when they were born!
Got your scissors ready? Here are some ideas of things to clip out for your album:
- Current styles cut out of clothing magazines and catalogs, examples of trendy hairstyles on models, pictures of popular home furnishings and décor. Maybe a few paint chips from the home improvement center would be fun – remember, the subtle, dusky blues and greens we love today will be the rust, avocado and brown of tomorrow!
- Ads showing prices of the day – groceries, auto dealerships, realtors. The classic items to compare over the years are a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, and a gallon of gas. Twenty years from now, will today’s babies be shocked that we bought drinking water in disposable plastic bottles?! Will they still be using gas in their cars? The size and price of computers may be surprising, too!
- Hits of the entertainment industry – an ad showing the current movies playing at the local theater, the New York Times bestseller list, TV listings of the highest-rated shows (reality TV won’t be around forever, thank goodness!), the biggest-selling songs and singers. The lyrics to a song or two might be fun as well (provided they’re appropriate!).
- Sports stars and headlines of the day — Who was earning what, and playing for which team? Who won the Super Bowl, the World Series, Wimbledon, the Kentucky Derby, the Masters Tournament? Add a ticket stub from a professional sports event showing the price of admission.
- Local, state, national, and world news — the state of the economy, who’s who in government, countries embroiled in war or turmoil — and hopefully some good news like the Olympics or Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee.
If you have time to plan ahead – most of us are in on the excitement from the first appearance of the baby bump – you can keep a file folder of important news items along the way, or pick out the best examples of fashion and hairstyles. For the current hit songs, movies, or books, though, it’s best to clip those the week baby is born to make it more personalized. You can also print off of your computer too, of course.
Once you have your clippings all collected, you can begin putting together your album. If you’re crafty, you’ll want to do a little scrapbooking, mounting your memorabilia with acid-free adhesives and embellishments. (Consider photocopying the newspapers, which will yellow over time; alternatively, enjoy the authenticity of the original pieces!) Add a title along the lines of “The World when You Were Born”, and other commentary as you like.
If arts and crafts aren’t your thing, you can just as easily place your clippings in a photo album, or tape them into a blank book or notebook. Techno-junkie? Scan them and make an album through an online photo website! (Do print a hard copy, though, or it’ll be lost when technology advances!)
This type of album is a great idea for second , third, or later children, whose parents won’t have as much time and energy for writing in a baby book. You know they’re the ones with a lot fewer baby pictures, too!
When Mom and Dad have opened their 10 th package of baby socks, the newborn-sized outfit that’s already too small for their baby, or another pink dress for their third girl, they’ll love the originality and thoughtfulness of your gift, which will provide enjoyment for years to come.
