In short
- A christening gift from a godmother or godfather can be an illustrated book about the day the godchild receives their name.
- On Vivlary you choose the topic The christening, type the baby's name, upload photos and see a free preview.
- The godparent can be in the book beside the godchild, and so can the parents, brothers and sisters and grandparents.
- A child's photos are given by a parent, or by someone with a parent's permission.
A christening gift from a godmother or godfather that will be read for years is an illustrated book about the day the godchild receives their name. On Vivlary you type the baby's name, upload photos of the baby, and of yourself if you like, and a personalised book is made on the topic The christening. Before you pay anything, you see a free preview.
In Greece the godparents traditionally bring the oil set, the candle and the cross. A book sits beside them as the christening gift the child will open when they are older, to see who was there that day.
What christening gift should a godparent give?
The day already has its customs, and a gift from godparents does not need to replace them. What is worth adding is something that stays once the party is over: not an outfit that will be too small in a few months, but a story with the child's name in it. A personalised book is a christening gift that waits on the shelf until the child can read it.
The christening topic tells the story of the day: a candle dressed in ribbons, everyone who loves the baby gathered in one church, and a name spoken out loud for the first time. If you would rather give a christening gift about the baby's arrival, the topic Welcome to the world suits a birth or a christening too.
A christening gift with the godparent in the book
A personalised book for a baby can hold up to 6 people, and one of them can be you. For the person you add you choose Godparent, upload your photos, and the story gives you a place beside your godchild. The parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents and even the family dog can be in it too.
That way the gift for a godchild also keeps your own bond: when the child opens the book years later, they will find you on its pages. The pictures are made with artificial intelligence from your photos and are artistic likenesses, not photographs.
Why is the name the heart of a christening gift?
At the christening the baby receives their name, and the personalised book starts right there: its title carries the child's name and the words The Day You Got Your Name. The name runs through the whole story, just as it rang out in the church.
In a Greek book, Greek names are declined correctly in the text, yet the spelling you typed is never changed. Our own software places the words on the page, so a double name, or a name with its own spelling, stays exactly as you wrote it on every page.
How is a christening book made?
You start from the christening topic. You type the names, say how many months old the baby is, choose the look and write the dedication for your christening gift. The topic suggests gouache with the Rose palette, but every choice can be changed. The full steps are in our guide how to make a personalised book.
Only a parent or legal guardian, or someone with their permission, may give a child's photos. If you are making the book as a gift from godparents, ask the parents for the photos and for their consent. The photos are used only for this book and deleted automatically; there is more on the photos page.
A digital or a printed christening gift?
The printed personalised book is a hardcover of 21 × 29,7 cm and costs €43.40, VAT included; it includes the digital book. Before it is printed, you see the complete digital book and approve it. The digital book on its own costs €12.40 and is read online in your account.
If you want the printed christening book in your hands on the day, allow time for printing and post; the delivery cost and time are shown before you pay. If you buy the digital book first, you can order the printed one later and pay only the difference.
The bond with your godchild carries on: in spring a book can go with the Easter candle too, as we describe in Easter gift for a godchild. And if the parents ever want to thank you, there is the topic For a godparent.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make the book without the parents knowing?
Only a parent or guardian, or someone with their permission, may give a child's photos. So you need the parents' consent, even if the book stays a surprise until the christening.
What if the name has not been decided yet?
The book needs the child's name, because the story is built around it. If the name is kept secret until the christening, whoever knows it can make the book, with the parents' consent for the photos.
Which language can it be written in?
Greek or English. You choose the language of the book in the step for the look.