Baptism Ceremony 101

Christians have many rites that mark certain stages or transition in their lives. One of these rites is baptism when water is put on the forehead of the baby to symbolize the baby has joined the Church or becoming a Christian. Parents are free to choose whether they want to hold a grand celebration out of it, or just throwing a simple reception. In early times, baptism has to take place in moving water to symbolize the movement of the Holy Spirit in human life. Nowadays, baptism ceremony normally take place in the church with a priest leading the ritual.

Whether you are hosting the party or being a guest, you must know a thing or two about gifts-giving. As a host, you may wish to prepare thank-you gifts for all your guests. The gift does not necessarily have to be big and expensive; a small thoughtful present is equally appreciated too. As a guest, you may pick gift items that have religious connotations, in line with the baptism theme. Like baby showers, the host and guests must know the importance of gift giving as a sign of gratitude and well-wishes. Once you have decided on the type of ceremony you like to organize, you can proceed to do the necessary matters such as fixing the date, contacting the church and booking the venue for the reception. For a religious Baptism you will need to meet with your local clergyman to discuss the details of the ceremony. Decide where you want it held, be it at the church, your garden, home, hotel or another locale. Investigate the guidelines for the ceremony different Christian denominations have differing customs and rites; is it performed during a regular Sunday service or is it something that is done on a separate day and time that you need to schedule. You may even have to take special Baptism/Christening classes before the event. Usually you would also have to select Godparents for the child, these persons are normally friends which whom you feel can lead your child in his or her spiritual growth and are willing to commit themselves to this task. Traditionally, in many faiths, baby girls are given two Godmothers and one Godfather, and baby boys should have two Godfathers and one Godmother, but it's really up to the parents to decide how many they want. You will also want to take into consideration how the chosen Godparents may handle the responsibility of becoming your child's full-time guardian should the need arise.

Depending on the host's efficiency and planning skills, it may take between 2 weeks to one month of effective planning to ensure the baptism ceremony and reception goes well without any glitches. Invitation cards should be sent out to guests early, preferably a week or two weeks, so that they have sufficient time to make necessary decisions. This would also allow busy guests to conveniently arrange and squeeze your special occasion into their hectic schedules.

In a traditional Baptism/Christening your baby will wear a gown during the service. This gown would be a long white or cream in color, it is worn by both girls and boys. Your family may have a gown that has been passed to them from other generations, but always purchase a new one easily.

The actual service and act of baptizing would only last at most about 20 or 45 minutes, and then you may decide to hold a small reception afterwards. If you do plan to have a reception, you will need to decide where you're going to have it this is because you may need to book the venue in advance should you decide to use a restaurant or a hall.

Light foods like burgers, drumsticks, fries, salads and soups are delightful treats for guests at the baptism reception. It is appropriate for the host to serve soft drinks and non-alcoholic drinks to his guests at the reception. It is important not to go overboard with the foods and drinks if the host does not wish to blow his budget. Another easy way is to order foods from the catering companies. If the host wishes for their guests to contribute or bring their own food to share with the rest, he may do so and inform them earlier about it. This is to allow ample time for the guests to make preparations.

It is a good idea to prepare a small favor for your guests. These are akin to baby shower favors and can be any small gift or trinket that your guests can take home to remind them of the ceremony. The baptism favors can be given at the ceremony, the reception, or both. It is also a common practice to give a small gift to the godparents. Guest also normally hand out small gifts to the parents, these usually consist of religious items for the baby such as bibles and rosaries unlike baby shower gifts .Last but not least don't forget to send thank-you cards or letters to all your guests to show your appreciation for coming to your child's Baptism.

About the Author
Elizabeth Ellis is a leading expert in all personalized gifts and has written a number of articles related to baptism gifts, personalized photo mugs, baby shower favors and so on. Please visit peculiarstuffs.com to read her other highly regarded work on such details as baptism favors, baby gifts, photo mugs and so on.

5 Baby Shower Decorating Ideas

Decorations turn an everyday room into an occasion. Decorating for a baby shower doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. Keep things simple and stick to a theme. Themes can be colors, animals, baby items or decoration themes. Having too many themes at your baby shower will make it seem unorganized. Colors work well with other themes. For example, pink & green colors with a frog theme.

Let us first focus on the tables. Whether a buffet table, a table for your guests to sit at or a gift table, you will need to cover them with fabric or plastic table covers. While I am not opposed to plastic table covers, make sure they are thick enough so you can't see through to the table below. Fabric table covers can be expensive, especially if you have a lot of tables. Most party rental stores will rent fabric table covers.

Now that your tables are covered you can decorate them. Centerpieces create a focal point on the table. I went to a baby shower where they had a round table with a 5" high by 4" wide centerpiece. The table was 60" so it looked so empty. Take the size of your table into consideration. You can purchase something that mom to be can use such as a baby sock bouquet or diaper cake. You can have your favors as a centerpiece such as a lollipop bouquet or create a ring of favor bags or candles. Other table decorations, such as confetti, are optional.

If you are catering your baby shower make sure you put out plates, napkins, cups, and utensils. If you are using disposable plates and utensils make sure they will be sturdy enough so they won't break.

I love balloon bouquets. All you need are some latex balloons. Bunch them up in groups of 5-6 balloons. Mix up the colors - pink & green, pink & white, blue & yellow, blue & white, etc. You can even substitute a Mylar baby shower balloon for one of the latex balloons. Weigh down the balloon bouquet with a balloon weight. Balloons, ribbon and balloon weights can be found at most party supply stores. Place balloons strategically around the room. I have to say that I'm not a fan of balloons on the floor. You run the risk of someone tripping on them and hurting themselves.

Walls can be decorated with baby shower banners or homemade posters of baby pictures of guests, mommy to be or daddy to be.

Decorating for a baby shower can be easy, inexpensive and fun. Be creative, keep things simple and enjoy your baby shower!

About the Author
Christina Cermak is owner of Baby Shower Depot. Christina has written a Baby Shower Planning ebook called "Baby Showers: Tips, Tricks, and Ideas". Baby Shower Depot offers affordable baby shower favors, baby shower games, new daddy gifts, baby gifts, baby gift baskets, baby dia