Creative Gift Giving

You’ve been invited to the baby shower of a close friend or family member, and you don’t know what to get the expectant mom (or parents). Of course, there are the cute clothes, the educational toys and 10-year supply of diapers listed out on her registry, all of which would be useful and appreciated, but will she remember any of it ten years from now?

There is another gift idea that might be worth considering — in place of, or in addition to, a gift off the registry. It takes a bit of time and creativity to pull together, but it might be the one gift that a new mom would be touched to receive, and the one she’ll likely remember. A time capsule for her future child.

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To be clear, I’m not talking about a collection of items celebrating the baby itself, like a cut of hair, a footprint, or photos, etc., I’m talking more about documenting that time in history when a child is born. What was happening in the world? How much was a gallon of milk? What songs were playing on the radio, and which movies were streaming? 

Below are some ideas to get started, but have fun, and run with it. 

• Magazines. What’s happening around the world the week/month of a baby’s birth? Time or Newsweek magazines are good choices for documenting the events of the day. 
• Grocery Flyer. This may seem like an odd item to include in a time capsule, but what better way to show the cost of milk or a box of cereal.
• Fashion Magazine/Catalogs. Fashion trends come and go, but what’s in style now? Fashion catalogs from a store itself or from your own mailbox (though it will have your mailing address on it) are a great way to document the looks of the day. Or get a magazine, like Vogue, GQ or Elle, off the newsstand.

• Music. The Billboard Hot 100 documents the top music of the day. Billboard has a printed version of its magazine, but you can also go online to gather the list for the week https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/. Rolling Stone magazine is another good choice for showcasing the current artists making inroads in the music scene. You can also create a music playlist of your current favorites playing on the radio during that time. The challenge, of course, is how to share them. Burned to a cd? MP3s on a flash drive? Take your best guess at the format and delivery system that will still be around 25 or 50 years from now. 
• Major Newspapers. New York Times, USA Today, and the town newspaper are great items to include in your capsule if they are in circulation on the day, week, or month of the child’s birth. 
• Currency. Include a dollar, quarter, dime, nickel and penny (if) released that year. You can certainly purchase uncirculated coins (collector items), or you can just search from your own stash. 

• Photos around town. Take some snapshot around town — the town where the child will most likely live for its first year(s). This could include a gas station sign (showing the cost of gas), a photo of the child’s home, the hospital where they will be born, a coffee or ice cream shop or local food market.
• Postage Stamp. Forever stamps no longer have an amount printed on them, but the design itself will most likely change over time.
• Celebrity Gossip. People magazine is one of the best ways to capture Hollywood’s latest scoop.
• Candy wrappers. The candy won’t last (nor should it – chomp, chomp), but the wrappers will. Include the classics, like M&Ms, Snickers, Hersey Chocolate Bars, Reese’s, Kit Kat and Milky Way. These treats are likely to stand the test of time, but the wrappers may look different a decade or two from now. Mom can enjoy the treats inside today, but hold onto the wrappers.

• The New York Times Book Review. Picking up the week’s book review is a great way to document the books trending on the best sellers list that week. https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/
• Movies and TV. What movies are streaming online or airing on tv that week? Create a list yourself, or pick up the current issue of TV Guide to include.
• A personal note. A great way to round out your time capsule is to write a personal note to the child, welcoming them to the world, and letting them know you look forward to meeting them.

What to put all this in. 

There are many ways to present this time capsule. The contents could be collected and presented in something as simple as a beautiful gift bag or box. Or, you could find something that would stand on its own as a piece of room décor — a canvas or wooden box, basket, tin or small piece of vintage luggage.

Touched

No matter how you present this time capsule, or what you include in it, the recipient will be touched by the effort you put behind it and the meaning it has for her future child. 

This is a great gift for the mother herself to enjoy and keep for posterity’s sake, but it can also be a gift she presents to her child on a milestone birthday.