Like most new parents, I was determined to document all of his 'firsts' - smiles, words, teeth, steps, etc, by taking plenty of photographs and home videos, and by keeping a diary of these major events. When the holidays came around, I wanted to make them extra special by inviting all of my friends and family over, exchanging lots of presents, and of course personalizing my baby's first Christmas stocking.

I'm all about details, so I would never forget something as important as my baby's first Christmas stocking. That's because (when done right) a baby's first Christmas stocking should serve as a treasured childhood memento that can be used year after year. So I definitely wanted to take the time to find the absolute perfect one for my son, or to have one custom-made, which is what I actually ended up doing.

There are plenty of stores that offer parents the opportunity to personally design their baby's first Christmas stocking. Since many of these stores are Internet-based, they operate year-round and process orders any time. In fact, this was one of my main considerations when choosing a store.

I didn't want to have to wait for the holiday rush to place my order and run the risk of my baby's first Christmas stocking not arriving on time. Other things that I checked out before ordering my baby's first Christmas stocking from a particular website included the quality of materials used, the length of time the store had been operating, detailed pictures of previously made stockings, and testimonials from satisfied customers. Although price was also on my radar, it wasn't as important a consideration as these other factors. I wanted my baby's first Christmas stocking to be special, and I was willing to pay nearly any price to get just that!

After a lot of painstaking research, I found a company that looked like it would do a fantastic job on my baby's first Christmas stocking. I talked to the owner on the telephone, and she assured me that her staff would do everything in their power to make sure my baby's first Christmas stocking exceeded all expectations. So I told her exactly what I had in mind for my baby's first Christmas stocking and waited anxiously for her to complete the order.

When the finished product arrived, it took my breath away! My baby's first Christmas stocking was truly beautiful would certainly bring my son years and years of joy. I can't wait for the holidays to get here so we can hang it up by our fireplace.