Christening gifts: four posters to personalise, from the sky to a portrait
A christening gift is kept far longer than it is used: it is the thing found fifteen years later, on a bedroom wall and then in a box in the attic. Four posters take the occasion each in their own way: the exact sky above the place of birth, calculated for the hour, with the name and the date underneath; the moon of that night, with the twenty-nine nights of its lunar month around it; the sky over the maternity ward with the name, the weight and the length, for the parents; or the child’s photo painted in watercolour, from the one on the announcement card. None of them carries any religious reference: they suit a christening, a communion or a civil naming ceremony just as well. The godparent brings what is needed — the date, the time, the town — or a single photo. Everything is printed to order in Aveyron; the A4 is €19.90, with a frame as an option on the two smaller sizes.
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Personalised star map poster
The sky actually visible above the birthplace, at the hour of birth: the stars seen with the naked eye that night, calculated. A gift for the parents rather than for the child.
From €8.90
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Personalised moon phase poster — the lunar month
The moon of the birth night at the centre, ringed by every night of its lunar month, each lit as it was. The moon itself comes from NASA imagery, tinted to the chosen style.
From €8.90
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Personalised birth star map — the stars on the day
The sky over the maternity ward at the hour of the birth, the phase of that night’s moon, and below it the name, weight and length. For the parents, who hang it in the nursery on the day of the christening.
From €8.90
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Watercolour baby portrait poster, personalised — your baby’s photo, painted
The child’s photo painted in watercolour, with their name beneath. The portrait appears in about thirty seconds, before you order. The godparent’s gift when you have neither the hour nor the place of the birth, only a photo.
From €8.90
Which one to choose
| If… | Then |
|---|---|
| You are a godparent and know the name | The maternity-ward sky, name and measurements in large letters |
| You want a gift that stays on the bedroom wall | The moon of the night they were born |
| The ceremony is civil or non-religious | Any of the four: none is religious |
| You are giving to the parents rather than the child | The star map or moon phase poster |
| You only have one photo of the child | The watercolour portrait |
The ceremonies, and when to order
| Occasion | When | When to order |
|---|---|---|
| Christening | all year round | Ten days ahead |
| First communion | spring, often in May | Two weeks in May, the busy season |
| Confirmation | varies by parish | Ten days ahead |
| Naming ceremony | all year round | The sky or the moon, which say nothing religious |
| A christening anniversary | their date | Ten days ahead |
May is the busiest month: communions and confirmations cluster there. Allow two weeks then.
Frequently asked questions
What should a godparent give at a christening?
Tradition calls for something lasting that carries the child’s name, most often a medal or a piece of silver. For a gift that is neither, the maternity-ward sky poster writes that name in large letters, with the date, the time, the weight and the length, under the exact stars of that night. It suits a girl’s christening as well as a boy’s, hangs in the bedroom, and is kept long after the child has grown.
What suits a civil naming ceremony, with no religion?
The sky or the moon of the birth night: neither carries any religious reference, they speak of a date and a place. The watercolour portrait suits too, since it only asks for a photo. All four posters on this page work for a civil naming ceremony just as well as for a church christening.
What is the difference between the sky and the moon of the birth night?
The star map shows the constellations visible to the naked eye above the place, at the hour of the birth; the moon phase shows its exact illumination that night, with the nights of the lunar month around it. Both need the date, the time and the place; the sky is the more read, the moon the gentler for a bedroom.
Which size do you give for a christening?
The framed 30 × 40 is the gift that is opened and hung the same day, in the bedroom; the framed A4 suits a wall that is already busy. The large sizes, 50 × 70 and 70 × 100, are delivered rolled, to be framed locally: they belong in a hallway or a living room, for a gift from several people.
How long before the ceremony should I order?
Ten days are enough for Ireland: 48 h of printing in the workshop, then the post from France, which takes two days longer across a border. In May, the month of communions and confirmations, allow two weeks.
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Printed in AveyronComposed and printed in our family workshop in Aveyron, checked before it ships.
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Printed to order250 g matte paper, pigment inks: printed in our Aveyron workshop, whatever the size.
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Shipped within 48 hTo your door or to a pickup point, by La Poste or Colissimo.
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Ready to giveStandard frame sizes, easy to find.