Christening Silverware a Rich Tradition of Love and Wealth
There is nothing more exciting or wonderful than the birth of a child. It is a joyous occasion that fills peoples’ hearts with hope, love and joy. Traditionally, after the birth of a child a christening is held to introduce this precious bundle to the world and to religiously indoctrinate the child into the faith of his or her family.
A christening is a cheerful event with family and friends gathering around celebrating and worshiping the life of God’s precious child. Most who attend this monumental event will come bearing gifts that reflect their love and affection of their little fellow Christian.
Traditionally, a gift of christening silverware represents a hope for love and wealth. Christening silverware is usually a silver spoon, a set of spoons or a fork, spoon and knife set. It is often simply designed and sometimes engraved with the baby’s initials. Often times this gift will come from the godparent of the christened child, because it is a perfect gift that will be kept and treasured for a lifetime. These days, a set of silver spoons is harder to find as they go back centuries when godchildren received a set of Apostle Spoons, which was considered an aristocratic present given by a wealthy family member of godparent. Apostle spoons can still be found as a singular piece. A gift of christening silverware is typically a silver spoon or a silver, child-size place setting.
A single loop sterling silver spoon is one of the more popular christening gifts. It usually comes in a lovely, velvet- lined box, which makes for a lovely presentation. As mentioned, the silver apostle spoon is another commonly chosen christening gift. The handle of this spoon is straight and has one of the apostles etched on it. A silver-plated christening set usually with a shell design is special and also comes in a velvet lined container giving it a distinctive look of class. Often times, because the spoon is small, it cannot be engraved, but the box that holds the spoon or set can and usually is engraved reflecting the baby’s name or initials or a special message from the giver of the gift.
Although most parents prefer to put this gift away to keep it as an heirloom, others use the spoon or silverware set to feed their small child, as they are the perfect size and shape for a little mouth. As the child gets a bit older, a silverware set can be used for special occasions, allowing a child to feel a sense of pride and ownership. Either way, these precious heirlooms will last a lifetime and will be keepsakes passed on from one generation to the next.
