First Holy Communion gift ideas, by who you are

First Holy Communion is the first of these days where the child opens their own gifts, reads their own cards and remembers all of it. That changes what's worth buying.

Below: ideas split by guest, family, godparent and grandparent, the traditional Catholic gifts, and honest notes on which of those we make and which we don't.

If you're a guest - £15 to £30

• A card written to the child rather than the parents, with the date under your name.
• Money in a named envelope saying what it's for - this is entirely normal at a communion.
• A hardback book inscribed with the date on the inside cover.
• A small dated keepsake for their bedroom shelf.
• A voucher for something they've been saving towards, with the amount written in the card.

If you're wider family - £20 to £40

• A framed print with their name and communion date, for the bedroom wall.
• A proper pen - one they'll use at secondary school.
• A photo frame for the picture taken outside the church that morning.
• A candle or keepsake for the family home rather than the child.
• Money towards a named thing: a bike, a tablet, a trip.

If you're a godparent - £30 to £75

• The traditional gifts are a missal, a rosary, a cross or a first bible - a Catholic gift shop is the right place for those.
• A dated keepsake print or engraved piece if you'd rather give something non-devotional.
• A watch, given now and worn through secondary school.
• A savings payment with a note explaining it, so they see the number when they're older.
• A book of the saints or a children's bible if the family is practising.

If you're a grandparent - £50 to £100

• Jewellery kept for them until they're older, with a letter about who wore it first.
• Savings, opened after checking with the parents.
• A framed photograph from the day, delivered a fortnight later - the gift nobody else thinks of.
• A dated print for the wall that survives every bedroom redecoration.
• A sealed letter for their eighteenth, written today.

What lands and what doesn't

• Lands: money, if the card says what it's for.
• Lands: anything with their name and the date on it.
• Lands: something grown-up - a pen, a watch, a proper book.
• Doesn't: toys pitched at a five-year-old. They're eight and they know it.
• Doesn't: a second rosary. Ask the family what they've already been given.
• We print cards and make candles, prints and coasters. Rosaries, missals and medals aren't ours and we won't pretend otherwise.

Shop communion gifts

Cards to go with the gift

Blank inside, posted first class the same working day.

How to write it so it lands

• Ask the family what's already been given - communion children get three rosaries and no books.
• Write to the child, not the parents. They will read every card.
• Buy in April; communion cards run out locally by mid-May.

Where to shop next

• Milestone collections
• Religious milestones hub
• Religious milestones explained
• Christening gift guide
• Communion gift guide
• Naming ceremony gift ideas
• Communion timing, costs and messages
• Holy Communion explained
• First Holy Communion gifts
• What to write in a communion card
• First Holy Communion cards
• Communion gifts
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas

Frequently asked questions

How much do you spend on a First Holy Communion gift?

Guests £15 to £30, wider family £20 to £40, godparents £30 to £75 and grandparents £50 to £100.

Is money a suitable communion gift?

Yes - it's the most common gift of all. Put it in a named envelope and write in the card what it's for.

What are traditional communion gifts?

A missal, rosary, cross, first bible or a piece of jewellery. Those come from a Catholic gift shop; we make cards, candles, prints and coasters.

What should a godparent give at a communion?

Something grown-up and lasting: a watch, an inscribed book, a dated keepsake, or savings with a note explaining them.