Tankards are one of those timeless gifts that often get passed down from generation to generation. Whether it’s a treasured christening gift, one given to a departing colleague, or to a doting grandad, they’re fabulous traditional presents that help mark a special moment in time. I also find it irresistibly cute when you walk into an old pub and you see old-timers sat at the bar with their tankards - they’re undoubtedly the people you need to chat to if you want to find out about village history, or the local gossip!
Dexter was given a tankard by his grandad when he was born. It’s a tradition as old as the silver bracelet, silver spoon or wetting the baby’s head, and something unique and special to commemorate a new addition to the family. Dexter’s is currently in his memory box in the loft, wrapped in silk, waiting for him to be old enough to appreciate it. It’s not a christening gift (as we’re atheists) but it’s still a precious reminder of the day he turned our world upside down!
Buyatankard.com is the only place you need to go if you’re looking for a tankard. They have such a vast array of sizes, styles and shapes, you are bound to find inspiration for your special gift. Almost all of the tankards are hand-made from Pewter in Sheffield, and all can be engraved to make your tankard truly unique. You can even design-your-own (right down from the size, to the handles, to the finish) if you had something very specific in mind.
The 1/4 Pint Tankards make the most gorgeous christening or new baby gift. Whether you opt for a plain tankard, with your baby’s name, date of birth, and a special message, or one of the child-friendly designs, you’ll get a gift your child will keep forever.
Clockwise: 1/4 Pint Plain Pewter Stork Handle Mug / 1/4 Pint Humpty Dumpty Pewter Mug / 1/4 Pint Grandson Pewter Mug / 1/4 Pint Cow Over The Moon Pewter Mug / 1/4 Pint Welsh Dragon Handle Child’s Pewter Cup / 1/4 Pint Baby Georgian Pewter Mug / All under £30
But, as mentioned above, tankards aren’t solely for new baby’s. They can be personalised to celebrate any event or to simply say thank you. They’re great marking landmark birthdays, graduations, Father’s Day, retirements, weddings, or even Valentine’s Day. Every year we’re bound to know someone celebrating a major achievement, or someone that deserves a fuss made of them. With this in mind, here are some of my favourite adult-sized tankards from elsewhere on the site.
Left to right: 1 Pint Viking Horn Tankard £66.60 / 1 Pint Henry Tankard £45.77 / 1 Pint Monarch Double Brass Band Tankard £38.76 /1 Pint Contemporary Celtic Tankard £42.31 / 1 Pint Crystal Round Tankard £44.74 / 1 Pint X-Range Georgian Pewter Tankard £79.08 / 1 Pint Silver Dragon Tankard £67.85 / 1 Pint The King’s Shilling Tankard £43.85 / 1 Pint Double Lines Lion Handle Pewter Tankard £27.65
Well the fabulous guys at Buy a Tankard, have offered one of my readers the chance to win a tankard of their choice (from anywhere on the site) up the value of £40. With many of the tankards available priced below £40, there’s plenty of scope to add some engraving to make it extra special. Entry is via Rafflecopter so good luck!
- Prize is for 1 tankard up to a maximum value of £40 - any engraving must be taken into account of prize total
- Only 1 option is mandatory (leave me a comment) – the rest only improve your chances of winning so just complete as many as you feel like
- UK entrants only – you must be over 18 too (sorry)
- The winner will be contacted by email and must respond within 1 week of having been emailed (I’ll try all known avenues to contact them) or a new winner will be drawn
- When the giveaway is closed, Rafflecopter will select the winner completely at random
- The winners name will be published on this site
Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com
Creative Christening Gift Ideas
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A christening is a very important event in family life and the gift that is presented to the child should be something special to commemorate and celebrate the occasion. Very often, gifts have a religious element to them, but there is really no reason why they should not be just that little bit different.
The usual things
Common christening gifts include silver-plated ornaments engraved with the name of the child and the date of the christening. Popular ones are label-bearing teddy bears or lambs, apostle spoons, expensive rattles and jewellery.
Necklaces or bracelets often feature a cross or an angel, whilst a bangle can be engraved. Any of these items would be suitable to be passed on as an heirloom. A children’s bible also makes a lovely gift; they usually contain colour illustrations for the child’s enjoyment and education, and often feature a front page where a message can be written by the giver.
Silver picture-frames are also commonly given as presents; they are perfect for holding a photo taken during the ceremony.
Other popular gifts include tea sets depicting characters from books such as Winnie the Pooh or Peter Rabbit. Not only is this a gift any child will love, it will also be one they can use.
Something a little bit different
Everyone gives the usual types of presents so what about something a little different?
Children can still be given a fluffy soft friend, but the bear or lamb can be personalised, perhaps by bearing their name and being presented in a special tin or box. A child will always like a money box and there are plenty in the shape of London buses or steam trains available, but they will have to be silver-plated to make them extra special.
A large church candle can be inscribed with a poem commemorating the christening, perhaps personally written by the giver.
Of course, it is not only babies and children who are christened. These days there are plenty of adults who wish to be baptised if they missed the opportunity when they were younger. Quirky and original gifts for adults include a family photo shoot, a bottle of champagne with a personalised label or a gift experience of naming a star.
Making a gift memorable
Looking back, it can be easy to forget who gave the present and this is where personalisation will make a gift more special and memorable.
For adults, crystal makes a perfect christening gift. It might take the form of drinking glasses, such as champagne flutes or wine glasses or be in the form of other decorative crystal items, such as bright flower vases. All crystal can be etched to display the name of the recipient, the giver or both; making a wonderful personalised gift.
An unusual christening gift for a child is a hanging wooden memory block, which is designed to be cut or painted to show the name of the child being christened. Alternatively, give a pair of christening shoes with the date of the ceremony stamped or embroidered on the soles.
Introducing Treat Republic!
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I hold my hands up to being an absolutely shocking gift-giver. I leave shopping to the last-minute and you’ll often find me panic-buying on Birthday Eve’s - sweaty, wide-eyed and probably repeating over and over again “Never again. Never again”. I end up thinking I’m hugely clever by recalling a conversation from 5 years ago when he or she has told me they enjoyed a film at the cinema, a tv programme or an artist and buy them a related something-or-another. I can’t count the number of faces I’ve seen sag with disappointment upon getting past my over exuberant gift wrap.
Now I’ve discovered the wonderful world of gift sites, my life just got a whole load easier. There are some specifically created for men, some that are perfect for your gran, some that focus solely on new babies etc. Well now there’s a site that caters for everyone; any age, any occasion, any budget - TreatRepublic.co.uk.
Previously TreatHim.com, TreatHer.com and TreatBaby.com, Treat Republic brings together all these gift ideas in one place without compromising on choice. The site is very user-friendly with well structured menus and several different search functions. Each item is also well photographed (I can’t tell you how annoyed I get with tiny thumbnail pics) and it’s all very affordable too. There’s family days out, retro gadgets for the man who has everything, a fabulous selection of garden gifts, and lots of personalised gifts for mum and baby. You really are spoilt for choice.
I was absolutely delighted when I was asked to review some of their new baby collection as part of their new website celebrations. I chose to review the Personalised Baby’s First Display Frame with Hearts - a cute little display case to house Dexter’s first pair of shoes. This looks lovely in his nursery and makes me go all ‘motherly’ whenever I pass it.
As it is personalised-to-order you can choose to whether you display baby’s first shoes, socks, toy or rattle, and whether the hearts on the insert are blue or pink. It’s a generous depth and accommodates his first espadrille’s just fine so plenty of room for that soft toy they refused to sleep without if you’d prefer to showcase this instead. At £29.99 it would make a lovely first birthday gift, christening gift, or new mum gift.
I also received a very cute Personalised New Mother Sentiment Locket. I’ve been secretly hankering after a locket since Dexter turned our lives upside down 14 months ago, so was very chuffed to finally get my mitts on one. It really is super adorable with the actual locket approximately the same size as my thumbnail. Made from Sterling Silver you are able to personalise this locket with baby’s name, mother’s name and the date baby was born. At £35.99 it’s amazing value compared to some of the other personalised jewellery I’ve seen on rival sites.
Despite having a fabulous camera, I’ll admit to being a very amateur photographer and it was hard to capture just how lovely this is. Unfortunately I’m also not able to wear this necklace yet as it’s so delicate I don’t trust Dexter not to snap the chain. But it’s got pride of place in my jewellery box for when he’s a little less grab-happy. I might get around to putting a picture of my Craig in one half too, or maybe baby 2… watch this space!
I’d definitely recommend Treat Republic to others who are as useless as me in the buying-department. I’ve already found something lovely for my mother-in-law and have pinned a number of gardening gifts to my Pinterest board as a hint to Craig. It’s well worth giving them a quick like on Facebook and Twitter too as the guys at HQ love the odd giveaway! Right this instant there’s a Twitter comp to win a beautiful duckling watering can so do hurry and enter now! Who wouldn’t want this little fella in their garden!
DISCLAIMER: I was sent two gifts from the fabulous new baby collection from Treat Republic. All opinions are my own.
