Christmas Gifts for a Daughter From Her Mom

A gift from a mother to her daughter carries something a gift from anyone else cannot: the whole history between you. That is why the best Christmas gifts from a mom are the ones only you could give, not the ones anyone could pick off a shelf. Here are 12 of them, from free to a real treat. Our top pick is a song from you to her, because it says what you mean without you having to say it out loud across the table.

Listen to a song made with Songbond

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry her name and your stories.

12 Christmas gift ideas for your daughter, from you

1. A song from her mom ($39.90). Tell the stories only you know: the song you sang to her in the car, the night she was born, what she said on her first day of school. Songbond turns them into an original song, ready within 24 hours.
2. A piece of your own jewelry, given now. The ring or brooch she always admired. Give it while you can tell her the story behind it, and write that story on a card inside the box.
3. Your recipes, in your handwriting. Copy the dishes she grew up on into a plain notebook, with notes in the margins, like which ones her dad refuses to eat. It costs a notebook and a few evenings.
4. A letter about the day she was born. What the weather was like, who came to the hospital, what you thought when you first held her. Most daughters have never heard the full story.
5. Two photos, framed side by side. One of you at the age she is now, one of her today. The resemblance often surprises you both. Usually $30 to $80.
6. Afternoon tea or a spa day for the two of you. A few hours with no kids, no phones and no to-do list. Usually $80 to $200.
7. A wreath-making class together. Many florists run them in early December. You both go home with a wreath for the door and an afternoon to remember. Usually $50 to $120 each.
8. The perfume she remembers on you. Scent carries memory. Some daughters would love a bottle of the one you wore when she was small. Usually $60 to $150.
9. A soft robe for Christmas morning. Something warm she can pull on before the presents. Usually $50 to $120.
10. A trip she picks. Give her a card that says she chooses the place and you both go in spring. Usually $300 and up.
11. Matching Christmas pajamas. If your family already does this, buy her set. If not, start the tradition with just the two of you. Usually $30 to $60 each.
12. The book you read her every Christmas Eve. A fresh copy of the picture book, with a note inside the cover. If she has children, she can start reading it to them. Usually $15 to $30.

How to choose between sentimental and practical

You already know which kind of daughter she is. Some daughters want the sentimental gift and will cry over it. Others would rather have a spa day and never talk about feelings at all. Choose for the daughter in front of you, not the one in a card aisle.

• If she is sentimental: the letter, the jewelry or the song.
• If she is busy and tired: the spa day, the robe or the trip.
• If she loves to make things: the wreath class, the recipes or the pajamas.

Hand down one Christmas tradition

At some point the daughter becomes the one who hosts Christmas. You can make that easier this year. Pick one thing you do every December, the Christmas Eve soup, the order you open presents, the way you set out the nativity, and write down exactly how you do it and why it started. Tuck that note in with her gift. It tells her the tradition is hers now too, and it saves her a panicked phone call on the 23rd.

Make her song, from you

Create a Christmas song for your daughter. Share your memories and her song is ready within 24 hours. With nothing to ship, you can still order on Christmas Eve: express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: songs for a child who has left home and a personalized song as a Christmas gift.