A Gold Cross for a Communion Present?

My eight year old son receives his First Holy Communion this spring. We are planning an outdoor celebration after the 1:00 pm Mass, and are being joined by family from far and wide. His cousin, our nephew, is a few months younger. The two boys are in the same class, and will be receiving Communion together. My wife and her brother have a herd of siblings, and we will have a great showing of family support for these young boys on their special day.

With my wife\'s family being so large, special events are often shared with others. My first taste of this phenomenon occurred before we were married. I was shocked to learn that my birthday was shared by my future father in law, and one brother in law. Another future sister in law has a birthday the day before mine. What had been a day just for me was now shared with three others at least, and sometimes more if no other events were planned for the month.

My son and daughter have never experienced a family celebration that was not shared with others. For them, this is normal. For me, though, I would like them to be able to experience some special events individually. This desire is guiding me to try to do something unique and individualized for my son on his special day. I can\'t throw a separate party just for him, so instead I am looking for a gift that can express this thought.

I have been considering this situation for a while, and discussing it with my wife. I am leaning towards giving him a gold cross. He does not have any real jewelry, and a cross can be worn as he grows up, and can even become a family heirloom in due time. I thought I had a brilliant idea, and was feeling very proud of myself for having thought of it.

However, as I started to research the gift, I learned that I have a lot to learn. Gold crosses come in a lot of very different shapes and styles. The choices are almost mind-numbing. If that selection was not hard enough to make, there are almost an equal number of choices for a chain to hang the cross from. My wife has been trying to help me, but her tastes in jewelry are decidedly different than mine, and, I suspect, from the tastes of my son. After all, she is not a big fan of the Transformers or Sponge Bob Square Pants. Our son is. Neither my wife nor I play football, or run around on the playground for hours on end. Clearly durability, in addition to style, will be a major consideration in making this selection. For this gift to become a treasured family heirloom, it first must survive the rigors of daily life with our boy. We have trouble doing that, and we are his parents. Can I even find a cross and chain that he will be able to wear on a daily basis?

Gold crosses come in a lot of very different shapes and styles. The choices are almost mind-numbing. If that selection was not hard enough to make, there are almost an equal number of choices for a chain to hang the cross from.