In my family, we have a tradition of offering up services to others or mortifications for the greater glory of God before our first communion. Now, my dad won't discuss it because he shuns his Catholic heritage, so I don't know a lot about it, or the details of it, but from what I gather there was a specific service or sacrifice offered by the intended communicant, as well as gifts given to the attending priests and religious of the parish and small gifts given out to the parishioners after mass.

Did anyone else's family do this, or does anyone have suggestions along the same lines for making our son's first communion something he will remember and carry with him always?