OVERJOYED parents celebrated as their newborn babies made a festive appearance just in time for Christmas.
Several couples across the north were given that extra special Christmas gift this year as their tiny tots were welcomed into the world.
It was just 20 minutes after the clock struck midnight on December 25 when the first Christmas Day baby arrived at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital.
Lauren Maher gave birth to her baby boy Ciaran at 00.20am, weighing 7lb 2oz.
It was just a few hours later when the midwives at the RVH helped deliver the next Christmas bundle of joy.
Baby girl Darcy was born at 3.36am to delighted parents Nicole Cochrane and Martyn Daly, weighing 7lb 10oz.
The only baby girl born in Belfast on Christmas Day, it was not long before she was given her first festive Santa hat.
Courtney Moore and David Farrell also welcomed a newborn baby boy on December 25.
The baby, who has yet to named, was born at the Royal's 'active birth centre' at 8.22am, weighing 6lb 6oz.
At Derry's Altnagelvin Hospital there were also some newborn joy arriving in time for the festive period.
The Western Trust said Jax David Thomas was the first Christmas Day baby. The Derry tot was born at the hospital at 3.16pm, weighing 8lb 9oz.
The midwifery-led unit at the Derry hospital later welcomed baby boy Cillian Friel into the world at 7pm weighing 8lb 7oz.
The trust said it was the "greatest Christmas present parents Paul and Charlene could wish for".
And there was even more Christmas Day celebrations at Antrim Area Hospital's neonatal unit as a set of twins helped their father with a special proposal.
Eight-day-old twins Adam and Louise were given the important task of asking daddy to marry mummy, believed to be the neonatal unit's first ever proposal.
The nurses at the hospital has dressed the twins in babygrows, which read: 'Mummy will you marry our Daddy?'.
And the good news was, she said yes.
