Grandchildren far away? Bridge the distance.
Posted on December 1, 2015 by bob in Features
By Elizabeth Incarnation
The holidays can be challenging for grandparents who won’t be sitting by the tree when kids open their presents. If you can’t be there, you can still make sure the kids feel your presence. When selecting gifts, focus on the personal and meaningful; steer away from the latest toys that they will use and set aside before you see them again. The following suggestions can help you start new traditions and create lasting memories for your long distance grandchildren.
Make an Impression
Start an annual tradition of sending each grandchild a specially chosen ornament for the family Christmas tree. You might try to get the ornament while you’re on vacation and set it aside for the holidays with other gifts from your travels. If your family celebrates Chanukah, give each of your grandchildren a menorah and when you visit, make homemade candles with them to use during the holiday even if you’ll be back at home.
Look Ahead
If you can’t see the kids in December, send them something special they can enjoy with you when you do get together. Add to their excitement about an upcoming spring or summer adventure by sending a package with everything they’ll need. A backyard camping kit might include a tent, sleeping bag, canteen, and flashlight; a beach package could combine sand toys, a beach towel, a child-size chair, and cool sunglasses.
More Than Just the Ticket
Many older kids seem to have everything they need, and it’s tough to keep up with their tastes in music or fashion, so send them something money can’t (entirely) buy — the promise of an all-day, one-on-one experience with you. Surprise your grandchild with two tickets to a basketball game or Broadway-style show, as well as gift certificates to their favorite restaurant and arcade. To build their anticipation, include a small souvenir like a team cap or shirt, or the soundtrack to the musical you’ll see. Even the most jaded teens will appreciate the special time you’ll spend together.
A Library of Love
Many of your grandchildren’s gifts will be torn from their packages, overused, and tossed aside by 
Valentine’s Day. But the kids could treasure a collection of great books forever. Foster your grandchildren’s love of reading by sending them a collection of classic stories and give it a contemporary spin by mixing in some lesser-known masterpieces. Take it one step further for younger grandkids by making recordings of yourself reading the bedtime stories you send them. Your grandchildren will hear the love in your voice every time they pull out the books and read along with you.
Commission Some Artwork
Art supplies are a perennial favorite for kids of all ages, but grandparents don’t always get the opportunity to see the enchanting works their favorite young artists create. To solve this problem, include several oversized, self-decorated, self-addressed, stamped envelopes with your art-supply packages. Write your grandchildren a note, with your own artwork in the margins, encouraging them to create some new pieces for your home and to send those drawings or paintings to you.
Make Family History
Kids love to hear stories about when you (and their parents) were young. Give them a fuller picture of the old days by putting some of those stories to paper. Go through your old photos and scan and print some of the best snapshots of you and your kids — or affix the pictures to some heavy-stock paper. Below the photos, write the stories of who’s who, where everyone is, and what you’re all doing. Use scrapbooking supplies from your local craft store to create a memory book that the kids will treasure for years. As a bonus, send your grandkids pocket digital cameras and journals to record their own life and times for posterity.
Courtesy: grandparents.com, a lifestyle site celebrating the grandparent community by providing trusted information about family & relationships, health & well-being, travel & retirement, and more. Follow the site on Twitter (@grandparentscom) and on Facebook. (facebook.com/grandparentscom).
