Celebrating Grandparents Day in a Very Grand Way

Americans love a good made-up holiday. If you think of one thing you like, and even a few you don’t, chances are there’s a holiday honoring it.  Don’t believe me? I checked and a few of them even surprised me: there’s Science Fiction Day, Wear Pajamas to Work Day, World Kissing Day, Jelly Bean Day on April 22^nd, and even a National Wine Day (or Friday, as I call it at my house). Long story short, we know how to pick a celebration. Thankfully, one of our more beloved (albeit lesser known) holidays is right around the corner and there’s no time like now to get ready! National Grandparents Day 2018 is scheduled for Sunday, September 9^th.

Grandparents are particularly special in our house with such little kids. When my husband and I had children, we knew fostering a generational connection was a priority. There’s so much wisdom to be passed down, love to be shared, free babysitting to be done when you make grandparents a central part of your children’s lives. There was only one problem. Our parents were 400 (and in my case, 800) miles away. How do you ensure faraway loved ones are able to stay in the loop when you’re not right up the block?

Gone are the days when family units made up entire neighborhoods. Aunt Karen lived 2 streets over, grandma was a 10-minute jog to the east and your favorite cousins lived a stone’s throw from the corner store. With relatives spread out but still wanting to share the very best of our lives, sometimes you have to think outside the box. Luckily, technology works wonders to lessen the emotional distance when grandparents, in particular, aren’t as close as you’d like. Here’s a list of ways my family chooses to stay connected on Grandparent’s Day and every special day in between.

We decided against simple cards to consistently mark holidays a long time ago. Sure, they’re great when working with a time crunch but with a little planning and organization you can do something even more personal. In our case, we send my folks occasional Brown Family Bulletins (a newsletter highlighting our most recent accomplishments). A headline on one of last year’s family wrap-ups included Stop the Presses: Parker Jai Potty Trains Before 3^rd Birthday. You probably won’t win any Pulitzer prizes for your news but flying in off of what’s usually a jam-packed summer for many families, it’s fun to take this time to share your little ones’ recent sports triumphs, academic achievements and even critical milestones. ConstantContact.com has a free template (as long as you work with a limited mailing list) that lays everything out for you and ensures a speedy email delivery as soon as you’re done. It’s worth the time it takes to play with the program and come up with something that works for you.

Another super easy app we use regularly is Shutterfly.com. When words can’t say enough, pictures do the job perfectly. Put together a 12-month calendar with your favorite cuties’ candids for Nana & Pop Pop to keep up all year round. Shutterfly is always honoring some type of deal or another and if you play your cards right (or in this case, your coupons right) chances are you can get most of their products for anywhere from 25 – 50% off. This is also a great way to plan ahead by marking down the kids’ birthdays, school breaks or family vacations so that everyone has time to get things in order if they’d like to visit.

And for those that aren’t super savvy when it comes to computers, sometimes a loving tutorial on how video conferencing works does wonders. Facetime (for iPhone users) and Tango (another video app) guarantee my kids’ ability to show their grandparents exactly how much they’ve grown and all of the amazing cartwheels they’ve painstakingly learned this week. If you have parents that aren’t sure how to make the most of their smartphones, walk them through downloading the apps and setting up their accounts. The headache my mother gives me when learning to do absolutely anything on her iPhone hard work definitely pays off when you get to see their smiling faces taking in all of yours.

Finally, if finances aren’t an issue, the best gift can be an all expenses paid trip to see you. Both Southwest and American Airlines offer gift cards that can be used toward flights in the near future. This way, you can let your folks’ book the trip themselves but still, show them that their presence is a gift in itself. Visit specific airline’s website for details and restrictions.

Now that you have a few extra ideas, get to planning! It’s a celebration typically long overdue but being with family that loves and appreciates you rewards everyone. Do your part to help make this Grandparents Day one not soon to be forgotten.