Six Gift Ideas to Help Bridge the Distance

The holidays can be challenging for grandparents who will not be sitting by to watch their grandchildren open their gifts. If you are a long-distance grandparent and cannot be nearby for the holidays, you can still make sure the kids feel your presence.

Look for gifts that focus on the personal and meaningful. Steer away from the latest toys and fads 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 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 are on vacation and set it aside for the holidays with other gifts from your travels. If your family celebrates Hanukkah, give each of your grandchildren a menorah. When you visit, make homemade candles with them to use during the holiday, even if you will be back in your home.

Look Ahead

If you cannot 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 family vacation by sending a package with everything they will 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 is 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, a Broadway-style show or concert, or gift certificates to their favorite restaurant or arcade. To build their anticipation, include a small souvenir, such as a team cap or shirt, or the soundtrack to the musical or concert you will see. Even the most jaded teens will appreciate the special time you will 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 will treasure a collection of great books forever.

Foster your grandchildren's love of reading by sending them a collection of classic stories, or give it a contemporary spin by mixing in some of the newer books to hit the shelf. Take it one step further for younger grandkids by making recordings of yourself reading the great 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.

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 children—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 are 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 grandchildren pocket digital cameras and journals to record their own life and times for posterity.

This article originally appeared on Grandparents.com. © Grandparents.com LLC.