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Manila Bulletin devider Lifestyle devider How to celebrate Grandparents' Day this lockdown

How to celebrate Grandparents' Day this lockdown

Published Sep 12, 2020 09:52 pm

Social distancing won’t keep us from showing our gratitude to our lolos and lolas

Our three children haven’t seen their grandparents since the lockdown began in March. Although my husband and I are allowed to go out of the house, we limit our travels to the necessities. Even visiting our parents who are senior citizens are kept to a minimum with us wearing protective gear such as face masks and face shields and carrying add-ons such as portable air purifiers, alcohol, and even UVC sterilizers. We don’t let our guard down and we take extra precautions when it comes to our parents who are more prone to infection.

Regular video calls take the place of frequent visits to the homes of our children’s grandparents and the conversation is usually between the grannies and the kids. We know that both parties miss each other very much and these calls are a refreshing break from their everyday routine. 

Though this is the new normal that we have reluctantly accepted, this doesn’t mean we’re stuck to spending Grandparents’ Day with a regular video conference call. Here are some suggestions to bring some sparkle in their eyes, even if we won’t be spending it together physically. 

Make an old-school greeting card
“I’m bored!” Raise your hands if you’ve heard this a million times from your kids. Here’s a solution: Give them a project to create a card from scratch. Prepare a clean table, gather all your art materials, and have the kids get started with their DIY (do-it-yourself) letters. 

Plan a virtual party
Talk to your siblings and plan a surprise video conference call with the whole family. Take it up a notch higher by ordering complete meals for the grandparents and have a virtual feast together. 

Send a video compilation
Ask all the family members to record themselves greeting the grandparents and collate them into a fun memorable video that they can treasure forever. While you’re at it, why not have the family members sing a line each from the grandparents’ favorite song? Or have the kids dance? 

Leave a surprise
Pull the kids together and make something that’s eye-catching in size. Design a poster board filled with photos of them and with the family, place it on an easel, and leave it by their doorstep as a surprise. 

Watch a movie together 
Plan a movie date with the whole family. Agree on a schedule where you’re all free to watch it real time and leave your video conference call running the whole time. Then, talk about the movie after and share your thoughts about it. It’s almost like watching a movie together. 

Come up with a personalized gift box
A surefire way to get the grandparents giddy is a mystery gift box that’s filled with items from each of the family members. Imagine opening a container full of gifts with a note from each giver and why they thought of giving this gift. So sweet!

This year may be different from any other year, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t live up to the challenge of making our grandparents smile. Let’s make it even more special and let them know that we love and miss them even more. 

Related Tags

celebration lolo grandparents gift ideas lola
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