Gifts for grandparents who live far away: 12 ideas that close the distance

1. A memory journal you fill in together by phone

A guided memory journal gives your calls a wonderful new subject. Each week, ask one question from the book, such as what their street looked like when they were ten or how they spent their first paycheck, and let them talk. They can write the answers in their copy, or you can write while you listen.

Our Tell Me Your Story, Grandma and Tell Me Your Story, Grandpa journals each have 100 guided questions in ten chapters and 120 quick memory questions. They are printable downloads ($10.99 each), so you can print and mail a copy, or email the files to a relative or a print shop near them.

2. A standing video call

Set a time that never moves: Sunday at five, or Wednesday right after school. Put it in writing as a gift, and if needed, give them a simple tablet or a stand for their phone, set up in advance with one big button to tap.

Give the calls a little shape so that small children stay interested. Show and tell, a joke of the week, reading a picture book aloud, or eating breakfast "together" all work.

3. Photo mail, once a month

Print five or six photos from the past month and mail them with a short note about each one. Real prints can go on the refrigerator, into a wallet or over to the neighbor's house to be admired. Set a reminder on your phone for the first of the month. Twelve envelopes a year is a small effort for you and a steady joy for them.

4. The grandchildren's artwork and schoolwork

Children produce more drawings, paintings and spelling tests than any refrigerator can hold. Send the overflow to Grandma and Grandpa. Let each child choose what to send and write a line on the back about it. For Christmas, add a simple frame or a clip board made for rotating artwork, so the newest piece always has a place of honor.

5. A photo book of the year

Collect the year's best pictures into a printed photo book with short captions: who, where and what was funny about it. Grandparents who are far away miss the everyday moments most, so include ordinary days as well as holidays, such as the muddy soccer game, the pancake breakfast and the first day of school. Order two copies, one for them and one for you.

6. A book to read together

Buy two copies of the same children's book, or a chapter book for older kids, and send one to the grandparents. On video calls, Grandma or Grandpa reads a chapter aloud while the child follows along. It gives the call a purpose, builds a routine children look forward to, and creates a shared story between them.

7. An interview across the miles

Children love to ask questions, and grandparents love to answer them. Turn a video call into a real interview about what school, chores and Christmas were like when Grandma and Grandpa were small.

Our printable kit The Family Reporter is made for kids 6 to 12, with 48 question cards, press passes and a newspaper front page for writing up the story. Mail the finished front page to the grandparents afterward.

8. The same puzzle or game in two houses

Send them a jigsaw puzzle and keep the identical one at your house. Work on them the same week and compare progress on your calls. The same idea works with a deck of cards for a game you can play on video, a crossword you both attempt, or a recipe you both cook on the same evening and eat "together".

9. A weekly question by text or mail

Send one question a week and collect the answers. "What was your first job?" "What did your mother cook on Sundays?" "What was Dad like at my age?" Save every reply in one place, and by next Christmas you will have a small book of family history.

Our list of questions to ask your grandparents is free and sorted by theme, so you always have the next one ready.

10. A visit with dates on it

Nothing replaces being in the same room. If you can manage a trip, make the announcement the gift: print the travel confirmation or draw a calendar with the days circled, and wrap it. If traveling is easier for them, offer to arrange their journey to you. Having the next visit set on the calendar makes the months in between feel much shorter.

11. A cozy reminder of the family

Some gifts simply say "we are thinking of you" every day. A soft blanket for their favorite chair, a calendar printed with family photos and all the birthdays filled in, or a bird feeder for the window with a note from the grandkids asking what birds they see. Small comforts like these keep the family present in the house between calls.

12. A shared Christmas tradition

Start a tradition that works across the distance. Open one present together on a video call. Bake the same cookie recipe on the same day. Or print the same game in both homes: our Christmas Eve Family Question Game has 48 question cards that are easy to take turns with over video.

When a tradition repeats every year, it stops being about the distance and becomes simply how your family does Christmas.