25 Days of Christmas Idea for Long Distance Grandparents - Life is Sweeter By Design (2024)

Long distance grandparenting can be hard! This 25 Days of Christmas idea is a way to connect with your grandkids during the busy month of December!

My in-laws lived over 1800 miles away for over 8 years and during that time we had to work to keep a good connection between them and my children. Long distance grandparenting is not for the faint of heart!!

One of the most creative ideas my mother-in-law had was doing a 25 days of Christmas with my kids! My kids LOVED it and were so excited every day during December! They were thrilled their grandparents had taken so much time and effort to make their December special and fun!

How to Do25 Days of Christmas

The 25 days of Christmas is a way to show your grandchildren all month long how much you are thinking of them and how much you love them!

You will be giving them one gift a day during the first 25 days of December. The first gift will be on December 1st and the last gift will be on Christmas Day!

You are probably thinking…WOW…25 gifts is a LOT! Don't run away yet though… 🙂

These gifts are small and inexpensive! They can even be things that you make if you are crafty!! It is fun to end the 25 Days of Christmas with one larger gift on Christmas day. My in-laws gave my children each a gift that was around $25 to open on Christmas day.

The key is to plan ahead! You will need to purchase or make the 25 gifts and wrap each one individually. Then you can use a marker to write a number on each package that shows what day of the month that package should be opened. Be sure to label your larger/more expensive gift on Christmas day…or with a 25!

Put all the packages into one large box and mail it to your grandchild. You should call your grandchild or put a note inside that explains what they need to do!! You don't want them to get the big box and open all the gifts right then, lol! 😆 If you are sending gifts for more than one child then you need to be sure to label each gift with the child's name AND the day to open!

Gift Ideas for the 25 Days of Christmas

So you have decided to do the 25 Days of Christmas, but now you need some ideas for what to buy!! Start thinking along the lines of stocking stuffers! You want gifts that are small in size and not too expensive. Dollar Tree is a great place to start with this project! They have tons of items…all for only $1 and lots of small items! If you don't have one near your home you can order online! Target's Dollar Spot is another great place to check. Some of Target's items are $3.00, but that is still not a bad deal!

Here is a list of some things that worked well for my mother-in-law and that my kids loved!

Chapstick–if you are doing this for more than one child, buy a multipack and each child gets one

Books–Target usually has some cute books for toddlers/babies in their dollar spot.

Candy–You can do candy for several of the days. Look in the Christmas section at the store for fun and special candy that you can only find at Christmas time.

Jewelry–This works great for girls…earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, etc for children are usually inexpensive. Claire's has a huge selection of fun items for girls of all ages.

Coloring Books or Activity Books–These are a great buy at Dollar Tree. Plus kids love to color all the way through elementary school! There are great activity books like Sudoku for older kids/teens.

Crayons/Markers/Pens–Crayons are great for younger kids, markers for older school age children and tweens/teens love nice pens!

Hot Cocoa Mix–there are usually really cute hot cocoa mixes out at the holidays. Most kids love hot chocolate and the fun flavors are always a hit! Some even come with cute spoons!

Gum–Almost all kids love gum and with so many sugar-free varieties it isn't even too bad on their health!

Puzzles–You can find a big assortment of puzzles for younger children and toddlers at Dollar Tree!

Games–There are lots of small games available at Dollar Tree and other stores. Some ideas are: marbles, dice games, magnetic travel games, card games, wooden travel peg games, small metal puzzles, etc.

Flash Cards–These work great for elementary age children especially! You can even find some that are great for toddlers that have pictures of animals, colors, etc.

Matchbox Cars–Typically people think of box for these, but I know my girls have played with a lot of cars over the years!

Action Figures–This isn't limited to GI Joe or other boy-oriented action figures! There are lots of figurines for girls available now. I have seen Disney Princess figurines at Dollar Tree before. There are also a lot of animal figurines that work great for toddlers!

Silly String–I don't know a kid that wouldn't be thrilled to get a can of silly string at any age! The parents may not appreciate it as much though, lol!

Silly Putty or Playdough–This is fun for boys and girls!

Magic Towels–I always see these at Dollar Tree and my kids love them! They are wash clothes that are in a tiny little package. When you let it soak in water it unfolds into a wash cloth that has a kid character on it!

Stickers–Most kids love stickers and you can usually get a package for around a dollar at many stores!

Craft Supplies–There are lots of craft supplies that kids would enjoy. Washi tape, a bag of self-adhesive foam shapes, pipe cleaners, beads, etc.

Kids Dinnerware–Lots of store sell plates, cups, silverware that is kid friendly and has cartoon characters on them. My kids love having their own plates, etc.

Bubble Bath–There are bubble baths for boys and girls these days and kids who take baths love bubbles!

Toothbrush–A new toothbrush is always fun and if you pick one that is brightly colored or has a character on it..your grandchild will love it!

Beauty Products–There are lots of beauty products that girls would love: lotion, make up, hair brush, perfume, etc. There are a lot of body sprays for boys that would work well too!

I hope this list has helped generate some ideas for your 25 Days of Christmas. There are lots of items available if you just go out and look!

What do you think of this 25 Days of Christmas idea? If you decide to do it, I would LOVE to hear about how it goes and what gifts you find!

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