We are blessed with great parents who have, no surprise, made great grandparents. And this year will be a hard reminder that Little Man lost one of his grandparents earlier this year. Today as I was looking for pictures for this post, I was reminded what a treasure our JenJen was. No one was as patient with Little Man as she was, and during the long year of 2020, our weekly highlights became the courtside session where she would FaceTime and “sit” in a chair and watch Little Man shoot the basketball, color, or play board games. She was the best grandmother.
All of my grandparents are gone, but I’m still blessed to have my husband’s GrandBetty who loves me like one of her own. She has 12 grandchildren, 11 grandchildren-in law and 15 great-grandchildren. That’s a lot of love. So celebrating Grandparents just seems like a no-brainer from my perspective.
Grandparent’s Day is not a national holiday but it is a calendar date set aside to celebrate these special relationships in our lives. Sounds like a good idea to me. Plus, you know I love a good reason to celebrate special people!
If you are in a situation like my family, where you are spending the first year without a grandparent, use this day to remember them in a special way. Follow some of the ideas below and walk down memory lane. Maybe their spouse is still here and you can create a new special memory together.
I’m so excited this month to share my favorite ideas on the blog onlyinark.com – so many great ideas for Celebrating Grandparent’s Day.
Here are a few other ideas that may be helpful for you as well.
- Photo placemats – Grandparents love photos and they like sitting down to eat or drinking a cup of coffee. A placemat is a great way to put the people they love most, right in front of them! There are all kinds of tutorials and techniques, pick one that suits you! Computer Designed | Laminated Placemats | Cut out and Totally Handmade | Order from a site like Shutterfly
- Make a handprint craft – anything with your kid’s handprint on it is the perfect gift for a grandparent. Over the years, we’ve made hot pads, dish towels, tiles or coffee mugs. So many great ideas are on Pinterest to just get your started. Or google “handprint craft” and see what comes up.
- Make them a shirt with their grandparent name on it. Last year our grandparent’s day gift was new shirts by Jennifer Merritt Designs, and they were a big hit! When Mama Sue and JenJen are the grandmas you love, it’s hard to find things personalized!
- Plant the fall garden – it’s time to get those seeds in the ground so they start showing up. Or make a date together in late fall to plan all their bulbs for next spring.
My Papa always canned jams, jellies, and chow chow. When he passed away, we found all kinds of cabinets full of his concoctions. But, the main reason he made these was to share with others. Yes, he had a full garden all summer and yes, he had wild muscadines in his backyard, but he loved to take all those treasures and turn them into something he could share with others. It was my favorite thing about my Papa, well, besides eating his jelly on a piece of toast! Oh, and this Dr. Pepper Cake was always the treat he took anywhere with him to serve others.
Grandparent’s Day Gift Ideas
Let me first say the gift of time is probably the greatest gift you can give one of your grandparents. They love seeing and spending time with you, hence the big list of ideas above. But, if you are looking for a gift. here are some thoughtful ideas.
- shirt or sweatshirt with their grandparent name
- basket of their favorite snacks or some of your favorite snacks they may love too
- handmade something – card, craft, etc.
- tote bag
- hand-decorated coffee mug
- book or gift card for Amazon or Kindle
- a special coupon book they can redeem for things they love
- make them dinner
- invite them on a special play date
This year, our special loves are getting a new trivet. I tried to think hard about something that Little Man could do with his hands, which they might want to use. Last year we painted on oven mitts – “whooo loves you” with a handprint owl. But this year I knew I needed to let Little Man have more control.
I found glass trivets at the dollar store and we turned them over and drew our design on the bottom with a permanent marker. I drew the design on a piece of paper and then laid the trivet upside down so he could trace it. While all my stuff came from the dollar store, I think Sharpie paint pens would have been the better choice. I let the marker dry then I put it in the cold oven. Then I set the temp at 350 and let the trivets “bake” for 20 minutes. Then I left them in there with the door closed for an hour or more to let the oven cool and then come back to room temp inside the oven.
I’m not sure if it will stay, but you usually handwash a trivet much so I’m hoping it will stay around for a bit. Little Man had a lot of pride in making these gifts, and I knew seeing them at their house would be special for him.
**Tip – if you are drawing on the bottom of something so it can flip over and be used, make sure to reverse any lettering or design that has to be facing a certain direction when it is used right side up. I drew my letter on printer paper with the sharpie so the ink would go through and I could trace the reverse side.
