Christmas
Christmas gifts for grandkids who live far away
· 7 min read
If your grandchildren live a plane ride away, Christmas has two problems. The first is practical: shipping, deadlines, a box that arrives battered on the 27th. The second is the one that actually hurts. Your gift gets opened in a pile of twenty, in a room you are not in, and you hear about it later, if at all.
So the best long-distance gifts solve both. They arrive reliably, and they give you a moment, ideally one you can see. Here is what does that well. One of these is ours, and we will say so when we get there.
Ask the parents one question first
"Is there anything they already have too much of?" The answer is almost always toys, and it saves you shipping a $40 duplicate across the country. Ask about screen rules as well, before you choose anything that plays on a TV or tablet.
Gifts compared for long distance
| Gift | Ships? | Price | Can you share the moment? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storied film starring them | No, it arrives by email | $29.99; 3 for $54.99 | Yes, watch it together on a video call |
| Recording of you reading | No | Free | Yes, it is your voice every night |
| Two copies of the same book | Yes, both by mid-December | $10–$40 each | Yes, read it together on a call |
| Personalized book | Yes, order early | Around $40 | Only if opened on a call |
| Name ornament, one a year | Yes, small and cheap to mail | $12–$30 | Yes, a yearly "from Grandma" tradition |
| Experience near them | No, it's a voucher | Varies | Ask for photos |
A film starring them, watched together on a call
This is ours, so weigh it accordingly. A Storied film turns one photo of your grandchild, which the parents can text you, into the hero of a five-minute animated story: befriending a frightened dragon, crossing the world with a little bird, or captaining an island treasure hunt. It has a narrator, an original score and their real face, not a cartoon with their name on it.
For grandparents far away, two things make it work. Nothing ships, so there is no December 17 deadline and nothing to lose in the mail; it arrives by email within 24 hours. And you can be there: schedule a video call for Christmas afternoon, have the parents put it on the TV, and watch your grandchild recognise themselves on screen. That gasp is the moment you usually miss.
If you have several grandchildren, three films for $54.99 gives each of them their own story, which matters more than you would think to the middle one.
A recording of you reading their favourite book
Free, and possibly the most-used gift you will ever give. Ask the parents which book is in heavy rotation, get a copy, and record yourself reading it on your phone, voices and all. Send the file in mid-December so it can become part of bedtime. Children ask for "Grandpa's version" for years.
Two copies of the same book
Buy two copies of a picture book: send one, keep one. On Christmas Day, read it together over a video call, turning the pages at the same time. It turns a phone call that usually lasts ninety seconds into twenty minutes. Order by early December so both copies are in place.
An ornament a year, from you
Small, light and cheap to post. Choose one style and send a new one every year with the year on it. By the time they are teenagers, a whole branch of their tree is "from Grandma", and they will know it.
Gifts to skip from far away
- Big toys: expensive to ship, often duplicated, and the parents have to find space for them.
- Clothes in a guessed size: children grow faster than the mail.
- Anything that has to arrive on a specific day by post. Christmas week is the worst week of the year for that.
Our pick
A film for the moment and a recording for the routine. The film gives you the Christmas Day reaction on a video call; the recording gives you a place at bedtime for the rest of the year. Together they cost less than one big shipped toy, and neither depends on a delivery truck.
Questions parents ask
What do you get a grandchild who lives far away for Christmas?
Gifts that don't depend on shipping and that you can share remotely: a personalized film starring them that you watch together on a video call, a recording of you reading their favourite book, or two copies of the same book so you can read it together on Christmas Day.
How can grandparents be part of Christmas morning from far away?
Give something that is opened or watched on a video call. A Storied film is ideal because it plays on the family TV while you watch on the call, and you get to see your grandchild recognise themselves on screen.
Do I need the parents' help to order a Storied film?
Only for a photo. One clear, front-facing photo of the child is all it takes, and most parents can text one in a minute. At checkout you can mark the order as a gift and send it to yourself to share, or straight to the family.
Be there when they see it.
A five-minute film with your grandchild as the hero, made from one photo and delivered by email within 24 hours. Watch it together on a video call.
Buying it as a present? See how gifting a personalized film works.