5 Creative Ways to Celebrate a Loved One from Afar
I woke up this Monday thinking it was going to be an ordinary Monday.
So, you can imagine my surprise when I hopped on my computer to discover a Virtual Baby Shower happening in blogland in my honor! That’s right: 18 of my dear blog friends conspired to throw a big ‘ole bash on their blogs to celebrate the June arrival of our Baby Girl.
And I’m still soaring on cloud nine.
What does a virtual baby shower look like?
Each gal contributed something unique to the virtual baby shower in the form of a blog post—everything from recipes to decor ideas to shower games to gifts complete with step by step tutorials. And since this was all happening publicly on their blogs, anyone and everyone was invited to attend. I think it might go down in history as one of the largest baby showers eva’.
I was so utterly floored by the surprise event, after I pinched myself a few dozen times to confirm I wasn’t dreaming, I spent the rest of the day writing my thank yous in the form of blog comments and an Instagram tribute.
And when that didn’t feel like sufficient means for expressing my gratitude, I decided to make my pals a virtual thank you card in the form of a video message (yes, you can peek at it). The baby bump even makes a brief appearance!
But all this got me thinking…
…if I could feel so incredibly loved through a virtual event hosted by 18 friends scattered across the country, surely distance doesn’t have to be an obstacle when it comes to celebrating our loved ones!
I dare say it should simply spark our creativity in*thinking outside the gift box. (That sounds good enough to be a book title. Oh wait…that is my book title! Yuk, yuk.)
So, dear reader, in light of my-ordinary-Monday-turned-extraordinary, I thought I’d share 5 creative ways to celebrate a loved one from afar.
And though each of these ideas are epic are impact, they can be quite simple in execution. Because remember, it’s not a matter of how much time, money, or effort you invest in a celebration—it’s about the heart behind it.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
1. Host a Virtual Surprise Party
My experience after Monday’s Virtual Baby Shower has made me a forever-fan of this idea. And you don’t need a group of bloggers to pull it off either. Co-conspirators can use social media to share their contributions featuring personal messages for the recipient.
One of the best parts of a virtual baby shower or birthday party? You can totally attend in your pjs!
For inspiration as you plan your own virtual surprise party, I highly recommend exploring the love-fest the gals threw for me this Monday. Just visit Meredith from unOriginal Mom’s Onesie-Making Station post to get started, and then hop from blog to blog using the links at the bottom of her post to party on.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t give Meredith a huge shout-out for being the creative mastermind behind this stellar shin-dig. I mean, we shouldn’t be surprised. The gal wrote the book on baby showers! Literally. So, if you’re hungry for more fun ideas for hosting a baby shower virtual or otherwise, be sure to check out her recently published book, The Baby Shower Book.
2. A Party in a Box
Here’s a long-distance celebration solution I came up with a few years ago when I was looking for a way to lavish love on my sister Lisbeth in honor of her graduation. You see, I couldn’t attend any of her parties in person, so I opted for the next best thing: A Graduation Party in a Box!
Embracing an Instagram-themed motif, I pulled together everything Lisbeth would need to enjoy a party with her friends: a tablecloth, coasters, party plates, hats, confetti, party banner, photo displays…and then, I packaged it all up with lots of love and sent it her way.
With a party in a box, you can celebrate with a long-distance loved one in spirit and in party decor!
3. A Gift a Day
Thinking Closet veterans might recall this classic post from the archives!
For my thirtieth birthday, my parents gave me an epically awesome gift. Or rather, they gave me thirty gifts that I could open over the course of 30 days around my 30th birthday. I felt their sweet presence with me each day as I opened another treasure: everything from chocolate to drawing pencils to a CD to Girl Scout Cookies (one of the greatest gifts of all).
And guess what? It was such a hit with me, they decided to do the same for my sister’s 30th this past January.
TIP: Overwhelmed by the task of coming up with 30 small gifts? Invite friends and family to contribute items into the mix and make it a group gift! The more participants, the merrier.
4. A Barrage of Letters
This one was inspired by the concept of “a gift a day,” but creative credit goes to my cousin Liz.
For her husband Andy’s birthday last year, she gathered up 30 handwritten letters from loved ones to him and then gifted the whole collection to him on his 30th birthday. Check out that spread!
And I truly can’t think of a more perfect gift for cousin Andy than the gift of words. He is a writer himself, and I can tell from the serene look on his face in this photo that he was incredibly moved.
Mark and I even got to send some letters in secret, which was a gift to us!
So, let that be a reminder to us all to seize the opportunity to invite other co-conspirators to join us in our birthday gift-giving.
Because everybody wins.
5. Celebratory Video Message
It doesn’t have to be long or fancy, but a heartfelt video message created for your loved one not only makes the distance between you feel less vast, but it’s a treasure they can keep for always.
TIP: Since video files are often larger than can be shared via text or email, I recommend using file-sharing sites like Google Drive, Dropbox, and box.com. They all have basic plans you can sign up for free of charge.
Or if you’re feeling extra brave, consider filming a parody music video! In Thinking Outside the Gift Box, I share with readers a video I never intended to go public. It was created especially for my sister’s surprise 27th birthday, which was a live musical montage event!
Mark and I couldn’t be there in person to surprise Lisbeth with parodied songs, so we created our own videos that her friends played for her that evening. And in an effort to encourage you all to take a risk and put yourself out there for a friend, I’ll share that video with you all here and now.
Now, I’ll preface this by saying I’m not winning any Grammys here. The video was whipped up pretty quickly using iMovie and a YouTube karaoke track. But from the photo snapped while Lisbeth watched on, I think she felt our love loud n’ clear.
With a deep breath, I give to you my parodied rendition of the song, “Sisters” from Irving Berlin’s musical, White Christmas: click HERE to view it. Then, go and make your own!
An Extraordinary Resource
Clearly, this topic of turning ordinary days into extraordinary ones is near and dear to me. It’s the heart of my book, Thinking Outside the Gift Box: 75 Simple & Meaningful Gift Ideas to Spark Your Creativity.
Both the digital and paperback copies come with a Printables Toolkit of 11 instant downloads created to help you carry out the 75 gift ideas in that book, such as my “What I Love About You from A to Z” mini-book. That particular gift is one of my most popular projects of all time and is a perfect last-minute gift for your bestie, significant other, or kiddo that will make them feel loved to the moon and back.
Click HERE to learn more and grab your copy of the book.
And here’s to turning ordinary Mondays into extraordinary ones.
*Full Disclosure: As an author and affiliate of the sale, I earn a commission when you buy through my links, so thanks for your support of Thinking Outside the Gift Box.
I am just horrible with this social media stuff, so please forgive. Just watched your video on Bible illustration and didnt know how to leave a message, so ended up just choosing someplace here. You did such a great job and asked if there was a good white pen. You may have run across this already, but the Uniball white pen so far writes on anything. Also, because of Rebeka Hopkins, i learned to prep all Bible pages with Dina Wakely clear gesso first. (2 coats, drying with heat gun in between) Then whatever you use wont go through. I am not sure about Sharpie pens. Use the Faber Castell black fine line pens and you will not have a problem. I am new to all of this and dont have a website or anything. I just felt led to try to contact you. Thanks. It looks like you are doing wonderfully.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your insider tips and tricks with me, Cora! I have gesso and a heat gun and just haven’t mustered up the courage to try it…but now you’re inspiring me! And I’m eager to try the pens you mention. Many thanks! P.S. My niece’s name is Cora, so it always brings me a smile to meet someone with that beautiful name.
How absolutely wonderful! I love that even know they weren’t close by they were able to show you love and set the stage for your little one to come into the world! I’m so happy for you! Thanks for sharing and congrats!
What a joyous collection of ways to celebrate loved ones from afar! Your blog friends are so kind to give you a virtual shower!
Some of these examples really brought back the memories!
I wish we were closer, but thankfully there are so many ways to keep in touch!
Enjoy this time of waiting and preparation! Much love!
Thank you so much! That’s exactly what I needed. My mom lives in another country, so it’s very hard being away on Mother’s day and other special days. I can use some ideas you told here to surprise her. Thanks!! =)