A Texas couple came up with a safe and clever way to be with their grandkids over the holidays after canceling their traditional, in-person gatherings because of the pandemic.
Barry and Missy Buchanan sent life-sized cardboard cutouts of themselves to their daughter in California and their son, who also lives in Texas.
“I just remember thinking, ‘you know, I want to do something that’ll be funny and unexpected,” Missy Buchanan said in a CNN report. They usually spend Thanksgiving in either California or Texas and the entire family — including their daughter, who lives in Ireland — gets together for Christmas.
Missy said the big family celebrations don’t feel safe this year, so she and her husband decided to stay home.
“Now that we’re not going to go, what can we do to make it fun and not make it a sad time, because there’s just so much so much sadness and chaos and uncertainty in the world,” Missy remembered thinking.
Health officials have also encouraged people not to travel and to avoid gathering with their extended families to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
Missy told her kids that a large box is on the way, but didn’t give away any information that would have spoiled the surprise.
Mindy Whittington said that her mom Missy is always sending them thoughtful packages and gifts for her 3-year-old son, Noah, so she didn’t think much about it.
“We weren’t really expecting anything that crazy,” Mindy said. “We opened it up together and we just could not stop laughing.”
Her husband shot a video of the moment that showed Noah jumping up and down, giggling, and giving his Ama and Poppi a hug.
“It was just nice to have a moment of lightness and laughter in such an intense year and even just to remember that, hey, this is just a year, we’re not all in lockdown for life,” Mindy said.
She added Noah talks to the cutout and likes to have it in his room at night when he’s ready to go to sleep.
Matthew Buchanan said his children Quintin, 12, Oliver, who turns 10 next week, and Clara, 6, have enjoyed posing for photos with their grandparents’ cutouts in different spots around the house and out in the yard with their chickens.
Matthew said he and Oliver “basically fell on the floor laughing” when they opened the box and saw Ama and Poppi’s smiling faces. They quickly set up the surprise before his wife came home with Quintin and Clara.
“Everybody was sort of confused and laughing, and it was a funny little scene,” Matthew said.
Missy Buchanan said she didn’t send one to her daughter in Ireland because she didn’t really have storage space for a 6-foot-tall photo of her parents. She added they haven’t been able to see Noah since Christmas and her other grandchildren have only been able to make an outdoor porch visit because of the pandemic.
“They haven’t been able to give their grandparents a hug since like March,” Matthew said.
Missy Buchanan said that Zoom and other technology have helped everyone stay in touch and the family is planning to say the blessing together on Thanksgiving.point 352 |
She said she’s let her kids handle the Thanksgiving cooking for years, but she’s going to fix a whole spread including turkey and dressing, green beans, salad sweet potato casserole, and pumpkin and pecan pies.point 188 | point 188 | 1
Missy said she and her husband are going to be eating leftovers for a long time.
“I just think we should be in the mindset of just, trying to make the most positive thing that we can out of it because it doesn’t do any good just to complain and be miserable and gripe,” Missy said. “We can still have fun. It’s just going to be a different kind of fun. And knowing that it’s not going to last forever, and we all will be back together again, hopefully soon.”