Being a grandparent special at Christmas

One of life’s unique experiences is that of viewing the world from the prospective of a grandparent. Most grandparents have long since past the following milestones:

• Needing to put together an electric train or arranging a doll house underneath the Christmas tree as a “gift from Santa” on Christmas Eve.
• Having to arise on Christmas morning at an uncivilized hour to begin opening presents.
• Being begged, cajoled, pestered and pressured by your children to buy them the latest, hottest, trendiest toy or other gift on the market.


Becoming a grandparent affords the opportunity to experience many of the mystical qualities of Christmas again. Santa Claus reemerges along with cookies and milk on the mantel and the imagined sound of reindeer hoofs on the roof. Memories come flooding back of Christmas’s spent with your own children when they were young. Traditions may be passed on but new ones are often added due to the inclusion of new family members with their own historical perspectives on Christmas.

Interesting challenges and new opportunities present themselves:

• Instead of making choices of toys for your grandchildren, as you did on your own many years before, you must now consult with their parents. Certain items that you deem appropriate might not be in keeping with the lifestyle of your grandchildren’s parents. Except for small items, coordinating your gifts with those of your adult children and in-law’s often makes for more meaningful and happily remembered Christmas.

• If grandparents can afford it, contributing to their grandchild’s future college education fund or paying their tuition to a summer camp is often meaningful and worthwhile. As grandchildren get a little older, passing on family heirlooms at Christmas time is meaningful and contributes to the traditional elements of the holiday season.

• New traditions often need to be established due to grandchildren residing in distant locations or needing to spend time with their other grandparents.

• Not having to set the boundaries and limits for the grandchild, enforce the rules and regulations or be the disciplinarian gives the grandparent and grandchild a unique opportunity to bond. As one humorist once put it, grandparents and grandchildren have a special closeness because they have a common enemy. Christmas time often brings this closeness to a focus leaving many happy memories for both grandparent and grandchild.