10 Brilliant Ways to Share the Holidays with Long-Distance Loved Ones
We know the feeling well — spending the holiday season apart from our loved ones can be tough stuff. But over the years, we’ve learned that we just have to get a little creative with how to create memories together, in spite of the distance. We’re teaming up with Google Home Hub to bring you tons of ways to spend the season together, even if you’re far apart. With the help of these brilliant ideas (paired with brilliant technology!), you can celebrate together the moments that make up your holiday magic. Scroll on to see!
1. Use Google Home Hub to automatically share photos with remote loved ones. That last adorable photo you took of your little one? With Google Home Hub, you can share it automatically with Grandma a few states away. Set up a live album in Google Photos and you’ll see a constantly updating stream of the greatest photos on your Google Home Hub. That means we can automatically share photos of our loved ones with our loved ones, without lifting a finger after the first setup. Our advice: Send Google Home Hub as an early gift to long-distance family, so you can all follow along on your respective holiday adventures.
Psst: Learn how to set up live albums on the Google Photos and the Google Home Hub apps via these simple instructions.
2. Have a long-distance movie-thon. You can still watch your favorite holiday classics together — virtually! Flip on the same movie marathon on the same cozy indoor day. Go the extra mile by making matching movie snacks and watching for the same signature quotes in each film.
3. Make auntie’s famous matzo ball soup on the same stormy night. Send ‘round the family recipe and whip up your family’s iconic holiday meal at the same time. Bonus points if you share photos of the final product too!
4. Send “letters to open when…” emails. OK — there will be times when you really, really miss one another. But here’s a hack for those particularly hard moments: Send “letters to open when…” emails to one another. Exhibit A: The email “Letters to Open When You’re Craving Uncle Ed’s Eggnog” could have a recipe of the eggnog in the email, plus some comforting words about how important the email recipient is to you. These virtual pep talks can make a big difference and remind one another that your loved ones are just an email away.
5. Try our 12-Day Holiday Photo Challenge. Featuring a 12-day checklist of must-take holiday pics, our Holiday Photo Challenge is a great excuse to keep in touch every day. It’s perfectly compatible with shared albums on Google Home Hub — you can add each day’s photo challenge entry to the album, and it will sync automatically with each shared member’s own Google Home Hub. By sharing these photos, you’ll feel like you’re celebrating both small and big holiday moments right alongside one another.
6. Make a collaborative playlist. Share old holiday jingles and new ones with your favorite folks via a collaborative playlist. It’s a great way to experience your treasured holiday essentials together, even if you’re apart.
7. Have a virtual cookie decorating contest. There’s nothing like some friendly competition to bring out the holiday cheer, amirite? Try a virtual cookie decorating contest — same cookie cutters, same recipe, and the same time limit — and see who can make the most beautiful and/or original cookies of the crew. If you and your family have live albums set up on Google Photos and synced with their Google Home Hubs, you’ll be able to automatically share photos of this cookie-fest with each contestant! (Psst: Get the nitty-gritty on how to set up and share live albums here.) The winner gets to choose next year’s cookie contest theme. Fun, right?
8. Find new moments that remind you of old traditions. Whether it be your new neighborhood’s version of holiday caroling, your book club’s epic dreidel game night, or a cozy winter potluck, you can keep your legacy family traditions alive in your new environment and celebrate new versions of these classics with present loved ones. It won’t replace the time-honored traditions but rather serve as a new chapter in their history :)
9. Make new traditions that you can’t wait to share with them. Pictured: B+C Chief Creative Officer Anj and her darling daughter Anokhi having an impromptu dress-up dance party ‘round the tree! As important as it is to hold on to classic family traditions, each holiday season is also about celebrating what’s wonderful and new in your life. Anj and little Anokhi made this just-because fancy dance party a holiday staple in their home as an excuse to have fun in the moment and also because it produces some seriously happy photos to enjoy (especially on your Google Home Hub ;).
10. Celebrate each day with matching advent calendars. Swap advent calendars by mail at the beginning of December for another excuse to think of one another each and every day. Each day’s treat could be a little chocolate, a special gift, or a silly note, and your loved one is sure to appreciate the small and sweet sentiment.
And just like that, you have 10 ways to share the holidays with long-distance loved ones! How do you celebrate the holidays with long-distance loved ones? Share your traditions with us on Twitter by tagging @BritandCo.
Author: Maddie Bachelder
Production + Styling: Maddie Bachelder + Alexa Land
Photography: Brittany Griffin
Sequences simulated and shortened. Google Photos account required.
