Long Distant Bonding with Secrets and Surprises

Our son and family spent a week with us last summer. I noticed that our seven year old granddaughter, Lucy, has become quite the helper. She especially liked setting the table for dinner. I taught her a new way to fold the napkins. Lucy thought that this was great. After they returned home, I decided that it would be fun to continue this long distance. I bought all different kinds of napkins: pumpkins for Halloween, turkeys for Thanksgiving, leaves for Fall, Snowmen, Christmas Trees and just fancy ones. I had the best luck finding them at an affordable price at The Christmas Tree Shoppe. I purchased a pretty box at Michael's that was just the right size. Before I put the napkins in the box, I unwrapped them so that they would be easy for her to sort them out. I enclosed a letter telling her to not open the box until she was alone in her room.I also told her that this was secret between Grandma and her.Hide the box under her bed and every night she could surprise everyone with a different napkin from her box. Her Mom told me that she took her favorite napkin to school the next day to show her best friend. It was fun finding this new way to bond with her. We went to their house for Christmas, I had fun helping her pick them out.I also learned that you don't have to spend a lot of money or buy what everyone else buys - you just have to be a little creative.