Grandparents' genius trick to "visit" family safely
Thanksgiving is approaching in the USA, and with many opting not to travel to spend the holidays with their families due to COVID-19, the holiday will look slightly different this year.
Missy and Billy Buchanan from Texas knew travelling wasn’t an option for them due to being in the high risk category.
So they came up with the perfect idea to make sure their family didn’t miss their presence, by sending them life-sized cardboard cutouts.
Between them, Missy and Billy have four grandchildren that range in age from three to 12, and still wanted to be present in the annual family dinner.
"As COVID19 numbers continue to rise, we wanted to show that you can have fun and help keep everyone safe, too," Buchanan said on a Facebook post.
"I have so many friends who have been impacted by COVID19. For us, it's an act of love. And our kids and grandkids are having such fun with 'us'".
The cut outs stand at six feet tall, and gave their kids a shock when they arrived in the mail.
And while some of the grandkids were a little terrified at first, they ended up thinking it was hilarious.
"My daughter got hers first. She texted, 'Omg!' and called and said, 'This is the funniest thing we've ever seen,'" Buchanan told Good Morning America, adding they've been having fun putting them in different parts of the house.
"The kids get to pass them as they go to bed every night and say goodnight to Ama and Poppi," the Buchanan's son Matthew told TODAY.
The Buchanan's said they hope their fun solution can show other families that you can still be safe and have fun celebrating, even from a distance.
"Grandparents can lead the way on this," she said. "I think they're having more fun with the cut-outs than they would have had we been there in person!"