A Christmas guide for grandparents

Christmas gifts for grandchildren who live far away (that get there in days)

When your grandchildren are a flight or an ocean away, choosing the gift is the easy part. The hard part of long distance Christmas gifts is getting them there by the 25th, and being part of the morning when they’re opened. Here are this year’s dates and the ideas that work, most of which cost little.

Sources are linked in the text. Last checked November 2026.

A watercolor of a red book tied with a gold ribbon, lying in the snow beside a lit lantern under a starry sky

This page is about Christmas gifts for grandchildren from grandparents who live far away. For ideas that work all year, see our guide to long distance grandparent gifts.

The last day to ship for Christmas this year

For 2026, USPS recommends sending by these dates for delivery before December 25:

Within the lower 48 states: December 17 for Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail, December 18 for Priority Mail, December 19 for Priority Mail Express.
To another country: December 9 for First-Class Package International and Priority Mail International, December 16 for Priority Mail Express International. The dates are the same for every region USPS lists, Canada and Europe included.

These are recommendations, not guarantees. A parcel crossing a border also has to clear customs, and the family may owe duties when it arrives. If you’re sending something heavy abroad, aim for the start of December, or order from a shop in their country and have it delivered there.

Read a Christmas book together on a video call

Pick a short Christmas story and get a copy into both houses, so you can each turn the pages. Ask the parents for a time when the children are calm, which is rarely the hour after presents. Christmas Eve, just before their bedtime, often works well. Let the youngest say when to turn the page, and stop while it’s still fun.

Record a read-aloud for Christmas Eve

If your time zones don’t line up, record it instead. Prop up your phone, say each child’s name, hold the book so the pages show, and pause now and then to ask what they think happens next. Send the video to the parents a few days early, so it’s ready for Christmas Eve whatever the hour is where you are. Our year-round guide covers what the research says about recorded reading.

A letter to open on Christmas morning

A letter is light, cheap and easy to mail in time. Write it by hand, put “Open on Christmas morning” on the envelope, and slip in something flat: a photo of you at their age, a drawing to color, or a list of what you’re cooking on the day. Ask the parents to keep it with the presents. Within the US, the First-Class Mail date above applies. If it’s going abroad, mail it in the first week of December.

A subscription in their name

A magazine or a monthly book box for children keeps arriving long after the wrapping paper is gone. Before you pay, check the age range, whether it renews automatically, and whether it ships to their country. Since the first issue may not arrive by the 25th, send a card or an email for Christmas morning that says what’s coming.

Plan around the time difference

Work out their morning in your hours. When it’s 7 a.m. in London, it’s 2 a.m. in New York and 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve in Los Angeles.
Ask when presents happen. Some families open everything on Christmas Eve. Some wait until after breakfast.
Call after the unwrapping, not during it. Children are easier to talk to once the first rush is over.
Send anything digital the day before. An email or a message you send on your own Christmas morning may arrive at the wrong end of their day.

Ask the parents first

One quick message prevents most mistakes. Ask what the children already have, what they’re into this month, and whether there are rules about screens. Before you choose anything about Santa, ask what the family tells them about him. And ask before you send a photo of a child to anyone, including a company making a personalized gift.

From our shops

Unique gifts for grandchildren who live far away, with nothing to post

Our books are made for this. There’s nothing to print, nothing to ship and no customs. Each one arrives as a link and an e-card. You send the card yourself, by email, text or WhatsApp, and the book opens on any screen. It’s a PDF and an EPUB, so the family can also print it at home or at a print shop.

Each book is ready within 5 days of receiving your answers, not counting time we’re waiting on you. For Christmas, order by December 15. Every page is carefully composed and edited by our design team, working with AI on the illustrations, and you read the book before anyone else does.

Dear Santa, Why?

From our shop Merrywick, for ages 4 to 8. In about 16 illustrated pages, Santa answers a question your grandchild really asked, and he knows true things about them, like the dog’s name or the tooth they lost. Choose Santa, Father Christmas, or a winter story with no Santa. You can send the card early: the book stays wrapped until the morning you choose, wherever they are. It costs $29 until November 30, then $35.

See Dear Santa, Why?

Ask Wondrbit

For ages 6 to 10. A 16-page watercolor picture book that stars your grandchild and answers a question they asked, with a real answer checked by our team. Whoever gives the book can have a part in the story too. It costs $39 until January 31, then $49.

See Ask Wondrbit

The Book of Your Pet

From our shop Pawsplained. About 18 watercolor-style pages about one animal, and every page is a story you told us. It suits a grandchild who loves the family dog, or your own cat, the one who always walks across the screen during your calls. You’ll need a clear photo and a few stories. It costs $39 until January 31, then $49.

See the pet book For the two books about children, you’ll need a question and a few details from their parents. A photo is optional: you can describe them instead. If a parcel to unwrap matters most, one of the ideas above will suit you better.

More guides: long distance grandparent gifts, the Christmas Eve book tradition and books for kids who ask why.