Jannie

With my first grandchild, I asked my daughter for ideas. I would then send a small gift & some money to start or add to their savings account. I did this for all as they came along. Now I find I am spending almost as much on postage as the gifts. So it is cash now inside a card.

For one grandson who was having a hard time reading, I bought a book I thought he would be interested in reading & placed paper money in a few spots in the book. I told him to look for surprises as he read. It gave him a reason to read.

jacie

children and grand children are all adults so this year we all agreed to give money usually spent for holiday giving to the food bank. It was a more meaningfull Christmas , and all in all, well recieved by everybody,.

Snorky Lvs2Quilt

I used to own a balloon decorating business and we would roll up dollar bills (or any denomination of paper money) and inflate them into bouquets of balloons. Kids had a blast popping the balloons to get their money.

tuppermern

I, too, have used those puzzle boxes---the kids loved them! I rolled money up one year & put it in a plastic cup. I then added water, and froze it! (the money was against the inside of the cup. When my gd came, I removed the cup & wrapped the cup of ice in foil with a bow. She didn't know what to do when she opened it till I told her it was "cold hard cash"!!! You should have seen her run to the sink to put hot water on it! lol

jaciqltznok

US savings bonds!

Lv2sew2011

I have tried and tried to get my grandchildren to give me a wish list and to this day I never got one...so I give up! they get what I feel like giving! My problem is keeping up with 8 of them, can't remember size or birthdays! But then again thats what calendars are for!

Gerbie

Cute ideas, No grandchildren here, but your last statement about the favorite, sounded just like my MIL, there were 11 grandchildren in my DH family and she and FIL had one favorite, and they didn't try to ever hide the fact, even came out and told my DH and me when our daughter was small that this GS was their favorite, he is 3rd from youngest,then our DD and our son is the youngest of the GC. My DH is the youngest of 5, all siblings still living. When MIL passed away in 2004, she left her place to -you guessed it, that one GS. Oh well, that's how some folks are, and too bad, because all of the GC including that one were never really that close to her, and I think a lot because of just that reason, they all knew how she felt.

irenecarter

Love all of these great ideas. I have 5 children 9 grand children and 10 great grand children. It is so hard to buy gifts for them when you haven't seen them in five years. They live in Texas. So I think all of these are great!!!!!!!!!

Gerbie

I have a very dear friend who gave my children monetary gifts when they were young for their birthdays. She gave them a dollar for each year until they reached 21, and then she just gave them cards. They enjoyed them and the cards also. I think that savings bonds or giving children money for savings accounts is great. Another friend opened a savings account for each of her 2 GD, (there will be no more), when they were born and puts money into their accounts for all b-days and Christmas.She does give gifts as well, but at least they will have something later on.

purplemem

I, too, am an absent grandparent. I haven't seen most of my grandkids but once or twice. I have 9 but they all live out of state. It does make it hard to have a relationship, they are missing so much.