The Gift of Anticipation

November 19, 2020

Well, there goes Thanksgiving and New Year's. What do we have to look forward to NOW?

It wasn't exactly unexpected, the decision that my extended family would not be getting together at the holidays, but it was yet another link in the black-and-gray construction paper chain of 2020 disappointments. That sucker is getting long. And we were all getting depressed.

The What do we have to look forward to? question is important... and it sounds a mental health alarm for me for the months ahead. I've read stories about how actively having something to look forward to can actually keep people alive. Given that cultural events and gatherings large and small have been canceled, fewer reasons are occurring naturally—so I figured I was going to have to fill up my family's calendar with safer things to keep us all positive and motivated.

I tried to do come up with a list a few weeks ago myself and hit a brick wall. But then I realized I was actually not on my own: I have YOU! So our editorial team asked KidsOutAndAbout readers to help us crowdsource ideas for small, easy ways we can manufacture brighter links in that chain for the winter. You people are AWESOME (especially supercontributor Alecia J from the Buffalo, NY area)! So YOU aren't on your own, either: Here is a fabulously creative list to make your family's winter bright: Expect a Surprise: 100+ Ways to Keep Kids Smiling During COVID. Sit down with your kids, open your calendars, and do some planning! Most of the ideas are completely FREE.

One great suggestion we received was from a reader who decided that she's only giving subscription gifts at the holidays this year. "They're great, even if you only send them for a couple of months," she said. "You're not only giving your loved ones something thoughtful, you're giving them anticipation. Plus they're completely SAFE, both to give and receive." The KOAA team thought this was a terrific idea, and so again we crowdsourced a fabulous list, this time of over 150 links to kid- and family-friendly subscription gifts for the holidays. Our new article is Subscriptions: Gifts that Keep on Giving. Pull out your gift list and get ready to get done quickly!

Got a favorite subscription box you love and want us to add? Email a link to their web site to Katie Beltramo, our Communications Director, at katie@kidsoutandabout.com, with a few words describing what it is.

See? You can do this. We'll all help.

—Deb