Sick Of Zoom? 7 Easy Alternatives For Dropping A Line

Sick Of Zoom? 7 Easy Alternatives For Dropping A Line

greeting cards

A couple of weeks ago, I read an article that said that stores were having a hard time keeping greeting cards in stock. With social distancing keeping families and loved ones apart, people were stocking up on old fashioned greeting cards as a means of staying in touch!

That got me thinking about people like my mom and my mother-in-law, who are both over 90 and aren’t quite tech-savvy enough to navigate a Zoom chat or other types of video calls. They are as bored and in need of connection as the rest of us, so it’s on us to find some low-tech alternatives we can use to stay in touch with them!

But even if your loved ones are reachable by video call, they may have had their fill of them after two straight months of work-from-home Zoom meetings. In that case, getting in touch using an “old school” methods may end up being a very welcome change of pace! :-)

So without further ado, here are 7 simple ideas of ways to connect with your loved ones. Share your own ideas with us in a comment at the end of this post.

7 Easy, Low-Tech Ways To Reach Out To Loved Ones

greeting cards

1. Make A Greeting Card

What’s even better than receiving a card in the mail? Receiving a handmade card in the mail! Either on your own or with the kids, gather up some sturdy cardstock and art supplies and have a card making session!

Use colored pencils or markers to draw your own designs on the cards, or if you’re less artistically inclined, you can decorate your cards with scrapbooking stickers and other ready-made craft items! Get more inspiration for making your own greeting cards here.

When your cards are ready, send them out via good old-fashioned snail mail. (The U.S. Postal Service needs our support now more than ever!)

2. Chalk The Sidewalk

If you’re looking for a fun way to connect with someone nearby, leave them a sidewalk chalk message! Sidewalk chalk is easy to find and rinse away, so it’s a perfect medium for leaving a fun message outside of a friend’s house.

(But don’t forget to check the weather before you start on your chalk masterpiece—you don’t want it to get washed away before the recipient has a chance to see it!)

greeting cards

3. Send Something Fun

To keep in touch with your grandkids or young nieces and nephews, send them something fun in the mail! It doesn’t have to be big or expensive, and could even be as simple as a sheet of stickers or a new coloring book.

Everyone loves getting something fun in the mail, and young kids (as well as their parents!) are sure to appreciate anything to help keep them entertained at home.

greeting cards

4. Message In A Bottle

Sending a “message in a bottle” is another cute way to check in with someone close by! Just write a note on a piece of paper, roll it up, and put it in a bottle or jar. (Decorative jars, wine bottles, or soda bottles would all work perfectly for this—just make sure to rinse them and remove the labels first!)

Deliver your message in a bottle to the recipient’s doorstep and leave it somewhere they’ll be sure to see it. You can always shoot them a text after you leave to make sure they find it ASAP!

greeting cards

5. Send A Photo

When you think about it, the majority of the photos we take these days only exist in digital form. Few of us take the time to print photos these days, so sending someone a printed photograph can be a very meaningful surprise!

Send someone a print of your favorite photo of the two of you together, or a photo that means something special to them. They’re sure to cherish both the photo and the meaningful gesture for a long time to come!

greeting cards

6. Email A Card

Even if Grandma doesn’t quite have the hang of Zoom or FaceTime, she might be a whiz when it comes to email! For your email-savvy loved ones, sending an e-card is a great way to brighten up their inbox, and it only takes a few seconds to do!

Check out e-card services like Paperless Post to get access to e-cards that anyone would love to see in their inbox. (Many e-card services require an account to use, but it’s usually free to sign up.)

greeting cards

7. Call Them Up

If you don’t have a lot of time or energy to spare right now, there’s nothing wrong with keeping in touch with a simple phone call. Nearly everyone can make and receive phone calls, and simply hearing someone’s voice can be a bright spot in both of your days!

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which of these formats (if any) you use to reach out to your loved ones. The most important thing is making an effort at all! We could all use a little extra love and support right now, and reaching out to the people you care about is a simple way show you care.

How have you been keeping in touch with your loved once recently?

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