A Digital Advent Calendar for Grandparents Far Away: 24 Doors They Can Open on a Phone

Somewhere far away there is a grandparent with a phone on the kitchen table and a cup of tea going cold, waiting to hear a small voice say good morning. This page is for the adult child, or the grandchildren themselves, making that calendar. It gives 24 doors, one specific line each, grouped by what the door does: short lines to read, voices and faces, things to do together on a call, and things to keep. For the general list, see 24 digital advent calendar ideas.

The maker is free: 24 doors, no account for you or for the grandparent, one link to send, and the email address you enter is used once, to send you the secret link that edits or deletes the calendar.

Before the first door: send it, and show it once

The calendar is a single link. You send it by WhatsApp, by email or in a message, and the grandparent opens it directly; the site says anyone can open the calendar through the link and nobody who opens it needs an account. A new door opens every day in December.

Anyone who has the link can open the calendar, so send it only to the people it is for. The first week goes more easily if you open the link with the grandparent once on a call, before December 1, and tap through the first door together.

Write for a small screen and a slow, happy read. Short lines, one idea per door, the day number in the first words. If the grandparent has turned the text size up on their phone, a long paragraph becomes several screens, and a short line stays one.

Doors 1 to 6: short lines to read

These are text and image doors, written to be read in under a minute.

1. “Good morning, door 1.” A text door of one sentence: the name of the grandchild and one thing they did today. “Today Maya lost a tooth and wants you to know.” Keep the same shape every day so the grandparent knows what to expect.
2. A drawing, photographed. An image door, uploaded from the phone: a grandchild’s drawing, held up to the window so it photographs without a shadow. The title of the drawing goes in the door, in the child’s own words.
3. The view from our window. An image door with a photo of today’s weather where the grandchildren live, and one line: “It snowed here. Is it snowing there?”
4. A saying you remember them using. A text door with the phrase and who said it. It may be the line that gets the biggest smile of the month.
5. What we ate. An image door of tonight’s dinner, with one line on who cooked it and who refused to eat it.
6. A question for them. A text door with one question to answer on the next call: “What was your first job?” Do not ask for a reply in the calendar itself; the calendar is for them to read.

Doors 7 to 12: voices and faces

A voice is the heart of this calendar, and the format that carries it best is a link.

7. A 20-second video from each grandchild, one per door. Record it on a phone, upload it to YouTube as Unlisted, and paste the link in the door. Google’s page says unlisted videos “can be seen and shared by anyone with the link”, viewers need no Google account, and the video stays off the channel’s Videos tab unless someone adds it to a public playlist.
8. A grandchild reads one page of a book aloud. A voice recording on a free online voice recorder such as Vocaroo, which shares a recording as a link; put the link in the door. The page numbers can run through the month, so the story gets further every few days.
9. A song, sung badly. A video door. The grandchildren sing the song the grandparent used to sing, off key and at full volume.
10. The whole family at the table. A video door, 30 seconds, everyone saying one thing they are grateful for. Say what you would say to one person, and nothing that you would mind a third person seeing.
11. A voice note that asks for a story. A recording: “Grandpa, tell me about the day you got your first bicycle.” Keep it under a minute so it is easy to answer on the call.
12. A tour of the house, filmed by a child. A video door, shaky and short: the new bedroom, the dog, the snowman. The grandparent sees where the grandchild is.

Good to know Unlisted is not private. Google’s wording is that anyone with the link can watch and that link sharing has no restriction on resharing. Ads can also play inside an embedded YouTube player; Google says they cannot be turned off for embedded videos alone.

Doors 13 to 18: things to do together on a call

The door is the invitation; the call is the gift.

13. A video call door. A text door that names the day and the hour in both time zones, written out: “Sunday, 4 p.m. your time, 10 a.m. ours”. Put the same line on the door again the day before.
14. Show and tell. A text door: “Bring one thing from the house with a story to the call”. The grandparent picks something small they can hold up to the camera.
15. A recipe from their kitchen. A text door with the name of the dish the grandparent is known for; the grandchildren make it and show the result on the next call.
16. A chapter read aloud on the call. A text door that names the book and the chapter. Read it in turns and stop when the grandchild falls asleep.
17. Twenty questions. A text door that sets the game for the call: “I am thinking of an animal”. It needs nothing but a voice.
18. A story from before. A text door asking for one memory, at a time that suits: “On Sunday, tell us about the house you grew up in”. Record it on the call if they agree.

Doors 19 to 24: things to keep

The calendar stays online at least through January and you can delete it yourself at any time, so anything meant to last belongs in a place you control too.

19. A shared album that everyone adds to. A link door to a Google Photos album. Google’s page says anyone with the link can view the photos and add to the album. One photo a day from the grandchildren, and the grandparent can add their own.
20. An old photo, with a question. An image door of a photo from the grandparent’s youth, scanned or photographed, with one line: “Who is the man on the left?”
21. Their recipe, typed out. A text door with the recipe and the line the recipe never had, such as who taught it to them.
22. A list of things the grandchildren want to learn from them. A text door, five lines: how to whistle, how to knit, how to play cards. They can choose one.
23. A date for the next visit. A text door with the date, the place and who is coming. Update it in the editor if plans change; the secret edit link opens the calendar for changes at any time.
24. A video from everyone, with the youngest last. A video door, two minutes, in one take. The last door gets read more than once; door 24 has more on how to end a calendar.

In the tool The maker’s doors hold an uploaded image, a message, a YouTube video, a GIF or a link, and a new door opens every day in December. Doors 7, 9, 10, 12 and 24 are video doors (a YouTube link, set to Unlisted); doors 8, 11 and 19 are link doors; doors 2, 3, 5 and 20 are image doors; the rest are text. Videos are links to YouTube, not uploads. When the 24 are filled, the calendar goes out as one link by WhatsApp or email, and the secret link in your inbox opens it for changes.

Put it in a calendar

The template for grandparents has these 24 doors laid out, with the call door and the shared album already placed; copy it and change the names. Or start from an empty one: Create your calendar, pick a background, and fill door 1 with a sentence from the youngest grandchild.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I put in an advent calendar for grandparents?

Short lines to read, a drawing, a photo of today’s weather, a voice note from each grandchild, a few unlisted videos, a standing call, and a shared album. Each door holds one message, image, YouTube video, GIF or link.

Do grandparents need an account or an app?

No. The site’s page says anyone can open the calendar directly via the link, and the only email address involved is the maker’s, used once for the edit link.

Can the grandchildren make it themselves?

Yes, with a parent. The site’s terms say a user who is under age may use the service only with the approval of a parent, guardian or teacher. A child can record the videos and draw the pictures; the adult enters the email address and sends the link.

Can I send the calendar by WhatsApp?

Yes. The site’s page says you can send the calendar link by WhatsApp, email or social media. See how to send an advent calendar by WhatsApp, email or QR code for what the recipient sees.

Is it safe to put photos of the grandchildren behind a door?

Anyone who has the link can open the calendar, so send it only to the people it is for, and ask the other parent first if a photo shows a child who is not yours. The page on photos of children behind a door covers the school rules.

Will the video doors show ads?

If the video is on YouTube, ads can play inside the embedded player; Google says they follow the same settings as on YouTube, cannot be turned off for embeds alone, and pay only YouTube and the video’s owner.

How long does the calendar stay online?

The site’s page says at least through January, and that you can delete it yourself at any time. Save the videos and photos you want to keep somewhere else before then.

Related Articles

Sources