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December 17, 2014 by Jennifer

When Your Family is Far Away…

This post may contain affiliate or brand partner links. Read our full disclosure here.

The Holidays are all about family. When part of your family lives in a different country and the other part is a couple thousand miles away, the Holidays can be a little hard to get through. I would know, this is the 4th Christmas that I’ve been away from my family. Its hard, I miss them and I definitely get a little more homesick this time of year. Fortunately I’ve learned a few things over the years about staying connected, even when my family is far away…When your family is far away... tips for staying connected no matter how far apart you are - busybeingjennifer.com

 

Video Chat! If it wasn’t for technology I probably wouldn’t have made it this long without seeing my family! Thanks to being able to chat almost face to face, I’ve been able to get to know my niece, stay up on the latest and not feel so far away.

Skype chat with my sisters

 

Good Old Fashioned Snail Mail! There is nothing I love more than a good old fashioned hand written letter from my sister. I’m looking forward to the day that Abby sends me a scribble picture. As awesome as technology is, having something tangible that I can hold in my hands has so much more meaning.

Plan Your Chat Sessions in Advance! and don’t cancel no matter what! We always try to have the next video chat or phone call penciled in before the end of our conversation.

Send Random Photos! Silly pictures, Selfies, pics of what you’re working on… it doesn’t matter what the picture is, send it! Its the little things that make you feel connected.

My sweet niece Abby

Do Things Together! My sister Emily and I love to do things together via video chat 🙂 We’ve had crafting sessions and coffee dates, but my favorite is when we bake together. We love to make family favorites together, munch on cookie dough and talk about anything and everything.

Honestly, the baking sessions are some of my favorites. Family, traditions, flavors… all the things that make the holidays THE Holidays! There is something about food that brings people together, the first time I watched this #WUHomeCooked video, I sobbed. If you’ve ever been far away from home during the holidays, grab some kleenex before you watch!

 

 
There is so much about this that I can identify with! There are certain foods from home that I can’t easily get her in Texas, but when I can get my hands on them, I’m instantly transported back home.

Western Union has customers that are often called, “Dual-Belongers.” They are folks currently living in one place and from another – their heart feels like its in two places. Many are pursuing education, career or simply a style of life for them and their family; but with family members and strong ties to their birth country.

So Why a video about food? Well, Western Union’s aim is to connect people globally. And as we all know, food is a connective tissue to a person’s family and culture. #WUHomedCooked is a heartwarming storytelling video, where Western Union surprises and delights our customers with their favorite meal from home from their families. If something like this happened to me, I’d be a sobbing mess!

As a “Dual-Belonger” myself, staying connected is the only thing that keeps me from going nuts during the holiday! How do you stay connected when your family is far away?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Filed Under: Real Life, Reviews Tagged With: family, real life, review, sponsored

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Comments

  1. Morgan says

    December 17, 2014 at 9:01 am

    We are far away from our family too and are very familiar with video chat! Great tips!

    Reply
  2. Deb says

    December 17, 2014 at 10:41 am

    I'm stuck here in the Midwest and none of our family's here. Social media really helps everyone stay in touch. So does chat.

    Reply
  3. amber.m says

    December 17, 2014 at 3:48 pm

    We're far away from family too! These are really good tips!

    Reply
  4. loveforlacquer says

    December 17, 2014 at 6:08 pm

    We love using Facetime & Skype with our family in NJ

    Reply
  5. BySarahHalstead says

    December 17, 2014 at 6:54 pm

    Love these. I am thankful to live close to my family. Love that video!

    Reply
  6. ashleymccardia says

    December 17, 2014 at 8:34 pm

    We're also far away from our family and are going on 3 years of not seeing them. We would be lost without face-time! I love that you bake together! So cool.

    Reply
  7. phyrra says

    December 17, 2014 at 9:16 pm

    I'm really missing my Grandma this Christmas season, even though I just saw her for 10 days at Thanksgiving. thanks for this post!

    Reply
  8. carly says

    December 17, 2014 at 10:43 pm

    Yay for video chats! Facetime is the best!

    Reply
  9. Caden says

    December 17, 2014 at 10:43 pm

    We live about 16+ hours away from most of our family. We really do end up missing some during the holidays like my Mother and Nana. Sometimes we could completely do without visiting my in-laws.

    Reply
  10. makeupbylaurag says

    December 18, 2014 at 1:47 am

    I love video chat. I live so far from every member of my family! <3

    Reply
  11. Carrie R says

    December 18, 2014 at 7:14 am

    These are such great ideas for staying connected to family when far away! 🙂 I used to be a dual-belonger, but we didn't have cool things like video chat when I lived away from my family. Just MySpace and email.

    Reply
  12. Barb Hoyer says

    December 18, 2014 at 7:37 am

    My mil loves to use Skype to stay connected with her grand kids in Nebraska!

    Reply
  13. Cassie says

    December 18, 2014 at 9:33 am

    facetime and skype are the best!! I love chatting with family that is far away!

    Reply
  14. southeastbymidwest says

    December 18, 2014 at 12:41 pm

    I live in South Carolina and my family lives in Indiana and Kentucky so it's hard to get together during the holidays. We actually use Facetime a LOT to communicate back and forth and exchange gifts.

    Reply
  15. pnkheelspnktrk says

    December 18, 2014 at 8:26 pm

    ohhh love the idea of baking dates…that's awesome!!! And look at how big your niece is…ohhhhhhh mannnnnnnn

    Reply

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