Nixplay’s Christmas Gift Guide | Nixplay

Christmas Activity Ideas: Celebrate the Season with Your Digital Photo Frame

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Christmas is a joyful time for creating cherished memories with loved ones. It’s a time to celebrate family, friends, and even strangers. There are a plethora of activities that go into making this holiday season special, and in this blog we will give you tons of creative ideas and activities to truly get in the spirit. At the center of it all will be your digital photo frame, because the best way to keep these special holiday moments alive well past the Christmas season is by documenting and cherishing them. Whether you’re celebrating with family, friends, or even strangers, there’s something here for everyone to enjoy.

Decorate Your Digital Photo Frame

Before you dive into the holiday activities, you can set the tone for the season by giving your digital photo frame a festive makeover. Create custom digital slideshows with holiday-themed images and messages. Include pictures from past holiday celebrations and family portraits. You can even update this playlist throughout your holiday preparations with snapshots of this year’s activities. Make your frame a part of your holiday decor and use it as a guide to remember the most important parts of this season — cherished time with loved ones. 

Scavenger Hunt: Christmas and Digital Photo Frame Edition 

Another way to incorporate your digital photo frame into your holiday activities is by organizing a Christmas scavenger hunt. You can display the list of objectives on the digital frame so everyone can easily see the list they need to complete. Get the whole family involved and use your digital photo frame to display photos from the hunt itself. You can even make taking photos a required part of the list, and enjoy the display on your digital photo frame for the entire holiday season. 

Virtual Christmas Cards on Your Digital Photo Frame

Sending Christmas cards is still a beloved tradition, but sometimes it’s hard to get the physical copies in the mail. Instead, create a virtual Christmas card for you and your friends to display in a digital photo frame. This way, you can share this virtual card with friends and family near and far, spreading the holiday cheer with a personalized touch. 

Plus, if you’re running out of room on the fridge for all the physical cards you’ve gotten and looking for a creative new way to display them, we’ve got you covered! Just take photos or scans of the Christmas cards you receive and put them in a playlist for your digital photo frame. That way, you can keep these treasured cards on display without taking up too much space. 

Digital Photo Frame Recipe Swap 

During holiday celebrations, food brings everyone together. Host a recipe swap where each person shares their favorite dish and a digital copy of the recipe.You can create a shared playlist for the recipes and display them on your digital photo frame throughout the evening. Plus, you can take photos of the evening and add those to the shared playlist as well. Anyone who has a Nixplay account can add their photos to the mix and enjoy the playlist – and delicious recipes –  when they return home.

DIY Ornament Crafting + Digital Photo Frame Displays

Unleash your creativity with a festive DIY ornament crafting session! You can even create an ornament inspiration playlist on your digital photo frame to get the ideas flowing. Include friends and family, and after creating your ornaments, capture their (and their creator’s) beauty with photos. Add the pictures to your digital photo frame as a lasting memory of the day (and share the playlist with loved ones who have a frame as well)!

Tree Decorating Contest (Make a Digital Photo Frame Playlist)

Compete with your friends or family in a Christmas tree decorating contest. After the trees are decorated, capture their magic with photos and display the images on your digital photo frame for everyone to admire. You could even create a shared playlist for the occasion, so everyone can upload and update photos of their tree for everyone to see. You could even include the judgment criteria in the playlist and hold a vote after everyone is finished decorating. Decide on a prize for the winner — maybe a digital photo frame of their own! 

The magic of Christmas lies in the moments we create with our loved ones. With the help of a digital photo frame, you can make this holiday season even more special. From decorating your frame to enjoying festive activities, the possibilities are endless. Embrace the spirit of Christmas by sharing laughter, joy, and precious memories that you can revisit year after year. So, fire up your digital photo frame, get into the holiday spirit, and make this Christmas unforgettable.

Last-Minute Christmas Magic: Make the Most of Celebrations and Gifts 

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The most wonderful time of the year is here and, if you’re reading this, you may have found yourself in the midst of last-minute Christmas preparations. While the clock is certainly ticking, there’s no need to succumb to the stresses of the season. With a strategic approach and a touch of festive flair, there’s still time to make the holidays special. In this blog, we’ll be going over practical tips and creative ideas to help you navigate the last-minute Christmas rush. We’ll even get into thoughtful gift ideas (like digital photo frames) that still have time to ship!

Prioritize Your Tasks

The first step in tackling your last-minute Christmas preparations is prioritizing your tasks. Create a list of essential to-dos (the things that you are unwilling to miss), and focus first on what needs immediate attention. What has the strictest deadline? Do you need to order gifts so they’ll ship in time? Make sure to put those things as top priority and leave the others for later. Whether it’s gift shopping, decorating or meal planning, having a clear plan in place will help you stay organized amidst the holiday chaos. 

Swift Gift Solutions: Digital Photo Frames

It’s okay if you’re still checking off your gift list. Now is the time to seek out swift and thoughtful solutions, like digital photo frames. Nixplay frames will arrive in time as long as you order by December 18th (for US customers) and are a thoughtful gift for all ages. You can even preload your digital photo frame for a unique and personalized touch that will make the gift seem like anything but a last-minute purchase. The digital photo frames come in a variety of sizes and colors, so you can further personalize the purchase by picking a digital photo frame that fits with the recipient’s decor. 

DIY Delights:

Embrace the charm of do-it-yourself (DIY) decorations. Handcrafted decor adds a personal touch to your celebrations and some can even be a fun holiday activity for the whole family (two birds, one stone as they say). Whether it’s homemade ornaments, scented candles or festive wreaths, these DIY delights not only make for meaningful decor, they also help get everyone in the spirit of the season.

Plus, take pictures and videos of the DIY process to display in your own digital photo frame and enjoy the process well after the decorations are put away.

Streamlined Decor:

Prefer to do store bought decor? Trimming the tree and decking the halls can still be streamlined with a few smart choices. Opt for pre-lit artificial trees for instant holiday ambiance. Focus on key areas like the entryway and living room to create a festive atmosphere without spreading yourself too thin. You can even add holiday-themed photos and graphics to your digital photo frame for a quick but effective touch of holiday cheer. 

Digital Invitations:

If you’re hosting a last-minute get-together, consider sending digital invitations. Online platforms offer a range of festive templates that can be personalized and sent out in a matter of minutes — no waiting on snail mail! This not only saves time on physical invitations but also allows for quick RSVPs, helping you plan for the gathering much more efficiently.

Don’t forget to take pictures at the event itself, and display them on your digital photo frame to cherish the memories made. If other attendees also have digital photo frames, you can even create a shared album so everyone can enjoy photos from the evening on their digital photo frames for weeks to come. 

Quick and Easy Recipes:

When it comes to last-minute meal planning, simplicity is key. Choose recipes that are quick, easy, and require minimal ingredients. Consider one-pot dishes, casseroles, or festive salads that can be prepared with efficiency, allowing you to spend more time enjoying the company of loved ones.

Virtual Celebrations:

If distance keeps you apart from family and friends, consider hosting a virtual celebration. Video calls allow you to connect with loved ones in real-time, sharing holiday wishes, laughter, and even opening presents together. It’s a modern twist on the traditional Christmas gathering, perfect for those navigating last-minute changes. 

Make the gathering even more special by gifting digital photo frames to the attendees. This way, you can stay in touch via uploaded photos even when you don’t have time for virtual gatherings. 

Relax and Enjoy

Amid the flurry of last-minute preparations, it’s crucial to take a moment to relax and enjoy the holiday spirit. Whether it’s sipping on a cup of hot cocoa, listening to festive music, updating your digital photo frame with festive photos, or taking a stroll through twinkling neighborhoods, savoring the small moments will enhance your Christmas experience.

Last-minute Christmas preparations don’t have to be a source of stress; instead, they can be an opportunity to embrace spontaneity and creativity. By prioritizing tasks, opting for swift solutions, and infusing a personal touch into your celebrations, you can navigate the holiday hustle with ease. Take it all in and take tons of photos to display on your digital photo frame for years to come. When you look back on these moments, you won’t remember how stressful it was, but you will remember how much joy you shared with loved ones.  So, take a deep breath, dive into the festive frenzy, and relish the season’s warmth and merriment.

Preparing for Christmas / How to be the best gifter

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10 Ways to Prepare for Christmas AND Become the Best Gifter:

Give Digital Photo Frames for A Personal Touch

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s a season of joy, celebration and quality time with loved ones. Preparing for this magical holiday is part of what makes it so special. Careful planning goes into making the holidays special and thoughtful organization with a touch of creativity can go a long way. Whether you’re a seasoned holiday planner or a first-time host, this blog will help you navigate the process of preparing for Christmas with ease and enthusiasm.

Create a Checklist

At the risk of being obvious, the most important thing to start with is a checklist. Outlining the tasks and responsibilities ahead is half the battle, and getting everything on paper will provide clear direction in the days to come. Divide your list into categories like decorations, gifts, food and events. This visual aid will keep you on track and prevent any forgetfulness that is likely to occur during this busy time.

Decorate Your Home

The first step (after the all-important checklist) in creating a festive Christmas atmosphere is to decorate your home! Start by setting up the tree, hanging ornaments, displaying lights and putting up garlands. This alone will give your home a cozy holiday feel, but you don’t have to stop there. Consider adding wreaths to doors and windows, placing candles throughout the house, potting poinsettias or adding other seasonal decor.

If you have a Nixplay digital photo frame, you can even add festive photos from holidays past or Christmas graphics to a seasonal playlist. 

Plan Your Menu

If you’re hosting Christmas dinner or a holiday party, having a plan for food is essential. Decide on the main dishes, sides and desserts before creating your shopping list. Once that’s done,  you can make a cooking schedule so your dishes will be timed perfectly and you can avoid any last-minute chaos. Don’t forget to ask your guests about any dietary restrictions they may have before starting.

Gift Shopping (for Digital Photo Frames)

If you haven’t finished your gift shopping yet, now is the time to do it. First, make a list of all the people you want to buy for and a few things they might be interested in receiving. Avoid crowds by shopping online, and make it more thoughtful by getting something that you can personalize. A great way to check both of those boxes is with a Nixplay digital frame. Digital photo frames are thoughtful, easy to use for all ages, and convenient to shop for online. 

Wrapping & Prepping Presents (and your Digital Photo Frame)

Once you’ve purchased your gifts, set aside some time for wrapping and prepping. With Nixplay, you can even preload the digital photo frame to make the gift that much more thoughtful and personal. We’ve included some unique ideas for preloading your frame in this blog to get you started if you’re feeling stuck.

Ideas for Preloading A Digital Photo Frame Gift: 

Personalized Digital Photo Frame

Start your digital photo frame preloading with the gift of personalized memories. Create a unique digital photo frame that showcases a collection of special moments with the loved one you’ll be giving it to. Whether it’s family vacations, weddings, or the first day of school, you can curate a digital slideshow that tells a beautiful story. Choose a frame that complements your recipient’s decor for a gift that truly resonates.

Family Time Capsule Digital Photo Frame

For many, Christmas means precious time spent with family. Encourage your loved ones to relive their favorite moments by gifting them a family time capsule digital photo frame. Collect photos and videos from previous Christmases, milestones, and celebrations. Create a slideshow that encapsulates the essence of your family’s journey and showcase it in a timeless frame. Watching these cherished memories year after year will become a beloved holiday tradition.

Digital Photo Frame Of Recipes

For the food enthusiasts in your life, consider a digital photo frame turned recipe book. Collect family recipes, heirloom cooking secrets, and seasonal classics. Compile them into a digital cookbook, complete with mouthwatering food photos. With this gift, your loved ones can easily access their favorite recipes and culinary inspiration for the holiday season and beyond.

Pet Lover’s Digital Photo Frame

Pets are cherished members of many families, and their antics make for heartwarming memories. For the pet lovers in your life, gift a digital photo frame that captures the essence of their furry friends. Create a slideshow filled with adorable pet photos, funny moments, and heartwarming interactions. This gift will undoubtedly bring a smile to their face.

Make Travel Arrangements OR Prepare for Guests

If you’ll be traveling for Christmas, be sure to book your flights or accommodations! The sooner the better to make sure you secure availability and affordability. Check your travel itinerary, make a packing list, and ensure your travel documents are up to date.

If you’ll be hosting overnight guests, make their stay comfortable and welcoming. Prepare a guest room with clean linens, extra blankets, and toiletries. Consider creating a festive basket of treats and essentials as a special touch.

Finalize Your Schedule

As Christmas approaches, finalize your schedule to ensure that all your preparations are on track. Revisit your checklist, complete any remaining tasks, and take a moment to appreciate the beauty of your decorated home.

Conclusion

Preparing for Christmas can be a joyful and fulfilling experience if you approach it with careful planning and a loving heart. By setting a budget, creating a checklist, and tackling tasks systematically, you can ensure a smooth and enjoyable holiday season for yourself and your loved ones. Remember, the true magic of Christmas lies in the warmth of your heart and the love you share with those around you. So, embrace the spirit of the season, spread joy, and create lasting memories that will bring you happiness for years to come. And don’t forget to take a few photos and videos to cherish in your digital photo frame

Why Digital Photo Frames are the Best Gifts to Show Your Gratitude (Plus, Tips For Making it Extra Thoughtful)

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Gift-giving is a timeless tradition that allows us to connect with loved ones and show our immense gratitude for them in a thoughtful way. Finding the perfect gift, one that conveys your love, appreciation, and gratitude is incredibly satisfying. In the modern age, we have so many wonderful options for expressing our gratitude to one another, and digital photo frames have emerged as an especially exceptional choice for doing so. 

This article delves into the reasons why gifting digital photo frames is a meaningful way to show your appreciation. Plus, keep reading to the end for tips to make this already thoughtful gesture even more heartfelt. 

The Appeal of Digital Photo Frames

Digital photo frames, with vibrant displays and versatile features, have given us an entirely new way to showcase our cherished memories. Beyond their ability to showcase our favorite photographs, they offer a dynamic canvas for sharing gratitude. 

A Digital Gallery of Memories

Digital photo frames breathe life into photographs, creating an ever-changing gallery of memories. With a stunning high-definition display, Nixplay digital photo frames showcase your most treasured moments and infuse your living space with warmth and nostalgia. When you give digital photo frames, you’re giving a lasting token of your gratitude, and creating a space where the recipient can relive their most precious memories.

Personalization at Its Best

Digital photo frames are highly customizable, making them a thoughtful and highly personalized gift. From the choice of photos to the configuration of playlists, the recipient (or the gifter) can curate a frame that’s perfectly unique and sentimental. This level of personalization makes digital photo frames a testament to your thoughtfulness while also giving them the freedom to make it their own.

A Gift That Evolves

Unlike traditional photo frames that hold just one image, digital photo frames can rotate through hundreds of photos. Over time, the recipient can refresh and update the display, creating a continuous cycle of gratitude. Each time they add new photos or discover long-forgotten ones, they’re reminded of the special bonds they share and the memories that have shaped their lives.

Easy To Use

Digital photo frames are designed to be user-friendly. Nixplay digital photo frames come with intuitive interfaces and are easy to set up, making them accessible even to those who are not tech-savvy. When you gift digital photo frames (especially from Nixplay), you’re providing a stress-free experience that the giftee can enjoy right out of the box. 

Displaying More Than Photos

Digital photo frames don’t have to be just for photos. They can display artwork, inspirational quotes, and personalized messages. This means you can convey your gratitude to loved ones in a multitude of ways. Whether you load your frame with a collage of shared memories, a heartfelt message, or an inspirational quote that embodies your appreciation, you have tons of options to make your gift as thoughtful and personal as possible. 

The Power of Personalization

When gifting digital photo frames as an expression of gratitude, the true power lies in personalization. Here are some thoughtful ways to make your gift even more special:

Curate a Selection of Memories:

Before gifting your digital photo frames, select a collection of photos that capture moments of shared joy, appreciation, or milestones with the people you plan to give it to. Create a playlist that highlights these memories, and use the Nixplay preload feature to ensure they take center stage when the frame is powered on.

Add a Personal Touch:

Add a heartfelt message or a letter of appreciation to accompany the digital photo frames. This message can be in the form of a preloaded photo, or as a handwritten note with the box. Either way, it’s an easy way to express your gratitude and explain why the recipient holds a special place in your heart.

Incorporate Inspirational Quotes:

Include a few quotes in your preloaded playlist that convey your gratitude. These quotes can be interspersed among the photos, creating a powerful appreciation narrative.

Provide a Tutorial:

To ensure the recipient can get started easily, consider providing a brief tutorial on how to operate the digital frame. While Nixplay frames are easy to set up, it doesn’t hurt to provide a little extra info. This thoughtful gesture ensures that they can navigate the features with ease, even if you can’t be there in person to help.

Expressing gratitude through the gift of digital photo frames is a modern and heartwarming way to convey your appreciation. It’s a gift that keeps on giving, offering a perpetual celebration of the moments and bonds you hold dear. Personalized and filled with shared memories, digital photo frames are a treasure trove of gratitude that can be cherished for years to come. So, when words alone are not enough to express your thanks, consider presenting the power of gratitude through a digital photo frame from Nixplay.

Halloween 2023

10 Ways to Get Ready for Halloween: A Spooktacular Guide

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Are you ready to embrace the spooky spirit of Halloween? As the leaves change and the air turns crisp, it’s time to prepare for one of the most thrilling holidays of the year. In this guide, we’ll explore ten fun and creative ways to get ready for Halloween. From decorating your home to picking the perfect costume, we’ve got you covered.

1. Halloween Home Decor

Transform your home into a haunted haven with eerie decorations. There are tons of DIY Halloween decor ideas that would make for a great craft night with friends or family. Plus, there’s nothing like a spooky home craft night to increase the creepy ambiance and get you ready for the spooky season.
Don’t forget to take pictures of your craft night and display them in your digital frame. Plus, if you’re feeling extra creative, you can even use your frame as part of your Halloween decor. Just make a Halloween-themed playlist and let it play for all of October.

2. Pumpkin Carving Ideas

Unleash your inner artist by carving the perfect jack-o’-lantern. Not sure where to start? There are plenty of great guides that will make you a pumpkin carving pro in no time. If you need a little inspiration, here are some great pumpkin carving ideas to choose from. You can even get pumpkin carving stencils from your local craft store or online to make your pumpkin really pop. 

Be sure to take pictures as you carve and of your finished product so you can enjoy your pumpkins digitally long after their freshness wears off.

3. DIY Halloween Costumes

Crafting your costume can be a blast. There are tons of DIY Halloween costumes that will make you stand out at every Halloween party this season. Homemade costume ideas are everywhere, and making a unique ensemble truly yours is a great way to get in the spooky mood. 

DIY Halloween costumes also come in clutch if you wait until the last minute and need something quick! Whether you cut some holes in an old sheet to become a ghost or put together all your pinkest clothes to go as Barbie, your homemade Halloween costume is sure to make for some great photo ops. So don’t forget to take plenty of pictures!

4. Halloween Makeup Tutorials

Elevate your costume with stunning makeup. Dive into the Halloween makeup tutorials or special effects makeup to take your costume to the next level with professional-looking results. Whether it’s to compliment a DIY Halloween costume or the perfect online costume find, learning to do your own Halloween makeup is a gift that will keep on giving. 

Plus, you’ll walk away from every Halloween party with phenomenal pictures to treasure for years to come.

5. Costume and Decoration Shopping

If you’re not a huge DIY fan, there are plenty of shopping options to get your home and yourself ready for Halloween. Check out your local craft or Halloween store or an online Halloween shop for all your decor and costume needs. Just don’t wait until it’s too late for shipping!

6. Spooky Movie Marathon

Set the mood with a spooky movie night. Watch classics like “Hocus Pocus” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” or new releases to really get into the spirit of the season. Embrace scary movies with friends to keep you company or stick to the lighthearted classics for solo movie nights. 

Whichever movies you choose, having a spooky movie marathon is bound to get you ready for October 31st.

7. Haunted House Visits

Explore local haunted attractions to really embrace the Halloween spirit. Search for haunted house tours in your area or “spooky attractions near me” and get ready for a night full of fright! If you have young ones who may not be into the super scary haunted house visits, look into something more tame, like a corn maze or pumpkin patch.

Get photos of your friends and family’s best-scared reactions and make them into a playlist for your digital frame!

8. Halloween Party Planning

Plan a memorable Halloween bash. Invite friends to dress up in their best Halloween costumes and celebrate the spooky season. Complete the planning with creepy cocktails, a Monster Mash Halloween playlist, and Halloween-themed treats. 

You could even set up a photo booth to preserve the memories from this hauntingly fun night.

9. Trick-or-Treat Safety Tips

Safety is a top priority, especially for families. One crucial way to prepare for Halloween night is by taking a quick minute to refresh your trick-or-treat safety tips. There are lots of Halloween safety guidelines each year online (and from local news outlets) to ensure a fun and secure experience for the whole family. 

Hopefully, the scariest thing you encounter this Halloween is your neighbor’s haunted house, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared!

10. Spooky Recipes

Prepare delicious recipes for Halloween-themed treats and drinks. Even if you don’t throw a Halloween party, you can still enjoy Halloween recipes and tons of spooky snacks! Cooking creepy treats is a great way to get into the Halloween spirit and makes for a great October activity. 

Invite friends and family over for a baking night or take on a recipe solo, but don’t forget to take pictures of the process and the final product!

In conclusion, getting ready for Halloween is a thrilling experience filled with creativity and fun. Whether you’re decorating your home, planning a party, or perfecting your costume, these ten ideas will ensure you have a spooktacular Halloween. And don’t forget to take tons of pictures for your Nixplay Halloween playlist so you can display them in your digital frame through the spooky season and beyond! Happy haunting!

Grandparenting from a Distance

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How to Stay Connected When Grandparenting From a Distance

Kimberlee Kiehl, Director of Operations, The Photo Managers

Next to the birth of your children, the birth of your grandbabies is one of the best moments in life. These little humans who share your genetics, remind you of your own children when they were little, and bring you so much joy are truly a gift. When they live far away it can be tough not to get to see them, hold them, and watch them grow in person. Three of my four grandchildren, my daughter’s children, live 10 hours away and have lived far away since they were each born, sometimes living all the way across the country. But we have managed to develop close relationships, and I feel like I am getting to watch them grow, thanks to a variety of technology. Notably, photos have played a huge part in building these relationships.

As a certified photo manager and a long-time scrapbook maker, I very much value photos. I believe they tell a story and that each of us has our own memories when we look at those photos. This love of photos has passed down to my daughter, and now to my grandchildren as well. One of our favorite “together” activities is to look through the scrapbooks I have made for them and share the stories that go with the pages. But when we are apart, we must find other ways to stay connected. Facetime, “snail mail” and our Nixplay frames play a huge role in helping us build and keep these connections.

Video calls are great for all generations

My 6-year-old granddaughter knows how to Facetime me on her mom’s phone and will often take the phone to her room for some “girl talk” or to read a book to me. My 4-year-old grandson wants to show me his latest Lego build. Even my 6-month-old granddaughter knows who I am on Facetime and gives me her huge smile when we chat! They also Facetime with my mom, their great grandma, on her iPad which allows her to feel connected to them too.

Printed gifts for special memories

I will often print photos and mail them to my grandkids after I have visited their house or they have visited mine. After a recent trip to Disneyland, where I surprised them by joining the trip, I sent each of them (even the 6-month-old) a small plastic 3×4 box with their name and embellishments on the outside and 3×4 printed photos of their individual experiences at Disney inside their boxes — including some photos with me in them. They can pull them out anytime and remember our experience together and the fun we had.

Nixplay frames for a daily connection

On a day-to-day basis it is the Nixplay frame that I have in my kitchen that provides me with the most consistent and updated photos of their lives. Both my daughter and I have one (mine was a gift for Christmas from my daughter!) and that frame is the first thing I see when I walk into the kitchen to get my morning coffee and the last thing I see when I turn the lights off to head to bed. Throughout the day, I see photos from years ago intermixed with ones from yesterday. And even better, I can watch short videos of my grandchildren as well! The three of them on the beach, the first day my newest granddaughter sat up, first grade concerts and preschool graduations. I can send them photos of what I am doing as well. These shared photos build connections between us and allow us to share life stories, even when far apart. These are the true joys of life.

Kim is the Director of Operations for The Photo Managers and the owner of Stories of a Life, LLC, a photo and story organizing business in Columbus, Ohio. For more information on managing your photo collection join The Photo Managers for Save Your Photos Month in September 2023 at https://thephotomanagers.com/save-your-photos-month/

How Connecting With Grandparents Can Build Strong Families

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Marie Kondo, the author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and “Spark Joy”, talks of how the process of sorting photos with her family was the project that brought her the most joy. She highly recommends viewing photos together as a family to encourage storytelling. Even the expert of decluttering realizes how important our personal photo collections are!

Research in psychology repeatedly shows that investing in making and sharing happy memories with family has a positive return on investment. A series of studies conducted by researchers Marshall Duke and Robyn Fivush at Emory University found that children who knew more of their family’s history had a stronger sense of control over their lives and higher self-esteem than children who did not know these stories. Further, the children with the most self-confidence had what the researchers call a strong “intergenerational self.” In other words, these children felt part of something bigger than themselves.

Children, even grown-up children, can draw on a bank of positive memories and family stories to help cope with more stressful or turbulent times. When families revisit memories with loved ones through photographs, bonds are strengthened, relationships deepen, and memory improves. It is also just plain fun to look back at the way things used to be, as time was passing before you realized it, as the children grew overnight, and as traditions were practiced over the years.

Here are 4 ways Grandparents can connect with their grandchildren:

1. Create Photo Albums: Printed photo books, scrapbooks, and photo albums don’t require technology to be enjoyed. You don’t need an internet connection, and you won’t need to migrate them to a new format to view them fifty years from now. When you combine images and words into a documentary-like narrative, you are creating a historical record for future generations with stories that you can celebrate and enjoy today.

2. Video Slide Shows: When you combine photos, videos, oral narratives, and music into a slideshow or montage, you create a living album filled with emotion and fun. Try adding music, oral narratives, or both, and the result is a living album filled with movement and sound that triggers your senses. Slideshows are a great option for family gatherings, special events, and celebrations. They can also be a fun option to enjoy on family movie night. Popcorn, PJs, and precious family memories—can it get any better than that?

3. Wall Galleries:  Are you looking for instant gratification while you work on that family archive or photo album? Decorate your home with the people you love! While you organize photos, you’ll come across pictures too good to keep hidden. Look for frame-worthy images that you can display on walls or turn into photo gifts for others.

4. Digital Photo Frames: This is an excellent choice for technology-challenged family members. This way of displaying image slideshows is perfect for people who want a quick, easy way to showcase their memories. It’s also really easy to regularly send photos and videos to your frame, adding to your family story as you go, especially with Nixplay’s easy to use digital frames.

Organizing, telling, and retelling the stories of your family’s good times as well as the stories of bouncing back from the difficult times, can result in more confident children and happier families. And nobody can do that better than Grandparents.

Cathi Nelson is the founder and CEO of The Photo Managers, but most importantly, she’s passionate about helping people organize their photos so they can share their photo legacy. If you need help or more ideas, check out Cathi’s best-selling book “Photo Organizing Made Easy: Going from Overwhelmed to Overjoyed

International Friendship Day: Different Types of Adult Friendships

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Friendships play an important role throughout our lives. They’re a constant and valuable part of our community that offer essential companionship and support. In honor of International Friendship Day, we wanted to talk about the different types of friendships many of us have and how they evolve in adulthood. As we mature and our lives change, it’s natural to have friends that fit different roles or for those roles to change over time. The most important thing is that friends continue to show up for each other in a way only they know how. 

Childhood Friends: The First of Many Friendships

Childhood friends are special for all of us. Whether you met as neighbors, in grade school, or at summer camp, these friendships have strong foundations in shared memories and experiencing some of life’s first milestones together. Childhood friends know us in a way many others never will, and they provide a sense of familiarity and unwavering support. Distance, adult responsibilities, and busy schedules may mean we don’t see these friends as much or that we aren’t fully up-to-date on the latest happenings in each other’s lives, but it doesn’t lessen that foundational bond. Time apart just makes reconnecting with childhood friends that much more rewarding and nostalgic. 

Shared Hobby Friends: The Friendships With Overlapping Passions 

As adults, one of the most cherished types of friends we can have is one with whom we share a hobby. A friend you make via shared interests not only understands that passion, but also actively participates in it with you. Whether it’s spending time outside, playing sports, making music, or any other variety of interesting hobbies, this friend fuels your enthusiasm and is creating memories right alongside you. When you share a bond over a mutual love for an activity, it becomes a powerful connection that deepens your friendship and creates a foundation for a long lasting relationship. Having a friend who loves what you do, makes the things you enjoy that much more meaningful. 

Ride or Die Friends: The Best Friendships

If you’re lucky, you have a best friend that is there for you through thick and thin. In adulthood, weeks can pass without catching up, but as soon as you do it’s like you never skipped a beat. The ride or die friends are the type that would drop everything to support us, and probably have at some point or another. They know you better than anyone and have the power to bring joy, comfort and a sense of belonging. They’re who you go to when you need advice or when you just need to vent — and they know the difference between the two. 

For many adults, friendships take on different forms and serve different roles. There are many more types of friends than what we can list here, and they’re all essential to forming a well rounded support system. While we might not have the same consistency that we did in the past, it’s now easier than ever to stay in touch. The internet allows us to check in with friends near and far in many different ways. We now have the ability to e-mail friends on different continents or reconnect with ones we haven’t seen in years through social media. Nixplay even offers digital frames that can be updated via shared playlists. So you can gift frames to friends and share photos via the frames that you’ll see everyday. It’s a great way to stay connected and see what everyone is up to, and it might even prompt an extra phone call or text message from time to time. However you choose to keep in touch, we hope you check in with your friends for International Friendship Day.

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