Don’t you just love photos of your grandkids? Did you know you can use your digital photos to make unique holiday gifts for your family? Wouldn’t you agree that homemade gifts are more enjoyable to create than buying store-bought presents? It’s economical. And your family and grandchildren will cherish them even more.

I’ll show you how to create your own fun video of your grandkids—as jolly little elves! It’s easier than you might think. They are free to use and free share with your family and friends.

“Snowball fight!” created with JibJab.com

Click on the little Play triangle below.

Try JibJab.comSendables® eCards today!

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. ~Kahlil Gibran

I enjoy discovering innovative websites. I surf the Net with my “Grandparent eyeglasses” on, looking for fascinating, easy-to-use places where I can produce fun creations for my grandchildren. I ask myself, “How can this website be useful to me and other grandparents?” (What’s in it for me?) These websites spark my imagination, and I think how exciting it would be to design something for my grandkids to enjoy.

There are many really cool websites on the Internet you can use to connect with your grandkids by creating entertaining projects for them. I wrote about some of these in December’s Cyber-Savvy GRAND column in GRAND Magazine. Sites to develop projects from your digital photos, like Scrapblog and SmileBox. Sites for photo sharing, like Picasa, Kodak Gallery, SnapFish and ShutterFly. (Read our Picasa review here.)

Dancing Coo Coo Clock elves created with ElfYourself.com

Let’s look at two websites where you can create videos starring your grandchildren: JibJab.comand ElfYourself.com.

I created the two videos above at JibJab.com and ElfYourself.com. The ElfYourself site is powered by JibJab’s innovative software. They employ the latest technologies such as face recognition.

ElfYourself from OfficeMax is a whimsical online program that allows you to create videos of elves dancing—with your grandchildren as the stars of the show. Simply upload  the photos you want to use, adjust the face to fit (size, outline, and rotation), choose a ready-to-use dance, and click the button. It quickly produces your video. You can post it on your blog or family site, and email the link for free. If you like, you can download the movie for $4.99. (Note: ElfYourself is only available during the holiday season.)

JibJab has a variety of ready-to-make videos, pictures and ecards. Some are free. Some require a $12.00 annual membership. Downloads are $4.99, or only $1.99 with a membership. The steps to build a video at JibJab.com are similar to the way described above. You upload photos to create “heads” (faces). You choose the video, movie, or picture to make. Try a JibJab Risk FREE Trial!

JibJab’s Photo-Maker lets you create fun still pictures like this one.

At ElfYourself.com and JibJab.comyou can also purchase other products like mugs, ornaments, greeting cards, etc — all with your picture on them.

So go make some videos of yourself or your grandkids. Give a video or picture to them as a merry little gift. They will enjoy seeing it over and over again. It’s sure to have the whole family giggling with delight.

In future posts, GrandparentsTLC will review more websites to create fun stuff for your grandchildren.

Enjoy! – Grandpa Shayne

Have you used JibJab or ElfYourself or another cool online program? How has it enabled you to connect with your family and grandkids? Please share your comments. We enjoy reading about your experiences.

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Here is a funny video of our “Shorty Claus” skit that my son, Kerry, and I performed for our church Christmas social. After you watch it, I will give you some quick instructions on how to post your own YouTube video. So click the play button and enjoy!

If you had fun watching this video, please give it a quick “thumbs up”: vote for it on YouTube, and leave a comment there also. Thank you!

Now, I’d like to make a disclaimer: I don’t usually wear a beard. (I don’t particularly like the look. And Tanda gives me ”the look” when I kiss her, like it’s dis-”taste”-fully itchy.)

The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent. ~Sam Levenson

How to post your own YouTube video

We are creating more in-depth tutorials that we will post later. But these steps will get you going.

Step 1. Shoot movie

Shoot a movie with a video camera, camcorder, anything that takes video. A digital video camera is the easiest to use and upload. Here’s a couple we recommend that have great consumer ratings.

• Flip Video Mino Series Camcorder, 60 Minutes for $159.00
• Canon VIXIA HV30 MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom for $542.00

Step 2. Import movie into computer

Plug your camera into your computer with the USB of FireWire cable. Plug in the camera’s power cord. Power up the camera. Launch your video editing software. (This is one reason we love the Mac, iMovie comes free, and is so easy to use.) Some software lets you queue up the video to the first of the scene, or you can do this before connecting the camera to the computer.

Step 3. Edit movie (optional)

You can fine-tune the beginning and end of the scene, add title text, transitions, music, effects and adjustments. (Be sure to save your work if the software doesn’t automatically save it.)

Step 4. Upload video to YouTube

Note: You will need a YouTube account. You can sign up for free account if you don’t have one yet.

Some software, such as iMovie, lets you do upload directly. It also lets you add the description and tags. You can also upload videos from the YouTube site.

Step 5. Publish video

Once your video is uploaded, YouTube takes a few minutes to get it ready to view. Be sure to check all the settings, description and tags. If you have a blog, you can embed the video on your site, just like I did with my video above.

Step 5. Promote video

Email a link to your blog post, or to the video’s YouTube page. Tweet it. Put it on FaceBook. Ask all your friends and family to vote for it and write a comment, just like I’m doing now. I can’t wait to read your comments!

The "Real" Santa

So, have fun and create your own YouTube movie. Who knows, it just might be the next viral video! (Right after mine, that is).

Enjoy – Shayne

Please vote and comment on my Shorty Claus video now. Thanks!

You can give us a Christmas gift by bookmarking or emailing this to a friend!

As a way of saying thank you to our readers, we are having a Christmas giveaway. We will award 35 copies of the New York Times bestselling book, The Christmas Box, by Richard Paul Evans. He originally wrote The Christmas Box as an expression of love for his two daughters, never intending for it to be published. Now, many Christmas seasons later, this touching tale relates the meaning of Christmas in a profound but simple way.

This book was the inspiration for the many angel statues around the country which are places to remember a child who has died. Mr. Evans founded The Christmas Box House International, an organization devoted to building shelters and providing services for abused and neglected children. To date, more than 16,000 children have been housed in Christmas Box House facilities.

The most important story we will ever write in life is our own — not with ink, but with our daily choices. ~Richard Paul Evans

The Christmas Box – Richard Paul Evans shares his story.

“So,” you ask, “What do I need to do to get one of these free books?”

Just two easy things: First, we want you to subscribe to GrandparentsTLC.com, either by email or RSS. Subscribing is free, and lets you know as soon as new posts are published.

Second, we want you to share with us a favorite holiday activity or tradition you have with with your grandchildren. Holidays such as Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or a special New Years Eve party. To qualify, your story needs to be a minimum of 100 words (about 9 lines in the comment field). Write your entry in the comment section of this post.

We only have 35 of these books to give away, so don’t miss out! Do it now while it’s on your mind. Click here -

1. Subscribe to GrandparentsTLC.com RSS feed or by Email.
2. Add your story.

So spread the word, and let the comments commence. Thank you. We look forward to reading your entries.

By the way, If you already own a copy of The Christmas Box, you can gift this to a grandchild or a friend.

- Shayne and Tanda Packer

We will mail a copy of this book to you at no charge. So be sure to enter your correct email address in the email field. We will contact you for your shipping address. This free book offer is good only while the supply lasts. Entries will be accepted until midnight January 5th, 2009.

[Update: Please feel free to add your story, even though this giveaway has ended. No more books will be given out. Each of the people who commented before the deadline will receive their book.]

Christmastime is a delightful season! Especially when you share it with your loved ones. Grandchildren love to receive thoughtful gifts from grandparents. But more importantly, grandkids love to feel that special kind of TLC that only Grandma or Grandpa can give. Whether it’s through a personal visit, a package of homemade goodies, or via some form of modern technology — connecting grand-to-grand is a special gift grandkids look forward to with an anticipation to outshine the jolly ol’ elf in the red suit himself. There’s lots of fantastic resources on the web where Grandparents can get ideas for projects, crafts, stories, gifts, etc. Grammy Tanda and I share with you here, our favorite Christmas webpages for grandparents. Some of these links are from our very own subscribers — other grandparents who have websites or blogs — with helpful ideas and tips for that loving connection with your grandchildren. 

Uncles and aunts and cousins, are all very well, and fathers and mothers are not to be despised; but a grandmother at holiday time is worth them all. ~Fanny Fern

We know it can be frustrating at times to find what you’re looking for on the internet, so we hope these links will make it easier for you. Enjoy browsing our favorite Christmas web pages.

- Grandpa Shayne

(Tip: right-click or command-click the links to open them in a new tab so that you can refer back to this article.)

• Make a gingerbread house with your grandchildren
• Free Christmas gifts you can make for your grandchildren
• Nana’s Corner - Santa’s Favorite Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Nana Finds - Homemade Christmas treats and other ideas
• Insightful Nana - Free Christmas Printables
• Grandmother Wren’s Christmas Pages
• Advent Ideas to Share with Grandkids Near and Far
• Songs about Santa
• Free Christmas Activities, Puzzles and Crafts for Kids
• Create Christmas Photo Greeting Cards on your computer to mail to your Grandchildren
• A Review of the Childrens Book “Christmas Tree In The White House” with suggestions of other books by author, Gary Hines
• A story about a family who cannot even afford Christmas dinner, much less gifts under the tree
• Inspirational Poetry of Connie Arnold for the holiday season
• A short talk about Christmas traditions by Grandma Joy
• Online Shopping For Finding The Best Christmas Deals
• 13 Days of Christmas Giveaways
• The Ten Best Christmas Songs For the Kid in You
• Crafty: Shrinky Dink Your Christmas Tree
• Santa Claus Can Call Them For You

Let us know if you have a favorite Christmas webpage. Your comments are appreciated.

Why not give us a gift by bookmarking or emailing this to a friend!