Texas grandparents send life size cardboard cutouts to family after Covid cancelled Thanksgiving reunion

‘It was just nice to have a moment of lightness and laughter in such an intense year,’ mother says

A pair of grandparents from Texas have come up with a creative way to be with their family this Thanksgiving after the coronavirus pandemic forced them to cancel their in-person celebrations.

The grandchildren of Missy and Barry Buchanan received a unique holiday surprise when they found that life-sized cardboard cutouts of their grandparents would be joining them for dinner this year.

The couple sent the huge cutouts of themselves to their daughter in California and their son in Texas, as they usually spend Thanksgiving with either family, but have opted to stay home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I just remember thinking, 'you know, I want to do something that'll be funny and unexpected,'" Ms Buchanan told CNN.

"Now that we're not going to go, what can we do to make it fun and not make it a sad time, because there's just so much so much sadness and chaos and uncertainty in the world," she said.

Ms Buchanan, who often sends packages to her three-year-old grandchild Noah, told her children she was sending a large box but kept its suprising contents a secret until the moment of reveal.

Mindy Whittington told the broadcaster Noah was overjoyed with the cutouts, talking to them and hugging them after they had been opened.

"We weren't really expecting anything that crazy," Ms Whittington said. "We opened it up together and we just could not stop laughing."

"It was just nice to have a moment of lightness and laughter in such an intense year and even just to remember that, hey, this is just a year, we're not all in lockdown for life," she added.

Matthew Buchanan said his three children Quintin, Oliver, and Clara, who range in age from six to 12, had a similar reaction to the loving gesture.

"Everybody was sort of confused and laughing, and it was a funny little scene," he said.

He explained that their children quickly went to pose for photos with their cardboard grandparents, including one out in the yard with their chickens.

The heartwarming story comes as health officials continue to advise people to remain at home during the holidays and avoid travelling to different households to prevent the spread of the virus across the country.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has advised that the “safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is to celebrate with people in your household” as even small gatherings can facilitate the disease’s spread.  

Ms Buchanan said while the couple have decided to spend Thanksgiving without their family this year, they are planning to virtually say the blessing together and will be cooking their own traditional meal to celebrate.

"I just think we should be in the mindset of just, trying to make the most positive thing that we can out of it because it doesn't do any good just to complain and be miserable and gripe," Ms Buchanan said.

"We can still have fun. It's just going to be a different kind of fun. And knowing that it's not going to last forever, and we all will be back together again, hopefully soon."