What to gift during Covid?

My nephew’s birthday is next week.  When he was a young boy, I sent him something his mom suggested.  If the item was pricey, I split the cost with my mother or sister.  When he entered middle school, I began sending him a funny card with a twenty tucked inside.  I hesitate to do that this year.

Because … where can he go to spend it?

The neighborhood corner grocery store isn’t open to walk-ins anymore.  His mom isn’t going to drive him to the Mall – it’s closed too!  Which got me wondering, who even has cash anymore in their wallets.  Do you? The same three twenties have cohabitated in mine for week now.  I use my credit card at the grocery store and for online purchases.

If I decide to send cash, my nephew could bank the twenty.  Do kids have piggy banks anymore? The mature thing to do would be to teach my nephew to think past this pandemic. To get him to think about saving and then spending those savings to support stores that re-open on the other side of this…  

But,

I try to be the cool aunt.  At family events, I make an effort to talk with each of my nieces and nephews. I ask questions and listen to what they’re interested in.  Every summer, I have them over for a barbecue. A few of my nephews got treated to the old-fashioned drive-in where the carhop hooked our tray of burgers and fries and root beers to the car window. Now that some of them have their own cell phones, I text or follow them on social media. In return, they follow me on my author page and they react to the pictures I post on Instagram.

So, with all that cool effort, what does a cool aunt give a favorite nephew in these times?

I hear you – I know that there is that other option – the old e-card that magically appears in the email inbox. The one that he can use for a virtual shopping spree without me ever knowing what it was spent on.  The one that will provide him with the gift that he really wants, courtesy of an e-retailer willing to box and deliver it in prime condition.

He’s going to expect that, right? 

As I see it, I have only a few options. There is the twenty in a snail mail card that in these times essentially forces my nephew to save for brighter days, or the predictable electronic gift card providing immediate gratification.

Purely thinking out loud here: What if I did both? Send him a piggy bank from the online retailer, so he has a gift to open on his birthday, and then mail him a card with a twenty popped inside.  These combined efforts would teach him to save for that proverbial “rainy day” – i.e. when the pandemic’s curve flattens and it’s safe to go outside without a protective mask and plastic gloves.

Does the younger generation know how to defer gratification? 

Maybe that’s what these times will teach them: waiting for life to get better because quitting is not an option.  I think I just decided what this cool aunt will give one of my favorite nephews.

I’m interested. Do you have any better ideas?

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