$2 Investment
A simple tradition has transformed my relationships with my side of the family. I share this story not to toot my own horn, but to show how easy it can be to make a meaningful impact. All it takes is a little time, a simple gesture, and consistency.
Toward the end of her life, my mom was trying to establish a tradition with her grandchildren. She began sending each grandchild a $2 Baskin-Robbins gift card on their birthday. I don’t know how consistent she was, but I do know that she made the effort. She got the gift cards through me because we had committed to purchasing scrip as a school fundraiser. She wrote the cards and mailed them herself. The tradition was just getting started when she passed away suddenly in 2004.
After her death, I decided to continue it in her memory. Most of my family lived far away, and I thought it would be a good way to stay connected. I started by putting together a list of names and birthdays. My side of the family is large, so gathering even that basic information was a big job.
Once the list was up and running, I began sending the cards and gift cards. Several years later, Baskin-Robbins discontinued the $2 gift cards, so I switched to cash—especially after realizing that not everyone had a Baskin-Robbins nearby.
For many years, I didn’t think anyone really cared. How much impact could a card with $2 once a year possibly have on a relationship? I considered stopping many times. It took a while for the tradition to become established, as all good traditions do.
Then I began receiving feedback and realized it had become “a thing.” Some of the adults told me it was the one birthday gift they could count on receiving every year. They appreciated being remembered. I’ll never forget meeting two nephews for the first time and being introduced as the “Ice Cream Aunt in California.” Their faces lit up, and we instantly had a connection. I was grateful—and a little humbled—to realize that such a small gesture had come to mean something.
The most difficult part of this project is keeping up with a growing and changing family. Between marriages, divorces, births, stepchildren, and adoptions, I fear my list will always be incomplete. I have nightmares about a child in the family being skipped every year, but I can only keep the list current when people share their updates with me.
Every six weeks or so, I go through the list and write a batch of cards. I mail each one about a week before the birthday. It isn’t difficult, expensive, or especially time-consuming. The individual cards are small, but the investment in our relationships has been immeasurable.
This tradition has taught me that making an impact doesn’t always require a grand gesture. Sometimes it is simply remembering someone, following through, and doing it again the next year. I’m grateful my mom planted the seed, and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to help it grow. A card, $2, and a little consistency have connected me to my family in ways I never could have anticipated.
