Celebrate National Cousins Day
Do you have fond memories of growing up with your cousins when you were younger? Did any of your cousins play a major role in your life, either as a fantastic friend or an awkward acquaintance? Cousins fulfill a variety of roles in all of our lives, with some being close and others distant. For those with big families, cousins are often the first other kids close to your age you will meet, making the relationship you form a truly unique bond.
If you can happily reminisce over memories of you and your cousin from years ago and want to do something to show your appreciation for them in your life, consider taking a moment to recognize National Cousins Day this year by planning to celebrate with your cousin.
National Cousins Day occurs annually on July 24th as a day to acknowledge and celebrate the lifelong relationships that many of us have with our cousins. Though it is not as prominent as Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, National Cousins Day gives you an excuse to send a little love to members of the family you may not often get to see. And if your cousin was basically your brother or sister growing up and you still keep in touch to this day, you can still use this holiday as an excuse to get together with them and make lasting memories.
If you need ideas on how to celebrate National Cousins Day, know that we have got you covered with a ton of great ways you can have some fun with your cousin and enjoy each other’s company.
Ways You Can Celebrate National Cousins Day
Send a Letter
If you do not live close to your cousin or only see them sparingly, a letter can be just the thing to help spread a little long-distance joy to your cherished relative. A personal letter written by you can be anything you want it to be, from old-fashioned familial caring to spilling the latest family gossip. What you write will depend on the cousin you want to send the letter to and your relationship to them beyond being cousins. Naturally, a cousin you regard as a brother or sister will likely receive a more personal letter than the one you would write to a cousin whom you are not very close with.
A letter handwritten by you will mean the most to your cousin, but you can also choose to type a letter up or email one if mailing is not an option. However you choose to send out your letter, your cousin is sure to appreciate the gesture on National Cousins Day.
Host a Reunion
Has it been a while since the whole family got together for a fun afternoon filled with laughter and camaraderie? Take the responsibility of a family reunion into your hands and organize one that all your relatives can attend and socialize at. This kind of event presents a group opportunity to seek out all of your different cousins and spend some quality time catching up on each other’s lives.
Hosting a family reunion is also an excuse to have a cookout, and with National Cousins Day falling on July 24, the summer weather is likely to be sunny and perfect.
Catching up with cousins and other relatives who you have not seen in a long time is a fantastic way to celebrate National Cousins Day and reconnect with long distance family members.
Plan a Trip
Have a cousin or two whose company you thoroughly enjoy? Were you attached at the hip growing up, always seeking out new adventures alongside each other? Take a step back into the companionship you all shared when you were young by planning a trip to somewhere special. It could be a place you revisit from your childhood, a camping expedition in the mountains, some distant destination overseas that you have always dreamed of one day visiting together, or any number of other trip ideas that speak to you. You could even plan a trip to visit distant family members, that way the both of you can catch up with long-distance relatives together and strengthen those familial bonds.
Hang Out Virtually
If an in-person visit is not an option and you aren’t one for sending handwritten notes in the mail, you and your cousin can enjoy each other’s presence even if you are hundreds of miles apart by coordinating a virtual date. There are many services available to internet users that allow them to connect with other users from anywhere in the world for video calls. By utilizing these convenient features, you will be able to see your cousin on your screen and hear everything they have to say.
There are many ways you can participate in a virtual hangout with your cousin. You can use almost any smart device to chat with each other over video including cell phones, laptops, tablets, and more.
Grab a Bite
Cousins who do not live too far from each other have more opportunities to share good meals together at their favorite restaurants. If you feel like having a nice night out with a cousin you are close with, why not give them a call or text to make lunch or dinner plans?
Sharing a meal out with your cousin presents a great opportunity to socialize and spend time enjoying one another’s company when you may not otherwise find an excuse to hang out. Whether the two of you fancy a dinner at a premium steakhouse, prefer the coziness of small town diners, or even want to check out a nearby bakery, eating together is always a delight. Don’t be afraid to invite even more family members for a fun family outing filled with tasty food and fun conversation.
Send a Care Package
Too busy to schedule a hangout with your favorite cousin? Life can get quite hectic with all the responsibilities and commitments you have to balance, which makes it hard for those living busy lifestyles to find free time for a holiday like National Cousins Day. If you can’t make time to hang out with your cousin but still want to show how much you care about them, consider putting together a unique care package filled with the items they want or need most.
A care package doesn’t have to consist of any specific item, and you can add your own themes to what you send. Tasty snacks, sweets, beauty and skin care products, fragrances, and an assortment of other non-necessities that can be enjoyed by a wide range of people. Depending on the interests and lifestyle of the cousin you are building a care package for, you will need to consider the types of small gifts you include in the package.
Family Photoshoot
Want to add this National Cousins Day to the scrapbook? A photoshoot with your favorite cousins and family members is just the thing to boost the sentimental value of any occasion, and the pictures will serve as an ever-present reminder of all of the fun you had with your loved ones as you celebrated together. A family photoshoot can be done by a professional photographer for some absolutely stunning shots that will leave you breathless, or you can opt for a more reserved, way less pricey option by taking the photos yourself. Whip out your favorite camera brand or shoot your shots with the camera on your cell phone; either way, the pictures you take will be keepsakes to cherish for the rest of your life.
Buy a Gift Card
You may feel tacky giving your cousin cash directly, which is why buying a gift card is a great alternative that feels just as good. Gift Card Granny offers gift cards to dozens of amazing retailers across the nation and online, giving you plenty of options to consider. Find out where your cousin likes to shop and snag a gift card to a store you know they will love. From popular department stores to specialty retailers, Gift Card Granny has a gift card that will make your cousin as happy as can be.
Family is there for you when you need them to be, and your cousins just so happen to be among the first people you learn to rely on as you grow up and find your way in life.
Send Your Cousin a GiftYa
Rather than send cash through the mail or wait around until the next time you see your cousin in person, why not opt for a convenient and hassle-free alternative by sending a digital gift? GiftYa works similarly to other digital gift cards, but with a lot more added bonuses to make the gift-giving experience better for the both of you. You can browse through dozens of awesome digital gifts for all kinds of retailers found nationwide and local to you. GiftYa offers digital gifts for over two hundred thousand different locations, all of which can be sent to your gift recipient in as little as a single text message.
Digital gifts you send through GiftYa may be customized with a personal photo or video to make the gift unique to any occasion, and you may also choose from an array of stylish designs offered by GiftYa that are fit for any circumstance, big or small. Consider adopting these unique features to any GiftYa you send in order to create a memorable unwrapping experience for your cousin, especially if you share a close relationship.
You have control over the value of any GiftYa you send, as well as the location your gift is good for. However, unlike most traditional gift cards, the retailer you choose for your GiftYa can be swapped out by the recipient for an equivalent or similar retailer. This means you do not have to stress too much over picking the right gift for your cousin, since they can easily exchange your choice for something that better suits them. It’s a great feature that other retail gift cards simply cannot match, and it is particularly advantageous for folks who may not know what stores their cousins like to shop at.
It is not every day that you find the time to truly reflect on how influential your cousins were, and may still be, on your life over the course of your life. From the good times that are looked back on with nostalgic fondness to the times that were rough around the edges and make you cringe inside, cousins have been there through it all. If there is a single person in your family who you can count on to recall an old obscure event from the past, you can bet that it would be a cousin of yours.
Despite the differences you share with your cousins, you know they are an important part of what makes your family special. The bonds you forge with them are everlasting, even if the distance in-between the two of you is an entire ocean. Though it is easy to overlook cousins in the immediate family tree, you can take all the time you need to show your appreciation and affections during National Cousins Day.