Miss your loved ones like crazy? Here are 6 truly clever ways to stay in touch while social distancing
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It’s been a few weeks since we started to social distance from each other and it’s been...rough, to say the least. Simply put, it’s getting harder and harder to find creative ways to communicate with our loved ones who we miss so much.
That’s why we rounded up a few truly unique things that can help you stay in touch with friends and family when emails and text messages don’t cut it anymore. Texting and Zoom hangouts are all well and good, but there are great ways to send messages that are more sweet and heartfelt.
Here are six clever and creative ways to stay in touch while social distancing.
Long-Distance Friendship Lamp
Talk about a bright idea. This clever Long-Distance Friendship Lamp ($85 for a single, $170 for a pair) uses the power of light show to remind a friend or relative you’re thinking about them, even if you’re miles apart.
Here’s how they work: Set up one lamp at your home and another at your friend’s place, then connect both to WiFi. Whenever you touch your lamp, it sends a bright and colorful light to the lamp on the other end—and puts a big, beautiful smile on your loved one’s face. These lamps bring new meaning to the song, “You Light Up My Life.”
Lovebox Spinning Heart Messenger
This is a very creative way to let someone special know they’re on your mind. The heart on this beechwood box will start spinning whenever you send a note or draw a picture or doodle on the companion smartphone app. Once the person on the other side opens the Lovebox Spinning Heart Messenger, they can see the note or drawing inside. Then that person can spin the heart themselves to let their loved one know how much they appreciate the lovely surprise inside.
Apple Watch
Did you know that if you and your friends or family have an Apple Watch with WatchOS 5 or later, you can send short voice messages to each other with the wearable’s built-in Walkie-Talkie app?
The Apple Watch also features Digital Touch, so you can let your loved ones know you’re thinking about them through a series of taps and vibrations or a funny doodle. Once sent, the recipient will feel and see the tap or doodle in the exact way you sent and drew it. Just open the Digital Touch icon in the Apple Messages app to get started.
In fact, you can send your actual heartbeat rhythm for some real intimacy via the Taptic Engine inside of the Apple Watch—even if you’re sheltering in different places.
Black Chalkboard Cards
Instead of sending an email, why not send a personal note through the mail? Writing a good and heartfelt letter is a lost art and seems more personal than just sending a simple text. This set of greeting cards with heart-warming messages—like “I Can’t Thank You Enough!” and “You Rock!”—that you can personalize with your own sincere words.
Meanwhile, if you’re friend or family member lives close by, you can simply drop it off in their mailbox or doorstep in person. You can continue to social distance from them too. Now they’ll have something to keep and remember you by instead of something disposable like an email or text message.
Long-Distance Touch Bracelet Set
Think of these Long-Distance Touch Bracelets as an updated spin on the friendship bracelet for the 21st century. Grab one for you a friend (they sell in pairs), sync each one to the brand’s smartphone app, then simply tap the bracelet’s face so that your partner-in-cuffs can feel the vibrations and see the pulsing light to know you’re thinking about them.
In fact, the two of you can come up with your own secret messaging system. For instance, one tap means “I love you” and two taps mean “I miss you.” If you’re really creative, three taps could mean “let’s pour, a drink right now and toast our friendship.” The possibilities are endless.
Memobird Mobile Printer Green
This clever little gadget is called the MemoBird, and it lets you print just about any message from just about any device, including smartphones, tablets and laptops. This means you can receive messages—such as stickers, drawings, photos, texts and hand-written notes from anywhere in the world—even with or without an internet connection.
And the best part? It doesn’t require costly ink to print. The MemoBird uses a special thermal paper to print, so you don’t have to keep refilling it just to get a message from your loved ones.
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