Grandparents During the Holidays with Lindsey McDivitt

On today’s episode of the “Helping Families Be Happy” podcast, host Dr. Carla Marie Manley, talks with Lindsey McDivitt about her enchanting and fabulous new book – “Christmas Fairies for Ouma”. This book shares Christmas joy and celebrates the love between a grandparent and a grandchild.

 

Episode Highlights

• 01:35 – Lindsey says that this is her first fiction book however previously she was a healthcare professional where she worked with stroke survivors and their families to provide education and support.
• 03:45 – “Christmas Fairies for Ouma” is all about loving, kindness, connection, long distance, and the importance of really embracing our loved ones.
• 06:00 - For Lindsey, spending Christmases far away from loved ones resonates so much with her that in this holiday season it is time to reach out as real letters are so precious.
• 10:30 – Lindsey recalls how they used to celebrate Christmas in South Africa stating they used to sit around the Christmas holiday dinner table while two people used to pull on the paper crackers. Then she also reminisces how everybody had to wear those paper crowns at the table and they all looked ridiculous.
• 11:30 – Dr. Carla asks Lindsey about what they ate on Christmas day in South Africa.
• 15:34 – “You’re making me think of another way to communicate with grandparents is the old thing of sending thank you cards right after Christmas.”, says Dr. Carla.
• 17:00 – Dr. Carla tells Lindsey to give the listeners an idea of other than the back matter what is inside of “Christmas Fairies for Ouma” looks like.
• 18:25 - The grandmother in this story has a personality, mainly through the art illustrations.
• 20:30 – Lindsey says that we should, especially at Christmas time not just be talking about the message of kindness but sitting together the adult and a child, and reading a picture book is such a loving engrossing activity on its own.
• 21:00 - This book more than qualifies as a most precious book for parents, aunts, uncles, grandmas, and grandpas.
• 22:00 – Dr. Carla says, talking about the power storybooks definitely when you have someone in your life who has suffered from a stroke just sitting down and reading with them, or receiving a card in the mail, makes all the difference in stroke recovery.
• 23:44 – Dr. Carla states that she was listening to a podcast the other day where the millennial generation is already feeling the pressure of aging and they're all 30 years old.

Three Key Points

1. Lindsey says that nowadays long-distance grandparents have a lot more tools like video and telephone calls but they never had any of that. They just had letters and occasional visits so that bond is so strong. The target audience for this book is around ages four to eight. Lindsey thinks it will reach a broader audience because she knows that many of her friends are new grandparents and they're all very taken with the story whether they live close to their grandchildren or live far away. During Christmas, this message of kindness, reaching out, and connecting with loved ones is important. 
2. One part of this book that most people don't realize is there's also a learning aspect apart from learning the power of kindness. The book is based partially in South Africa where Lindsey’s grandparents were and some talks a little bit about South Africa and the way Christmas is celebrated there. Since South Africa is in the southern hemisphere, so it's Christmas in the middle of summer. it's quite different from where she spent most of her growing-up years and snowy Minnesota. So the book just juxtaposes those two parts of the world and those two seasons.
3. Although this is a picture book for a very young age, it gives a little bit of information about how South Africa has changed and transitioned from a very racist apartheid society where the racists were kept separate by the white government, and how that changed after President Nelson Mandela became the first democratically elected president by all races back in 1994.

 

Tweetable Quotes

• “I was in healthcare for a long time but started writing children's books about 10 years ago.” - Lindsey McDivitt
• “So many people could benefit from more support around stroke because it is a life-changing situation.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manley
• “Even though I only saw my grandparents about every three years, I remain close to them, thanks to letters.” - Lindsey McDivitt
• “I don't know if it's the same in your area but our blue mailboxes in Sonoma County have all but disappeared, they've taken them off of streets, corners, downtown, and sidewalks.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manley
• “I'm going to share some information about South African celebrations.” - Lindsey McDivitt
• “Even though it's middle of summer, at least my family would still have a hot meal like roast beef, potatoes, and big Christmas pudding like the steamed pudding.” - Lindsey McDivitt
• “Whether or not we received a gift from somebody what a perfect opportunity to send a card, especially a handmade one that says thanks for being in my life.” - Dr. Carla Marie Manley
• “To see the title of Christmas fairies for Omen comes from the actual card has fairies on it, and it goes all the way across the world.” - Lindsey McDivitt
• “It hardly matters what the book is exactly, but I know that as adults at Christmas time, we want to read cozy Christmas tales.” - Lindsey McDivitt

 

Resources Mentioned

• Helping Families be Happy Podcast  Apple
• Lindsey McDivitt: Website Instagram Twitter   
• Podcast Editing