# Have you considered a virtual family holiday get-together? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 25, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-considered-a-virtual-family-holiday-get-together/738564 "2015-11-25T16:57:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-considered-a-virtual-family-holiday-get-together/738564/1 "2015-11-25T16:57:29Z")
This is the time when articles and blogs are speaking of holiday costs and stress. Are not many people now in a position where they could turn on some web cams and log into a website and have a family reunion on their big screens? I haven’t kept up with cutting edge technologies but I think even I might be able to do it. Have you considered a virtual family holiday get-together? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-considered-a-virtual-family-holiday-get-together/738564/2 "2015-11-25T17:31:53Z")
We’ve looked into it for a wedding. If we were to get married it would likely be a beach wedding in the Caribbean and the majority of our friends/relatives would not be there. One way to do it involves hiring a videographer and doing it as a streaming event. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-considered-a-virtual-family-holiday-get-together/738564/3 "2015-11-25T21:28:59Z")
I wouldn’t want to do this in lieu of actually getting together. A few years ago, someone who could’t travel “attended” the Passover seder via Skype on an iPad. That was pretty cool. I’d tend to think it would be really awkward to have someone there on skype for all the general socializing, though. You gave me a great idea! My cousins live in Italy and can’t come to thanksgiving this year. Before we eat, we always go around the table and say what we’re thankul for. I’ll see if they can Skype in for that! ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-considered-a-virtual-family-holiday-get-together/738564/4 "2015-11-26T09:01:02Z")
We’ve done it for birthdays (we live in a different country to both sets of the kids’ grandparents) and it’s great for being there to sing happy birthday and watch the candles being blown out at a birthday party - but it’s no substitution to being together for a couple of days. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-considered-a-virtual-family-holiday-get-together/738564/5 "2015-11-26T09:06:59Z")
I have had people see on Skype on events, and seen an event on Skype as well (Grandmother’s 80th, when I lived overseas). It not a substitute and no one I know has ever felt it too be, including both the actual atendee and virtual participant. In my own case it was a five minute skype in the middle of the workday. Quite different from actually attending. ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-considered-a-virtual-family-holiday-get-together/738564/6 "2015-11-26T23:03:27Z")
Respondents have mentioned Skype and its limitations. I was think more along the lines of those webcams that are set up indefinitely and one goes to a website to watch what is happening. Like the Old Faithful webcam or the one where persons watch falcons feed their young. Or, nanny cams perhaps.