Texas grandparents send cardboard cutouts to take their place at Thanksgiving

ROCKWALL, Texas (KTRK) -- When these grandparents learned they wouldn't be able to share the holidays in-person with their family this year, they decided to take a different approach.

Missy and Barry Buchanan told ABC's "Good Morning America" that they wanted to be "present" for Thanksgiving without putting themselves at risk for COVID-19.

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The grandparents ordered two six-foot cardboard cutouts of themselves and mailed them to their children in time for the holidays.

"My daughter got hers first. She texted, 'Omg!' and called and said, 'This is the funniest thing we've ever seen,'" Buchanan told "Good Morning America," adding that the kids propped up the cutouts and took pictures.

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The grandparents said the cutouts helped relieve some stress from the pandemic for their loved ones during the holidays.

"Family love is not going to change whether we're there or not," she added. "It's a reminder that there's still something to laugh about."