Many military families know what it is like to celebrate holidays and special occasions apart from their loved ones. But that doesn’t mean you are not able to make the moment special! Whether they’re near or far, it’s a great gesture to remind loved ones of all the traits you love and adore about them.
With the five ideas below, you can skip right past the candy hearts and expensive roses this holiday season. These ideas work well not only for spouses, but also for significant others, friends, and adult children who are serving.
Here are 4 fun and creative ways to should your service member how much you care!
Send a Care Package
Everybody loves a good care package and when you are going through a deployment, it is something you want to do as many times as possible. Opening a thoughtfully pieced-together package by you will warm your service member’s heart, especially when you fill it with their favorite goodies.
- Handwritten letters or cards
- Favorite candies, snacks or goodies
- Personal care items (deodorant, soap, chapstick)
- Portable media player loaded with love songs
- Picture collage cut into heart shapes
- Photo album with printed pictures
Pick up your FREE military care kit boxes at any local post office. Each box in this kit is pre-approved to ship to APO/FPO addresses and many care package kits available are made specifically for those sizes.
Write Letters
Find the perfect words to let them know how you feel. They’ll love opening a personalized letter. It’s better than a text any day of the week. If you have the time, take your thoughts to paper with a pen. Handwritten notes are so nice! If you’re writing to a significant other, spraying your favorite cologne or perfume on the letter is a nice touch to remind them of you. My husband always draws little illustrations when he writes letters to me throughout our separations. They are my favorites and I have kept each and every one of them over the years.
Create a Private Photo Album
Photos are a great way to capture memories to share at a later date. If your loved one is deployed, they miss a lot of the day-to-day activities. There are a couple ways to share these memories with your service member either while they are gone or to share when they get home.
- Create a photo albums on the cloud. Keep them updated with an online photo album that they can access at any time, whether by a digital photo frame or on their electronic device. Upload a few pictures each day to keep them in the loop of what’s going on in your life. It’s a nice distraction from deployment while also keeping them connected to you.
- Design a printed photo album. Print off those hundreds of pictures on your phone and free up storage! Yuor service member will love flipping through old memories with you. I like to use those 10-13 photo mini albums to put in the care packages, but I also will print off and LAMINATE a few for my service member to have stashed wherever he can.
Record a Personalized Message
It’s good to hear a familiar voice. Most service members love hearing the voices of their loved ones, especially when they’re deployed! You can send a message that they can play over and over and never tire of no matter how many times they hear it.
- Record a video of yourself talking to your service member. You can do this on your cell phone, and turn it into a file to email. Let your service member know how much you miss and love them. If you have the time, record yourself over a period of a week or so and let them know how your day to day life is going. It may seem mundane, but those are the details service members miss the most while deployed. If you have kids, be sure to get them involved too!
- Go live on the big screen. Gather a collection of video messages from friends and family to create a personalized video. Have the video message set up and waiting for them on the big screen to play when they get back or send it with them before they leave.
Extra Tips
- While those USPS postal boxes are really great (and free!) there are other options too! Colorful boxes or pretty baskets can be arranged beautifully by you. If you’re not crafty, a local gift or florist shop may also offer gift basket arrangements.
- Get the entire family involved! If your service member has kids, have them write a message on decorated paper or cardboard hearts about why they love their service member. You can even get pets involved!
- You don’t have to be the most creative to get a little crafty. Pinterest offers a ton of ideas, but you can also keep it simple. Sometimes the simplest gifts are the best ones.
Make it your own!
Romance doesn’t have to be just about chocolates, roses, or champagne. While those gifts are nice, none of those items lasts for very long. If you’re looking for sentimental gifts to give your service member, try one of the above ideas.
No matter what you give them, they’ll love it just because it came from you.
