Christmas Care Packages for Soldiers

Christmas holidays away from your military loved ones are difficult for those at home but especially so for the deployed Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine. If your favorite soldier is gone this year, sending a Christmas care package will help him or her feel more festive and a part of the holiday. Timing is important for shipping as deadlines for shipping are drawing close. Parcel post shipments have already passed the recommended mailing date from the USPS for shipments to APO and FPO addresses. The best way to get your Christmas Care package to your solider on time is to choose a priority flat rate mailer for shipping. This gives you an unlimited weight allowance for one price and puts your shipment in the priority mail category. Shipping deadlines for most APO and FPO addresses under priority mail is Dec 11. You can check the deadline for the zip you are shipping to on the USPS web site.

When choosing a box for your Christmas Care Package, look for the Large APO/FPO flat rate priority mailing boxes. Shipment in these boxes will cost you just a little more than ten dollars as they are discounted when shipping to the APO and FPO addresses. The ideas for what to put in a Christmas Care package for your Solider are endless. You know your soldier best so you are the best source of ideas for his or her Christmas Care Package. Here are a few ideas to get your thought process started.

Decoration Christmas Care Package Items: Deployed Soldiers often try to make the work areas and living areas more like home so small decorations which can be used in the room or work area are good care package items. Ornaments for trees are good to send as many units have trees in the public areas. If you have children, you may want to have each color or draw a holiday greeting and have it laminated to send as a part of the deployed Soldier's Christmas Care package.

Candy Christmas Care Package Items: Christmas is the time of year when temperatures are a bit lower in the most common deployment locations. This means your Christmas Care Package can include candy items which cant be sent in hotter times of the year. Consider sending some of your soldier's favorite candy items. You can choose those in Christmas packaging or you can pack the Christmas care package full of your soldier's favorite candy item.

Music Christmas Care Package Items: If your soldier has a CD player consider sending him some new Christmas carol CDs as a part of the care package. If he or she has a MP3 player, you may put these in a flash drive and send so they can upload them from a computer.

Personalized Christmas Care Package Items: Keeping family close is important during deployments. Many web sites provide the ability to produce personalized items like coffee mugs, mouse pads, or magnets using your own pictures or your child's art work. These make wonder additions to your Christmas Care package for your soldier.

A touch of love for your Christmas Care Package: Don't forget the letters, pictures, and cards made by all the family members. These personal items are the priceless part of the Christmas Care Package.