Sharing the holidays miles from home

Is there a relative or parent in your family who can’t be home for the holidays this year? Perhaps the person is studying abroad, or in the military overseas. Start the season of giving with your children by sending that person who won’t be with you a “holiday in a box.” Fill it with simple items as a meaningful reminder of the sights, tastes and sounds of your family celebrations.

Or, consider sending a box to a man or woman you might not know personally who is serving in the military overseas. It will be so appreciated. Ask co-workers, neighbors or friends at your place of worship if they have a family member on active duty. Request the complete name and official military address, and get your cheery holiday package off this week.

Your local United States post office will provide correct mailing information and guidelines for what you can send to the troops. Or go online to www.usps.com. When a group of my friends sent packages to troops serving in Iraq, we purchased the handy Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes at $7.70 each. We filled each box with items and took them to the post office, where we listed the box contents on official customs forms.

Appreciated items in our boxes included:

Current magazines, books, beef jerky, sunflower seeds, peanuts, gum, powdered energy drinks, wrapped hard candy such as Life Savers and Jolly Ranchers, Listerine PocketPaks and lip gloss with sunscreen.

When assembling your box, be sure to add a personal holiday note and drawings and poems from the kids.

Note: Packages sent to military personnel must be addressed to a specific person.