Any ideas on things to send to your Marine while he is far away? Send them to me!! If you need ideas, check it out! There are lots of ideas here!!!
My best friend, Michael, just returned from his six month WEST PAC and while he was away I wrote him often and tried to send him things from home. In one care package to him and his roommate, I sent a five pound bag of M&M's, a box of gum, then assorted little things like tic-tac-toe
and connect the dots books. I also included some coloring books and crayons - more as a joke than anything else. Come to find out, when he was in the desert of Kuwait an was stuck in his tent with nothing to do, he colored them!! The people around him (including his Sergeant Major) thought he was crazy, but he had fun!!
Anne
It looks to me like a great deal of the things you can do for care packages has been covered. I guess my main take is to send him as much of home as I possibley can. Jermey is at Sasebo in Japan, he has been gone almost a year and still has til November/December... I try to send a box twice a month... his favorite cereal (he can't get there), pictures the kids draw, videos, music, pictures... basically anything he needs or anything I think will make him smile. Just so he knows I am thinking about him and things that say home. I find too, it's the practical things he appreciates the most. If your hubby has access to a computer (we got Jermey a laptop before he left... still paying it off but it was a great investment) there are relatively inexpensive quick cams and a program called Netmeeting where you can see, and talk to each other for free. It has been such a great way for us to communicate and for all of us to see each other.
catherine
~ a lock of my hair (that was an idea that i got from a Marine online when asking him what his favorite thing was that his girlfriend had sent him)
~i went out and bought a little jar and on the outside, attached a note that said "anytime you need to feel FAITH, HOPE, or LOVE just open this jar and and you'll feel these things from me" and then left the jar empty.
~i found a picture frame (real small...like the smallest size...whatever that is) and on the frame it said "whereever you are, near or fare, your always in my heart" and put a pic of my face.
~sent him a cottonball for him to put into his jean pocket....and a little note that said "whenever you reach into your pocket and touch this cottonball, you'll know that i'm thinking of you."
~cutt off a piece of material from my favorite little nighty that i sleep in whenever we are together (it's satin and he loves cuddling up to me when i wear it) and sprayed my perfume on it.
~i send him just a slip of paper that says "TODAY.....i thought of you and smiled" that's IT!
~sent him a ton of rose pedals once
~a piece of blank paper that just had my perfume sprayed on it
~Jim hasa favorite pair of earrings that i wear when we are together, and i hate wearing them when he's not around cause they remind me of him so much (cuase he loves them)....so i sent one to him (and of course i have the other one)!!!!
~my next project is making a video...i have a friend that is the cameraman for a major TV station here in town and he's gonna make aprofessional video for me of a couple of places thta i want to remind jim of...like the park where he gave me my promise ring etc...places that are only specail to to Jim and I...i get to use a microphone too. I'm gonna be talking to the camera/Jim (in case i didn't make that clear). He's gonna put music/computer graphics to it....hopefully it will turn out alright!!!!
~on a funnier note: i had heard stories about the guys in boot camp and thier "HAPPY SOCKS"....and so i sent jim a sock that i drew a face on....hahahahaha (while he was at his MOS school...NOT boot camp)
My husband is now on a six - month deployment. One thing that I have done is gotten together with the other wives in his office. We get together and chat and help each other out on our "down" days. We can send e mail to the ship, so we are very lucky with that. I've found it's much easier on the guys knowing we are helping each other out. We are planning to send a big Thanks Giving package out to the office. We are going to pick up the things our husbands like. In larger quantities so they can have a feast together. We'll all meet at my house kids and all and make a video of our day together. We'll add some homemade decorations from the kids they can pop up in the office.
METOCGAL@aol.com
My husband is in the Army and currently in Korea. He won't be home for the holidays but I will be visiting him for 49 days after Thanksgiving. I am already planning on sending him a 4 ft. artificial christmas tree along with decorations and lights....I think that would give him the I miss home holiday spirit. Of course I am sending him his present before I get there so that he won't accidentally open it before christmas....lol.....
CLELUVYA@aol.com
Books that are a movie story or tv show. X Files is my fiances favorite show and I send him those books so he can keep up with some of the stories. I also sent him a book of a movie I just saw so he cen imagine seeing it with me. He loves it. Just a suggestion.
Deanna
In my experience I found that a good source for care packages was the local libraries (as long as you're not o'seas). Most public libraries have used book room where you can pick up a variety of books real cheap. If you've ever been to a far-flung place, the book selection at Stars & Stripes isn't very good -- if you're lucky enough to have a book store. That way you can include several in a package addressed to a small unit so everyone can pass them around and enjoy. Just a thought.
Susan
I just came back from the post office mailing Michael a package with another Sega Game Gear (to replace the one stolen during our last PMO move..... this one I bought at a pawn shop though for $55) and I also sent him 2 games to go along with it. I also send him 5 of his favorite Books every month so he will have something to read..... I hope he has room for them all.
Dee
I usually do the normal cookies and snacks. Always make lots because they get shared unless your husband can hide them. I make my husbands favorite then some others that he can give the other guys so "his" dont get touched. Letters from me and since I have young kids, they draw for him. I take lots of pictures of of us and videos. He loves videos and watches them over and over. Also what works is taped masseges on casettes. You can hear each others voices. I do hand prints from the kids or feet prints and he watches how they grow.
I recommend lots of letters and number the backs of them because sometimes they get lots at once and the numbers show what order they were written. I know at times you get angry and want to write it to him but i recommend you write it but dont send it. Its hard at times but writing it down and putting it away can really help relieve stuff.
Anja
I have sent a few packages since he left. I packed paper, pen, envelopes, and stamps so that he can send plenty of letters. I have sent film so he can send pictures of himself for the kids and of course me. I also sent brownies and ricecrispy treats. I got a tip from a baker that of you want to put icing on something you can still send it. Freeze the item with the icing on it so that it stays for a while in the mail. I've sent him his favorite tapes to listen to. I plan to send some home videos so that he can see the kids growing up while he's gone. I also don't like to be put on camera so I am giong to tape a conversation to him from me. You can always send his favorite personal products, an outfit, or new shoes. I sent a lock of my hair when I had my hair cut off. He said he loves having something of me that he can actually touch.
Monica
My husband is leaving in August for 6 months, I have put together a whole list of things to send to him and little things to do while he is gone to keep that wonderful smile on his face, here goes:
1. Mail the sunday comics, or wrap little gifts in the comic page.
2. Candy, Candy Candy. . . . he can't get enough of sweet tarts!!!!
3. I'd like to send cookies but I don't think they'll get to the boat in time, but if your hubby is on land somewhere a good idea to keep cookies fresh longer is to put a couple pieces of bread in with the cookies, the bread might go bad but the cookies stay fresh, or they work great in a pringles tube.
4. He'll be gone over christmas so I am going to make a little stocking full of little things, also, you can buy very small christmas trees, I am going to decorate it and mail to him. You can also make a bottle cap tree garland out of his favorite drink, Kyle's is Lone Star.
5. Pepperidge Farms makes all kinds of wonderful gift packages.
6. Rice Krispie Treats
7. He will be gone for his birthday also, so I am going to find a store that sells the helium balloons that last up to a month, put the balloon in a box, along with some confetti and of course more candy, then write on the box which way it is to be opened, so that the balloon will fly out when he opens it.
8. Beef jerky, hot sauce, jelly etc......
9. I'm thinking of making a little pillow for him to sleep on.
10. (A friend gave me this idea, more stuff to keep him smiling, he'll need it!!!!)
Get a pair of JoeBoxers, put white paint on hands and put handprints on his butt, then red paint on lips and kiss all over the front, (make sure to put a piece of cardboard between boxers.)
11. You can also write a letter on a roll of toilet paper and then roll it back up again.
12. Call a radio station, request one of his favorite songs and then tape the song and request, you can make a whole tape to mail to him.
13. Now Halloween is his favorite holiday and he is very upset to be missing it, so I am going to a halloween store and buying all kinds of stuff to send him: fake spider webs, HALLOWEEN CANDY, etc....
14. A unique card, cut out pictures of the 2 of you, tape onto construction paper, and then cut out little sayings and quotes from a magazine like Cosmo or something and put all over the card.
Well, these are some of my silly ideas I have been thinking up to keep him laughing, he knows I'm silly so he won't be to surprised!!!!! Hope this all gave you some good ideas.
Carla
When Bri was in Somalia for Christmas I made him rum balls It took a while for them to get there and when he opened the package the smell was very strong. :-) He let everybody share and the story has it that they got drunk off them All though I dont believe it . He his also a huge sport fan so I would just tape hours of ESPN .
Jennifer
While Mike was on WESTPAC, I sent him a care package about every two weeks and every holiday. I mailed him junk food especially, candy, cookies, treats, beef jerkey. I also mailed him videos, movies, tapes of his favorite shows, and one tape of myself talking. Pictures were a big thing for him, and according to him I didn't send enough. Go figure?
Julie
Gosh Carla......reading you ideas to keep hubby smiling while away sure brought back memories....I think I did almost all of those while hubby was gone to the war..
except the toilet paper thing.......didn't try that.....I know he liked pictures the best and anything that smelled like home......like spraying some perfume on anything I sent......seems hokey but he loved it.......
Tina
In some of my packages that I send my fiance on ship, I put those disposable camaras in them, also, when they went out into the desert, I sent him a package of Capri Sun (a drink) he said that everyone else was so jealous.
Jen
I had another suggestion for ideas to send hubby while he is away. I do this for my husband and family that cant be near us. We make a monthly news letter about things that went on and send pics with it. Also, we have a cheap calander where you have space to write a little something on each day. We write what we did each day or something nice At the end of the month we send it to him of course with pictures.
Anja
When my husband was in the Gulf he told me the best thing he received from me were my letters. I wrote him everyday he was gone and he said that made him still feel like he was in touch with what was going on. I think Carla about covered the rest though!!! I used to clip Garfield out of the paper every week for him too. Like someone mentioned earlier, spraying your letters with his favorite perfume is nice. Its not corny. Think about it when you get letters from your husband, don't you smell them? Depending on how far away they are baked goods are always nice. If my husband is out in the field however I get a little more practical. He always asks me to send baby wipes. For those of you who have husbands who spend long periods of time out in the field you know those are a godsend. Also kool-aid and canned foods. Anything to break up the monotony of the MREs. Also I like to put a little stuffed animal in there for him every now and then. I guess the stuff I send him isn't usually very romantic but I haven't had any complaints so far. The baby wipes are his favorite.
Steph
My idea for keeping daddy fresh in a small child's mind was this, video tape daddy reading stories and playing games like peek a boo and the itsy bitsy spider. (you can rent video cameras if you don't have one) This works really well for toddlers. They can see daddy and interract with him a little bit. I did this with my two yr old while daddy was at bootcamp and it worked great.
For Daddy, I would mail lots of pictures that we drew together and tapes of myself and my ddaughter talking to him. I read someplace that a great way to mail things such as food or something that will break, is to buy one of those new can openers that opens cans in from the side so that you can reseal the can with its real lid. I heard this works really well for mailing stuff.
Jaime
Well when my hunny was at SOI I sent him a care package for Valentine's Day and I included all of his favorite candies, as well as some that we enjoy when we're together. CARDS & LETTERS!!!! They are a must! I also sent him a shirt and a stuffed animal with a lot of perfume. He was so happy and said that most of friends were jealous :)
I also did the ultimate when he was in boot camp. Supposedly you shouldn't send them anything cutesy because they all laugh at them, but while I was at the mall one day I saw the cutest little bear with a saying that had to do with being apart, I couldnt resist and I sent it to him... oh, boy did they laugh!!! but he told me that it didnt matter how much they laughed because he was the one getting the bear!! :)
Ivy :)
My husband left on a med cruise three months ago. i had just had our daughter three weeks prior to him leaving. so he wont feel left out of her life i scan pictures of us into ms publisher and make him "books". I add funny little quotes to each picture from my daughters point of view. He loves them.
Dawn
What can I say that hasn't already been covered here? Well, I was thinking a little music box, just a tiny one, so that he can play it and think of me. Oh, and speaking of practical things....PHONE CARDS!!! I mean, that's where all his money goes, into phone cards to call me. He's going to Okinawa in November for 6 months, and I gave him a little key and told him it was the key to my heart, just so he can be sure it will stay nice and safe while he's gone. :-)
~Jess
I just thought of something new that you can stick in a care package to your sweetie. Now days people don't only carve pumpkins, but they paint them, too; especially the really little ones. A tiny painted Jack o' Lantern is the perfect size for a package, don't you think? ;-)
~Jess
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