Care Packages

A cousin recently asked me about care packages. A friend of her's was looking to send one to a person who was deployed and she wanted some advice. 
Care packages are something that I know a lot about. In 2013, my boyfriend, C, was deployed overseas for a year. A big pet-peeve of mine is when I mention that he is in the military and then people are all suddenly interested in him and asking about our relationship and how it must be soooo romantic to have him be in the military. No. Just no. First off, the military is part of his life and his job. Secondly, there is nothing romantic about it, just like there is nothing romantic about your boyfriend working at CVS. Sorry, that might sound mean, but his value is not because of his commitment to the military, it has to do with the wonderful and strong-hearted person he is. 

Rant on that over. Despite all of those things, care-packages were one tiny silver lining of his deployment. I love crafting and I love spoiling C. So having an excuse to combine those two? I was all about that. 
I liked to set a theme for each box and decorate the inside of the box accordingly.

Here are some things that were great treats to send:

- SNACKS! (aka the way to a man's heart) such as cheeze-its, beefy jerky, cereal, cookies, granola bars, ect. Do not send anything liquid-y, it'll either end up being punctured and ruining everything in the box, or explode from the air pressure in the plane and then ruin everything in the box. There's no winning. Also avoid things that will melt (such as chocolate) as many military personnel are in very warm environments when deployed.

- Depending on how long it takes for the arrival of the package, you might be able to pull off baked goods. Putting a piece of sandwich bread in the container helps absorb any moisture and delay any mold growth. Also, putting them in Tupperware or a Pringles-type container will help protect them from being smushed. I'd wait on sending baked goods until you've figured out just how long the delivery process is. Getting his favorite brownies, but having them be covered in mold probably won't evoke the joy that you're hoping for.
- Pictures. Nothing eases the hurt of missing home like having a little piece of it there. I had semi-professional photos done for valentines day (Not shown as they were for him only, but use your imagination.) Pictures of family, friends, pets, you! Imagine what you'd want to see if you were 7,000 miles away from home.

- Letters. C and I always write to each other when we are apart for long periods of time. Whether you just send a letter, or include it in a care package, it's sure to brighten his day to read your words and see your familiar handwriting.
- Personal gifts. I sent a little bottle of my perfume once (but wrapped it and packed it in Tupperware in case it exploded.) This was a risk, but worth it because he loved it!

- Entertainment. Books, CDs, video games, crosswords, footballs ect. There is a lot of boring down time and not always a lot of resources for entertainment. 

- HBA things. Don't assume that when he runs out of the soap that you bought him before he left (because it is gentle on his sensitive skin...) that he is buying more... Most likely he is using whatever the cheapest available option, borrowing someone else's or not using anything at all! SEND MORE.
- SUNBLOCK. This is self explanatory, and coming from a SPF fanatic.
- A local newspaper. Little reminders of home and keeping him in the loop goes a long way.
- Another idea is not a care package at all, but ordering a gift and having it sent directly to him. I once did this with a company that sent cakes to troops over seas. He received a huge brownie cake to share with everyone and it was such a fun pick-me-up and surprise for everyone. 

Important tips: 
- Use a USPS flat-rate box. They come in varying sizes and cost a flat rate, according to the size up to a certain weight. (I think the largest box maxes out at 70lb, which I never even got close to.) If using a regular box, they will charge according the weight, which gets price-y real quickly.
- Be prepared to fill out the devil of the international shipping form. I actually got a few ahead of time to do a practice draft because it was such a pain. 
- Know that whatever goes into that box is likely going to be seen by many people other than the receiver. So keep that in mind when getting embarrassing or personal...
- On that note, if you're able to send things to share, you'll be a hit with all of his buddies.  

This was one thing I did during that year to help pass the time and the missing him. Although care packages were a fun project, having C home and safe trumps being able to send him things in the mail any day.
No matter who you are, how old you are, or where you are, getting a package in the mail is exciting. Being able to send one to someone so special during such long and often difficult time is even better though.