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The very first item on my Deployment Bucket List was to send my husband 12 care packages. It would have been one care package for each month of his hardship tour to Honduras. Except that his 12-month tour turned into a 15-month tour.
I suppose I should have made 15 packages, but truth be told…I was struggling.
He didn’t get the last care package until he was already home because I procrastinated taking it to the post office. However, I did reach my goal of making him 12 packages and had fun doing it!
Here are the packages I sent him while he was away and a list of what I put inside each box.
The Snack Bar – Snack Care Package (40 count) – Variety Assortment with American Candy, Fruit Snacks, Gift Snack Box for Lunches, Office, College Students, Road Trips, Holiday GiftsCRAVEBOX Snack Box Variety Pack Care Package (50 Count) Treats Gift Basket Boxes Pack Adults Kids Grandkids Guys Girls Women Men Boyfriend Candy Birthday Cookies Chips Teenage Mix College Student Food Sampler Office Back to School
1. Hey Sweet Thang
We sent this package shortly after Easter, not long after he arrived at Soto Cano.
The letters that I used to decorate the flaps were self-adhesive letters that I found at Dollar General. I ended up using these on several packages because they were such a time-saver!
(To learn how to wrap the inside of the box, check out this post!)
It was filled with:
- clearance Easter candy
- apple sauce
- notes from me & the girls
- individual servings of cereal
- snacks
2. Decorated by the Kids
The girls were obsessed with the first package we sent. I let them help pick out goodies for Daddy at the store, but when it came time to decorate the box, I pretty much did it all.
They begged to do the next one and I let them have free reign. I used the same wrapping paper and let them go to town with stickers and markers from their art cabinet. They loved it and it kept them entertained for an hour.
This package contained:
- beef jerky
- scented candles (I tried to tell the kids that boys don’t like candles, but what does mom know?)
- a sketch pad
- colored pencils
- a new t-shirt
- letters from home
3. Happy Father’s Day
I wanted to make his Father’s Day package special. So, instead of spelling out Happy Father’s Day on the box flaps, I took pictures of the girls holding signs that said it.
The lighting looks weird in this photo of the package, but these pictures turned out cute and he loved it! He took the pictures off of the box and taped them up in his room.
This box had:
- a new Hydroflask
- dried fruit
- candy
- Father’s Day cards
- Little League Pictures
- a photo album
- boxes of Yoo-Hoos
(You can find more Father’s Day Care Packages in this post!)
4. Happy Birthday!
His birthday package was fun to put together!
My daughters picked out the background paper – I tried to explain to them that we need to find ‘boy paper’ for daddy, but the closest we came to ‘boyish’ was the blue background with gold hearts. He loved that the kids helped make the packages though, so that’s all that matters.
I made the letters on this package with my Cricut. I liked the way they looked, but they were more time-consuming than the stick on ones I mentioned earlier.
This package was full of:
- books
- more dried fruit
- a can of boiled peanuts
- candy
- birthday cards
- money
Normally, I wouldn’t send cash in these packages since they are opened and inspected in Customs. But since it was his birthday, I thought I would try it and it worked! I put $20 in one of the balloons and amazingly it wasn’t stolen.
(Check out this big list of creative birthday care packages.)
Surviving Deployment One Sip Stemless Wine Glass – Military Wine Glass, Surviving Deployment, Military Wife Gift, Deployment Gift, Army Wife, Navy Wife, Marine Wife, Coast Guard WifeDeployment Journal For Kids: Alphabet Letter Tracing Handwriting Workbook Sketchbook Deployment Book Birthday Gifts For Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Kindergartens
5. Happy Halloween
The hardest part of making this care package was finding Halloween wrapping paper. I ended up finding this black and colorful chevron paper at Wal-Mart.
I used some of the artwork the kids had brought home from school to glue on the flaps of the box. My husband loved it! He cut off the flaps and hung them in his room.
This box consisted of:
- Halloween candy
- new shirts & boxers
- cards
- Little Debbie snack cakes (Those pumpkin smiley faces are his favorite!)
(For more Creepy and Creative Halloween care packages check out this post!)
6. Splish Splash, You Need a Bath.
We Love and Miss Your Stinky Ass!
My husband says that this was his favorite care package (probably definitely because it had a bad word in it).
I found the shiny blue paper at the Dollar Tree and cut the letters and bubbles out using my Cricut. Again, it wasn’t nearly as easy as the peel-and-stick letters, but worth it when he laughed out loud after opening the box.
This box contained:
- shampoo
- body wash
- letters from me and the kids
- tooth brush
- towels & wash cloths
- new swim trunks
**Fun Fact: The pool is open year-round on Soto Cano Air Base, so it didn’t matter that I sent this in November.**
(You can find more Fun Deployment Care Packages in this post!)
7. Merry Christmas
I kept his Christmas care package simple for 2 reasons. (1) He got to come home for 2 weeks at Christmas and (2) because the holidays are busy and stressful enough!
This package contained:
- Christmas cookies
- notes from me and the girls
- a new shirt
- books
- fruit squeezes
- more dried fruit
8. Open When Letters
Any time I looked up care package ideas on Pinterest, open when letters always popped up. After getting the news of his tour extension, I knew I had to make some.
These letters were way more time-consuming than a regular package, but the final product was worth the effort.
You can see everything I put inside his Open-When Letters in this post.
Hydro Flask 20 oz Wide Mouth Bottle with Flex Sip Lid OliveWRAPAHOLIC Wrapping Paper Sheet – 12 Sheets Pink and Black Halloween Theme Design Folded Flat with 12 Gift Tags for Party – 19.7 Inch X 27.5 Inch Per Sheet
9. Soldier Boy, Brave & Fine,
Won’t You Be My Valentine?
For this package, instead of wrapping the whole interior of the box, I just cut paper to fit on the flaps. I used the peel-and-stick letters again, because I’m lazy, but I’m still happy with the way it turned out.
This package contained:
- the open when letters
- Valentine Twinkies
- Valentine chocolates
- beef jerky
- vitamins
- coconut oil
- more Yoo-Hoos
- Valentine cards from the girls and myself
(Check out this post for more Valentine’s Day Care Package Ideas!)
10.Happy Easter…Again
Yet again, we made another Easter care package, but this one made it to him on time!
I used some scrapbook letters that I had laying around and let the girls do their thing with stickers again.
This package contained:
- Easter candy
- individual cereal servings
- boiled peanuts
- lots of travel-sized medicines and toiletries for his flight bag
(You can find more cute Easter Care Package Ideas in this post.)
11. We Are Wild About You
This package came together after I found the cheetah print wrapping paper at Dollar Tree. I added peel-and-stick letters and some let this girls decorate with leftover Valentine stickers and voila!
We filled this package with:
- homemade deer jerky
- new Yeti cup
- box of cookies
- more Yoo-Hoos
- Cracker Jacks
- notes from me and the kids
- other miscellaneous snacks
12. You Are Back
His final care package was probably the most exciting to put together….but then again, everything about his homecoming was exciting!
The girls helped me make the checklist of things to do when he got home to put on the flaps and we used the peel-and-stick letters again.
This box contained
- water toys
- his favorite candy
- Moon Pies
- new books
- some new clothes.
Unfortunately, we waited too late to mail this package, so he opened it at home with us. But he didn’t mind one bit!
I love crafting, so making cute care packages is right up my alley. I actually miss doing them since he’s been home. But I would rather have him here with us any day!
I hope these care packages inspire you to send a few of your own and that your long-distance loved one is home soon!
