Christmas Care Package from Missyourvoice.net
Click Picture to enlarge

Every year the USPS announces the dates for which packages being mailed overseas to military must be  sent out. Those dates were recently released:

Military Mail Addressed To Express Mail Military Service (EMMS)1/ First-Class Mail          Letters and Cards Priority Mail Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL) 2/ Space Available Mail (SAM)3/ Parcel Post
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 090-092 Dec-18 Dec-10 Dec-10 Dec-3 Nov-26 Nov-12
APO/FPO AE ZIP 093 N/A Dec-4 Dec-4 Dec-1 Nov-20 Nov-12
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 094-098 Dec-18 Dec-10 Dec-10 Dec-3 Nov-26 Nov-12
APO/FPO AA ZIP 340 Dec-18 Dec-10 Dec-10 Dec-3 Nov-26 Nov-12
APO/FPO AP ZIPs 962-966 Dec-18 Dec-10 Dec-10 Dec-3 Nov-26 Nov-12

You can read details here: http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2010/pr10_092.htm

Care Package 101

View my previous post on sending care packages for the holidays: https://armywife101.com/2009/09/halloween-care-packages-what-to-send-in-them.html

One more tip that I always forget to mention is to fill out customs form beforehand, believe it or not I have seen people wait until they get to the PO to do that. Do it beforehand so that you have time to make sure everything is filled out correctly and you don’t feel rushed.

Amanda Walker from Miss Your Voice graciously shared her Halloween care package tips with us the other day. Today she is sharing some basic care package goodies that will help you put together the best package you can for your loved one:

Great snack ideas:

***Please note! Individually wrapped food and snack items are preferred because they are easier to take out on missions! ***

Beef Jerky

Popcorn

Twizzlers

Hard Candy and Gum

Fruit Snacks (fruit roll ups, gushers, dried fruit, Welch’s fruit snacks)

Cookies (individual snack sized packs)

Nuts and Trail mix (Small individual bags)

Granola Bars, Pop Tarts, Protein Bars

Oatmeal, Cream of wheat, Instant soup mix

Chips (Individual snack sized bags)

Crackers (Snack sized packs)

Vienna Sausages

Tuna or Chicken lunch kits (in foil packets)

Great drink ideas:

Gatorade Mix (individual water bottle packets)

Crystal Light Mix (individual water bottle packets)

Kool-Aid (individual water bottle packets)

Coffee (powdered mix)

Hot Cocoa (powdered mix)

Tea Bags

Protein drinks (powdered mix)

Entertainment Goodies:

Deck of Cards

Sudoku Books

Uno Cards

Crossword Puzzle Books

Frisbees

Yo Yo’s

Rubik’s Cubes

Nerf footballs

Hacky Sacks

Tennis Balls

Help your service member keep in touch with you! These are items MissYourVoice suggests you include in your package for communication purposes!

Pre- Addressed Envelopes

Notebooks

Note pads

Pens

Hooah & Smooches

Army Wife 101

Comments

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments

Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.

3 Comments on Holiday Care Package Mailing Deadlines and More Care Package Tips

  1. As a frequent deployer for the Army I totally agree with these care package items. The easier it is to take with you around the better.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.