Deployment can be difficult for service members and their families, but the time apart feels most painful during holidays. Sending care packages to a deployed service member often makes the distance feel smaller and Halloween is the perfect day to start mailing goodies. Care packages also help those deployed by giving them things like new movies to keep them entertained in their down time, it makes their time go by faster, and it puts a smile on their faces. The staff here at Low VA Rates came up with a few military Halloween care package ideas that your soldiers are sure to enjoy.

Military Care Packages

Fill a festive box with spooky and delicious treats and games for your deployed service member. But feel free to think outside the box and get him or her other fall goodies that aren’t Halloween-related. Just make sure you send the box in enough time for him or her to get it when you want them to and check to see what rules are in place regarding care packages for that area. Then take a look at this fun list of what to put in your package!

• Hot cocoa, apple cider, or coffee mixes
• Ghost stories
• A new scarf or sweater
• A scary movie with microwave popcorn
• Hand sanitizer
• Spooky and fun card games
• Packaged muffins
• Beef jerky
• Lollipops with a white tissue tied around the top for a “ghost pop”
• Other holiday-decorated candies and sweets
• Craisins and other dried fruit
• Silly string
• Autumn-scented spray or candles
• Halloween artwork and decorations
• Monster-themed crossword puzzles
• A football
• Pictures of things you’ve done recently

Costumes

With Halloween coming up, it’s also a good time to think about what you and the kids will dress up as for trick or treating and fun Halloween parties. While your loved one is deployed, you might think about dressing up in a military costume. There are plenty of costumes for sale online and in stores for every branch. And on some sites, you can even find almost exact replicas of historic military uniforms to wear as your holiday get-up.

What will you be sending your military service member for the holidays? To read about other holiday ideas, check out our blog.