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Creativity, planning can brighten holidays for military families

Whether it is Christmas in July or a September birthday party in January, military families know that the actual day you celebrate is not what matters. “When duty calls” means when duty calls, even if it’s smack in the middle of holiday season or some special family event. We all know that all too well.

As a result, our schedules, as well as our traditional lifestyle, often need rearranging. Celebrating “military style” doesn’t mean we disregard the calendar and be done with it.

No, meaningful celebrations require creativity, forethought and — foremost — flexibility. They’re as much about style and substance as they are about schedules.

Our readers excel at crafting unique family traditions. On Christmas Eve in Tara’s house, for example, “We always hang an old Army green sock near our stockings, say a prayer for our military and read the poem ‘A Soldier’s Christmas,’ ” she said. The Crooks carry out this ritual whether Daddy is home or deployed.

Jennifer, from Fort Carson, Colo., is mixing things up this year. She plans to celebrate Christmas on Thanksgiving because her husband is deploying at the end of November. “We will also be getting together with other families to share traditions, like having shrimp and Frogmore stew instead of turkey and gravy,” she said.

Frogmore stew, in case you’re wondering, is a spicy smoked-sausage-and-seafood dish popular in some parts of the South.

Seafood stew may not suit everyone’s palate, but we applaud Jennifer’s family for their creativity and for leveraging a great benefit of military life: exposure to regional chow and customs. Check with your local chamber of commerce, community services or a seasoned neighbor so you don’t miss out on a holiday tradition unique to your area.

There’s more to the holidays than food. Janine collects ornaments from everywhere her family has lived or visited.

“I even have the ornaments that we sent to my husband for his ‘tree’ when he was deployed,” she said. “It is nice to see them together with the other ornaments this year.”

Trees are about the most iconic symbols of the holiday season, and sending one to your soldier, sailor, airman, Marine or Coast Guardsman is easy enough; there are plenty of right-sized fakes on the market. We found one online that comes in a mailing tube. It even has a voice chip that allows the children to record a short message or Christmas carol. It was a big hit for Star’s husband and his roommates.

“The Soldier’s Tree,” a children’s book written by Stephanie L. Pickup, suggests that mailing a tree or other special items can help military children enjoy the holiday rather than feel sad that their service member mom or dad is away.

If shipping a tree seems impractical or overdone to you, we suggest stuffing care-package items into a “holiday gift delivery system,” or an HGDS (staying true to our military vernacular). And we have found the perfect one to do the job.

Former Marine Bob Gilead wanted to make his Marine daughter’s holiday a special one. In 2004, he got creative and designed the CAMOSOCK stocking. We know the service member in your family will love his own service’s version. (See them all online at http://www.camosock.com.) Filled with candy, comforts from home, pictures and other themed ideas such as movie-night accessories or sports paraphernalia, the HGDS can add something extra to this year’s celebration.

If you’re lucky enough to have your service member home for the holidays, consider sending care packages to your friends and relatives instead of traveling. Fight the urge to join the craze. Jennifer says it best: “It helps the kids and [me] to remember that these are days of celebration, ... no matter where you are, and no matter who you are with.”

That is the right attitude for a happy holiday season. And that is our wish for all of you.

SOUND OFF: How do you celebrate?