Thoughts on Christams presents....

[Anti M]

It is that time of year, when gift giving is on the minds of many. What to give a sailor?

Honestly I don't have an easy answer, because there are as many answers as there are sailors! We all know the basic answers: nothing in boot camp, in school it all depends, on a ship they have no room. The standard answers become socks and food and NEX gift cards. I never suggest electronics, especially once they are in the fleet. They have spending money now and access to the NEX... and if they're in a place such as Japan, I promise they can and will buy things you've never even heard of. Rack packs are cool, but they may not be allowed to use them. Same with blankets and quilts, it all depends. Cute Navy teddy bears? Challenge coins? Sure, the first year or two, not so much as they get further into their career. You should ask your sailor, and then try to think creatively when they tell you they don't need anything, LOL.

I've been thinking about my holidays in the Navy. All my life has been Navy, and even when Dad retired, we moved a lot and still lived overseas. I have spent Christmas in a hotel room in Paris, in Iran, in boot camp, in Diego Garcia, in Japan, in a truckstop, so many places! Mom always made sure we had a tree, stockings and gifts, even when dad was far away. I got a lot of dolls, they were portable and mom liked to make doll clothes. I think I got more gifts when dad came home from deployments than at Christmas! Somehow the ornaments followed us around and stayed remarkably intact. I still have a couple "store bought" ones from the 60s, and a handful of homemade ones. Mom sewed our stockings, I still have mine. She crocheted us new ones years later, and yes, I have those too. When I was a sailor, that was the one thing I missed the most, unstuffing my stocking. I even bribed shipmates to fill one for me one year.

I was trying to think of gifts I got when I was away from my family. My brother would send me silver jewelry he made himself, or really weird things he'd find in thrift shops he thought I'd find funny. Mom would send little cute things like tiny Hallmark ornaments and always something she had crocheted for me... tiny starched snowflakes! Of all things I didn't need but loved so much...her snowflakes. She would send lovely underthings and once a gold anchor on a chain. And socks, LOL. Homemade cookies and treats? Not so much. My MIL would send packages with candy from hubby's hometown, that was great. Really though, the stuff she chose from the dollar store was just stuff. I could tell she was getting us things just to have gotten us things. I finally begged off, saying we didn't have enough room in our tiny house in Japan. I think we were both very relieved to stop exchanging things just to do it. As for the rest of my family, I talked them into cards with pictures... I kept those and have them in a box still.

My husband was also in the Navy. I'm addicted to jewelry, and he was able to shop places like Hong Kong and the gold souks of Baharain and Dubai. The man has good taste. Sadly, he rarely could wait until Christmas to give me these things, but he managed to wait a few times. LOL. We celebrate Solstice, so we're a bit casual about the date we exchange gifts. With hubby driving truck now, sometimes we don't get to be together at the right time, just like in the Navy. we make do.

Let's not talk about my first husband, poor man was incapable of choosing a gift without a specific list. He hated Christmas, I don't think he ever had a happy one as a child.

I think that's one of my themes... put some thought into it! Then it doesn't matter if it is small or big, fancy or simple, expensive or cheap... show you know their heart and care enough to think about them when you're choosing a gift. Things which reminded me of home were special too. Personalized stuff can be great, you can order all kinds of things with family pictures on them now, and make personalized books. Perhaps a small story book about their pet? I know that sounds like something for a little kid, but we all still are kids at heart!

Some sailors pretend it isn't Christmas at all, if that's the way they cope, try to respect that. It is hard though.

Do talk about gifts with them, try to find out what family traditions you can bring to them while they are far away. Hot chocolate and carols? A funny tiny tree with ornaments that look like the ones you have at home? The favorite Christmas movie or storybook? The chocolate orange? Lebkuchen? Does it have to be a surprise to be fun? Can you send something to share with their shipmates? Donate to charity instead?

LOL, I think the Navy things are more fun for the moms than the sailors.... but I could be wrong!

Thanks to listening to me ramble on.