Christmas on the USS INGRAHAM

[Matt's Mom/Cathy]

Moms are you ready to start Christmas shopping????

 

Our adoption for October is the USS Ingraham.  There are 201 sailors serving aboard this frigate -

191 males and 10 females (all officers).  As we all know it is very difficult to be away from your family during the holidays so after speaking with our contact we have decided to brighten up these sailors holidays by helping them celebrate Christmas.

 

We can send Christmas decorations such as small trees, battery powered lights and wall decorations.

I would like to see each of them receive a small stocking (6")  filled with candy or small items and a candy cane for Christmas morning in addition to our other packages.  What do you ladies think?

They requested very few things but could use sunscreen and lip balm since the weather is hot where they are deployed.  Microwavable meals would be a big hit with the crew also.  Most of them are into games, movies and sports and could use some new items to pass around.

 

The Captain is onboard with anything that will boost the morale on her ship and they are grateful for the support from home and will appreciate anything we do for them.  They enjoy seeing the smiles on the faces of the sailors when they receive mail and care packages from home.

 

Since this is a small group could we get enough of the small Priority boxes filled so that every sailor onboard would have a box to open for Christmas plus a pillowcase and a Christmas card?

 

Okay moms what fabulous ideas do you have to help the USS Ingraham celebrate Christmas this year?

 

191 Males

10 Females

 

Check in with Nancy on We Stitch Love if you can help out with the pillowcases.

Pillowcase count - females 10 DONE

                              males 191 - we have 191  DONE

Our count as of 10/13

Nancy - stocking for the Captain

Molly - stocking for our POC

Molly - 2 energy drinks for each sailor

Susan - Christmas stories

 

Small Stockings - Total needed 201

      Great job Pam we have enough stockings for everyone on board!

Pam - 200+  MAILED

 

 

Small boxes -  We need 201

                        We have 201!!!!!!!!! 

Molly - 16 plus POC stocking, energy drinks and Pop chips- mailed

Evi - 8 plus decorations  mailed

Kim - 10 plus snacks, suncscreen & lip balm  mailed

Pam (GM Mom) - 24 mailed

Nancy - 8 mailed

Chowchow - 16 plus cards mailed

Pat L - 24  mailed

Susan - 8 mailed

Julie - 8 plus cards & decorations  mailed

Laura - 12  mailed

mominPA - 8

Kat - 14 mailed

mombyheart - Homemade cards mailed

Proud Navy/NYPD - 1 female mailed

Matt's Mom - 9 female plus two boxes of decorations and a gingerbread train kit mailed

Packing Party in San Antonio - 35 mailed

Diane - 10 boxes of treats

I know several of us have bought items to ship but not sure how many small boxes it will work out to be so I will change the numbers as we pack them up.

We have several moms sending blank Christmas cards for the sailors to send to their families and several that will be sending Christmas decorations.

 

The shipping dates will be October 21 - 26 and the address is posted in MAS We Ship Love and mark the boxes "Christmas" or we could write "Don't Open Until Christmas".

[MomByHeart]

I am making small bundles of xmas cards for the sailors to send to their families/friends.  I am putting 4 different cards/envelopes together and making about 25 sets.  I suppose I'll just post a message on the outside of my package saying something like -- "blank xmas cards; open before xmas" and hope someone reads what it says.  Anyone have a better idea?

[chowchow]

Ok I will try this again I can't believe it I hit some button and lost my message.  Just thought you all would get a kick out of that.  As far as the christmas cards in small bundles good idea and thats what I will do unless I hear different and mark it blank cards as well.  As far as Sunscreen & lip balm let me check at work as I work at a hospital and can sometimes get deals on this stuff and with it going to the sailors I can see the pharmacy getting into that.  So let me check and I will send a large box or two filled with small boxes as well I just need to go check what I can get along with a box filled with stockings.  Am I understanding that the stockings are to be prefilled before we ship or do we want to leave the candy canes and candy separate from the stockings for shipping.  Help me out I think I'm getting it.  Thanks for all the help.

[Molly Molly Fo Folly]

your getting it fine chow ---this is exactly how we do this, we just chat and work it out together :)  ha ha ha no real diagram we ever follow, we just see what seems to fit !! 

MATTS MOM what are we doing here do we want the stockings stuffed with candy and one for each or do we just want to do stockings empty and boxes full of candy's ??   

 

mombyheart ---that sound perfect (funny ---you know how they say dont open until xmas --we say open before xmas)  

[Susan mom to Niko]

You can send all the blank cards to the ATTN for the CHAPLAIN...  they are the ones that pass out the blank cards...  gives them a casual chance 'encounter' with the sailors so they can see/ask how they are doing!!  I just sent a box of cards for all the holidays and misc just hello cards to the Chaplain from one of the ships my son has been on.

[Matt's Mom/Cathy]

chowchow that would be great if you could get sunscreen and lip balm from work.

It will make it much easier on our POC to hand out if the stockings are pre-filled.  So we will do one pre-filled stocking for each sailor on board.

[PAM (GM MOM)]

Ok, so we are trying to do a stocking and a gift box for everyone, is that right?  I am going to get 6" stocking tomorrow that way I can do more of them than I could doing the 12".  I have gotten movies and games to put in each of the small boxes and so far have enough for 10 boxes.

[Matt's Mom/Cathy]

Yes Pam you are right. One box and one stocking for each sailor.  They will love the movies and games.

[PAM (GM MOM)]

Does anyone know where you can get candy canes?  Every place I have asked has said no Christmas candy until after Holloween, which is too late for shipping.  Any ideas?

[Matt's Mom/Cathy]

Pam I will do some checking after I get off of work and let you know what I find.  If not candy canes maybe the peppermint

sticks?

 

We Stitch Love has committments for half of the pillowcases that we need for our adoption.  If you sew and can help out let Nancy know. 

[Molly Molly Fo Folly]

Ok I cant find a large Stocking shoot i cant find stockings yet (dollar tree) or candy canes either ---will continue to check daily as I am seeing them start putting the xmas out !!!   cards are out so far ---

[chowchow]

Ok I checked on the sunscreen and the lip balm the price doesn't seem to be much different than what we can get at a store and they are unable to supply very large numbers.  They allowed me to order 15 of each and will have by the end of the week, but they told me that was all they could do as they supplied the Joplin Tornado Victims this last summer and the supplies are cut.  They felt bad, but that too was a good cause.  So sorry I was hoping I could get alot of each.

[Matt's Mom/Cathy]

I went to a couple of stores today and I found candy canes.  They are watermelon or blueberry flavored 12/$1.  I will keep looking and see if I can find any other flavors.  If anyone has a problem finding them I can always send as many as I need to.

Thanks for trying chowchow I am sure whatever you send will be appreciated.