Military Holiday Gifts

• Military gifts must be packed carefully to avoid damage. Creative Crop/Digital Vision/Getty Images

  Selecting holiday gifts for members of the military stationed in places such as Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan is a challenge because the U.S. Department of Defense restricts certain holiday gifts such as alcoholic beverages, sexually explicit items and horror comics. The traditional U.S. parcel post package deadline for the holidays is Nov. 12 while the more expensive post office Express Mail Military Service has a shipping deadline of Dec.18. To avoid security issues consider creating a holiday gift box instead of wrapping individual gifts. Items shipped to desert regions will face temperatures of over 100 degrees and because of the remoteness of some areas; the department of defense recommends using reinforced packing tape and labeling all holiday gift items with the recipients address.

Entertainment Gifts

• Entertainment holiday gifts for military personnel include magazine subscriptions, books, small hand held games, music CDs, extra batteries and DVD movies. Non-profit organizations such as Take a Soldier to the Movies create movie packages for the troops that are easy to make. To create a movie gift box, pack a new DVD and include packets of sweetened powered drink mix, movie theater hard candy and microwavable popcorn. Avoid sending chocolates--it melts at high temperatures.

Handmade Items

• Anyone who enjoys knitting can make personal items that provide extra comfort to soldiers in the field by knitting wool helmet liners, gloves, socks and scarfs. These items help keep soldiers warm during the winter months and provide comfort in the field. The organization Packages from Home provides a free knitting pattern for a helmet liner along with recommend yarns to use.

Personal Gift Items

• Favorite treats from home such as hard candy, trail mix and dried fruit are welcome items for holiday gift boxes. Avoid items that melt at high temperatures or need refrigeration. The U.S. Department of Defense does not recommend sending homemade food items since they lack the preservatives needed to stay fresh in extreme temperatures. Holiday gift boxes containing small packages of cooking spices are useful holiday gift when spicing up Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) in the field. A welcome gift for use in the field is a flannel sleeping bag liner for warmth. Other field-friendly items include travel sized personal hygiene items such as deodorant, dental floss, foot care products, eye drops and shampoo.

Phone Cards

• In the military, contacting someone one is difficult since international calling rates apply. Family contact is so important for the moral of military personnel that organizations such as the USO have developed calling card campaigns to give soldiers calling cards. Consider purchasing multiple international phone cards, as a gift as a lifeline to home. International phone cards come in a variety of price points and minutes.