This is a re-publish from my website as I switch over to the series of blogs. I thought this one was worth transferring over as the holidays will be sneaking up on us before we know it and a lot of these programs you need to look into ahead of time.
Halloween is over and we are on the downward slope to Thanksgiving and Christmas. My how time creeps up on us. Instead of looking joyfully towards the holidays, some military families find themselves wondering how they are going to afford making the holidays special for their children when they are already living paycheck to paycheck…especially larger lowering ranking families.
There are several organizations-such as the USO, Army Community Services, and Operation Homefront- that offer Thanksgiving Food Baskets and/or Christmas Gifts to families that find themselves in need of a little help. These programs differ per base and usually have guidelines specific to the programs; so, anyone interested would need to see what is available on their base. Some common guidelines are rank restrictions (some are geared to the ranks of E-6 and below), must be referred through the military unit, or that a soldier must be in a status such as deployed or wounded warrior in order to participate. Regardless of your rank or status, if you are an interested military family you may find out information about the programs available in your community through your unit commanders, Family Readiness Group, or my seeking resource referrals through Army Community Services. Many reserve and guard components also have special programs geared directly to them. Some of the deadlines that I have seen are by November 15th…so, don’t delay if this is something that you are interested in.
Your family may not be in need of financial help, but just in need of a little holiday cheer. Military bases can be a great place during the holiday season, BUT you may have to keep your eyes peeled for the activities. Common activities that I have seen on base are Christmas Tree Lighting ceremonies that usually include performances and an appearance by Santa Clause, holiday parties for children sponsored by the USO, family holiday parties sponsored by Picerne (the privatized housing contractor on many bases) or the Enlisted Spouses Club, special musical performances, or breakfasts with Santa Clause. If you really keep your eyes peeled you can even find special military performances such as the USO’s Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes- last year’s performance in Washington D.C. was snowed out and it looks like this year’s performance in New York City is already filled, but this is something great to keep on your radar for future years. There are other regional military sponsored Christmas programs or performances as well as local attractions that offer military discounts.
To some this article may just be a repeat of information. I wrote it because there are a lot of people who are new to the military and do not realize what offers are around them. The second reason is that I know that many people, me included, have years where the holidays rush up on them…maybe you are dealing with a change of station, a deployment, or maybe it is just regular life that crept up on you…so, this is the “Hey-the holiday season is here!” reminder. Countdown: 3 weeks until Thanksgiving and 51 days until Christmas…hope you’ve made those lists and are starting to check them twice- it is time to start shopping!
*Another program available to lower ranks is a holiday hotel program through the USO that provides a hotel room to accommodate family members that may be coming to visit them.
**Personal note- I think that most people have their high and low points in life. Do not feel ashamed utilizing one of the resources available to military families for the holidays. Later, when you are on your feet with more rank and better finances, you can pay it forward by donating to the military families that are just starting off.
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