Care Package Question

[sweetvanity]

Originally Posted by CCArmyWife I haven't made a care package yet, we still have a few months left before he leaves. But honestly, I would spend hours decorating something for him to throw away if it was going to show him how much I care, and how much effort I am willing to put into a gift for him. I think that every little gesture will help keep the morale up while they are gone. It's worth a few hours and planning of my time to make my DH know he is loved.

furthermore, when i was dealing with deployment spending time and planning carepackages is what kept me sane. i love sending a little extra piece of my heart along with the contents. and yeah-- the boxes get burned, but so what? and it was fun for exDB to open them because he looked forward to seeing what i'd come up with that month!

[PrOuDaRmYWiFe08]

I understand where you are coming from, all my boxes I get attached to and almost all them get thrown away (except for the very few I tell him he has to keep ) But really that doesnt bother me. For me decorating his boxes is like therapy. When I get really sad and down I decorate a box, and it helps me know that it will brighten his day! Now if I didnt have the extra money, I wouldnt go out and spend money on decorations but for me its worth every penny! And lets admit it, its just plain FUN!!! I to decorate! Maybe you could give 1 a try and see if its for you, it might not be and thats ok! DH said I am the only one who decorates the boxes, so aparantly its not for alot of women!

[Samantha89]

Originally Posted by dollface Good question! I thought about that long and hard before I prepared my first decorated package...I was thinking why the hell am I going to spend all of this money on something that it going to be thrown away...sounds absurd right! I did it because it is theraputic for me. It allows me to express my thoughts and emotions through art. I don't expect him to keep any of it. Its my way of sending a message to him. He could care less but seeing it I think lets him know that I am thinking about him, I care about him and what he is doing out there, etc. by taking the time to prepare this for him. Similar to a nice meal...I go out of my way on say Thanksgiving to make a nice meal...taking my time to prepare and decorate cakes and pies, produce a beautiful bird, decorate the house and/or tablescape all to basically get eaten and destroyed but I still love doing it because it sends a message that I care. Not everyone says I care through art and that is fine...its just my personal way of showing my love. I hope that made sense.

This is what I was trying to say......but was kinda unsuccessfull

[Experiment 626]

1) It's fun. I'm a stay at home mom and gives me something to do to break up my very "scheduled" day with my one-year-old

2) It lets my husband know that are I care about him and I'm thinking about him. Yeah I could just send him a box with whatever he wants/needs in it, but that doesn't take any real thought. Just an ability to follow directions/instructions. But when I decorate the boxes and get him fun stuff to go with the theme, it's more special to him because I put in actual thought, time, and energy in to his care package.

3) It makes the other guys jealous. And he loves it. He loves me and he loves having the wife that every other guy wishes they had in that moment when he opens up that box. It makes him feel special. More importantly it makes him grateful for having me as a wife. I know I don't have to worry about him seeing another guy's package and thinking to himself "I wish my wife did that". I know full well that he can't keep the boxes that I send him but I still send them. His happiness, especially while deployed, is so much more important to me than anything else. If it makes him happy for a week, well than it's completely worth it to me and I know I didn't waste me time or energy

[Cassanoodle]

I am not a very crafty person. And I don't like spending a lot of money on decorating, because I know DH would rather have that money put towards bills or things we need. I decorate them but I don't go all out like some people do with the scrapbook supplies and stuff. I normally just use construction paper, markers, and stickers. My care packages never look like works of art like some ladies do on here but he still likes them!

[redhead_navygf]

Originally Posted by Cassanoodle I am not a very crafty person. And I don't like spending a lot of money on decorating, because I know DH would rather have that money put towards bills or things we need. I decorate them but I don't go all out like some people do with the scrapbook supplies and stuff. I normally just use construction paper, markers, and stickers. My care packages never look like works of art like some ladies do on here but he still likes them!

Mine's usually done with acrylic paint (from my other painting projects), markers and printer paper with a little tape. I'm the same way because I'd rather put the money towards bills and saving.. and DF understands that but because I use so many things that around the house, I save a fortune on decorations.

[dollface]

I forgot to add that if I can't find the supplies on clearance, then I will not decorate because I still have a hard time spending $$ on something that will be thrown away. I got all of my scrapbook paper on clearance for a penny each and the sticker stuff was all under $1. It was awesome...the only thing that cost more than $1 was the glue. So this care package cost me less than $5 and I priced a regular one and it was $15-$20 so I think I did pretty damn good

[Honeybee]

1. I enjoy it. I love decorating it and making surprises for him when he opens it. It makes it so much more fun than just "oh here's some stuff you need". It makes it a present and an awesome surprise as to how I decorated it. I love putting the time and effort into it to make him happy.

2. He loves seeing it. He loves showing it off to the other guys and making them jealous. He loves being able to show off what a great girlfriend he has and how much effort I put into just a box that he'll throw away. He loves seeing my handwriting and just knowing that I spent time putting it together. He loves looking at it and thinking about me sitting at home working on it. It makes him feel closer to me seeing the things I've made and touched.

3. We both get excited for when he gets them. The package is more than just the things he needs, it's a present and therapy for me. I put bits and pieces of myself in whatever way I can into the box and when he gets it, it's like for a brief moment we're together.

I love decorating my boxes. If it's not for you, don't do it. As Rose said, every couple has their own style.

[LittleRed]

I don't decorate. I don't have the time, and I feel it's a waste. K specifically asked me during this deployment not to send more than one decorated box, because he would want to keep it if it was decorated, he only has room to keep one, and he'll likely need one to send things home.

I also find it mildly offensive that someone would think I'm "settling" for not decorating my boxes, or that K is "settling" by not being with someone who decorates them. Some people decorate and some don't. There's nothing wrong with either.

[Taylor]

I decorate because it's therapeutic for me. I like to express my feelings, and taking the time to decorate a box with a certain theme is doing that. It's one of the only ways I can physically show DB that I care about him and miss him. By taking the time to decorate each box and put thought into the contents, I'm showing him that he's still a big part of my life, even though he's not physically here with me.

If you do or don't decorate, who cares? s Do whatever works for you and your partner.