Holiday Cheer- Abroad and Near

The holiday season is the busiest for travel. So many people return home to spend Christmas with their families, including many U.S. troops. Yet, hundreds of thousands of military personnel also remain on deployment over Christmas time in order to continue keeping our country safe. They forgo celebrating with their families on Christmas day. They relinquish the luxury of enjoying the comfort of home in frosty weather– all for the sake of serving and protecting. Fortunately, many of the troops still create a bit of Christmas magic both for their own sake and for the sake of others. 

Over the years, Military members have made celebrations of their own for Christmas. They make due with what they have, rely on their unit to come together, and often have supportive families to bolster their efforts. 

Here’s 3 ways in which the troops celebrate this jolly season:

1) Special Holiday Meals and Events 

While celebrations vary from base to base, most units put on some variation of a party. Some have Christmas 5ks or 10ks in the morning. Other units decide to spend the day in pajamas, Santa hats, or full-on costumes. Hot chocolate may be served along with other holiday sweets. Soldiers call their families and have the time to relax. They may play board games, sing carols, have contests, and do whatever else they please to make the time merrier. 

Army Specialist Elijah Clay, a current Vanguard student, shares that, “Generally there will be a committee of volunteers, and they plan the party. They like to throw in company fundraising activities into the festivities. Sometimes the event will be themed; for example, last year we themed the Christmas party as a ‘casino’ night, with blackjack and poker with fun money.”

For more serious observances of the holiday, there are also church services available at the chapel on base. These services may include singing, a spiritual message and even candlelight ceremonies in some cases. 

To top off the entire day is the most anticipated holiday dinner. While normal food in the Military can be downright distasteful and problematic for one’s intestines, troops tend to get all the holiday fixings for Christmas. 

 

Photo Credit: US Army

 

2) Inventive Decor 

Christmas decor can be tricky for the Military depending on where they are located, but they get creative with it. It has become easier over the years in some ways, as companies like Amazon make buying decorations more convenient. However, even the surfaces and areas troops have can make hanging ornaments a challenge. They use what they have available and handcraft what they can. Make-shift or artificial trees are commonly used and it’s not too rare to have lights and other baubles as well. 

Staff Sergeant Peter Kosearas, an Air Force Veteran at Vanguard, stated that, “If we had the means we would try to make things festive. Like a Christmas tree made of dip cans.” 

 

US Marines decorating a tree before a lighting ceremony on Camp Fuji, Japan

Photo Credit: Cpl. Ronald Parker II/US Marine Corps

Even in areas of the world that don’t celebrate Christmas, troops find a way to make it happen, using whatever is available to them. Some personnel have experienced the locals putting on Christmas celebrations or wishing them a merry season just for the sake of the troops. At times, there’s even the unique opportunity to go swimming or scuba-diving in the warmer parts of the world.

In packages from home, families may even send them miniature trees and other decorations that they can use. 

 

3) Family Care Packages and Presents 

A huge part of Christmas is family. Receiving care packages and presents from family is a great morale booster. Packages include items like self-care products, Christmas-themed candy and decor, homemade goodies and, of course, presents! 

Sergeant Robert Buchanan, a Marine Veteran at Vanguard, recalls, “I was always blessed to get many care packages, so sharing what I got with my platoon was always rewarding.”

Anything reminiscent of life back at home is a comfort to those stationed far away. Sometimes, it’s important just to know that you’re cared for by someone. 

Chris Caroll, a Marine Veteran and Coordinator of Veteran Affairs at Vanguard, recalls, “My cousin, a US Marine, would bring two or three guys up with him because they’re from back East; a 96-hour liberty (4-day weekend) is not necessarily enough time to fly home. So, my mom would buy actual presents so they’d have presents to actually open on Christmas day.”

Additionally, there are many nonprofit organizations that help provide for Military personnel and their families around the holidays. 

Whether it’s make-shift decorations, celebrations with their military unit, or receiving gifts from home, Military members find ways to make their own Christmas bright.

❄☃❄

In addition to celebrating Christmas themselves, the Military is also known for giving back to the community and world at large at this time of year. They have begun many generous programs that serve the needy and make it a special holiday for children. 

 

Here are 3 Christmas giving initiatives, you might not have known, that are run by the Military: 

1) NORAD Santa 

The big, jolly man dressed in red that brings presents for girls and boys on Christmas has a tall order every year to fulfill. Children wonder how he gets it all done in one night. They often question the ‘magic’ behind Santa and his flying reindeer. The North American Aerospace Defense Command provides a bit of proof for Santa Claus that puts smiles on millions of children’s faces. 

Their website NORAD Santa and the app track Santa’s flying route the night of Christmas Eve every year. Children can play Christmas games, watch videos of Santa’s sleigh arriving in different parts of the world, and even call in on December 24th for updates. It’s been a tradition for the Air Force to do this in 1955 when it began by a fluke. 

As the U.S. Department of Defense explains, “NORAD tracks [Santa] via globally-integrated satellites using their infrared sensors. Normally, those sensors allow NORAD to see the heat from launched rockets or missiles. As Santa flies around the world, satellites track his position by detecting Rudolph’s nose, which gives off an infrared signature similar to that of a missile.”

So, be sure to track Santa’s journey this year to join in the Christmas magic!

 

2) Operation Christmas Drop

As the Department of Defense’s longest-running humanitarian airlift operation, Operation Christmas Drop gains more traction every year. It was even featured as a movie in 2020 on Netflix. The operation drops Christmas packages to more than 50 remote Micronesian islands around the Pacific out of their cargo planes using parachutes. These packages include many critical-need items such as clothes, school supplies, fishing equipment, and rice. They also include Christmas toys for the children. 

 

Photo Credit: Air Force 1st Lt. Jade Watkins

 

Volunteers from every branch of the service as well as their families and other civilians help with receiving donations, sorting them, and finally packing the boxes. Then, Anderson Air Force base is used as the primary location for several different partnered aircrews to take off from. These drops also serve as a good experience for Military personnel to learn about airdrops and provide a template for natural disaster relief in the region. 

 

3) Toys for Tots

In its 75th anniversary this year, Toys for Tots has been a way to spread local Christmas joy to children. The Marine Corp began this initiative in 1947, with one with Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks and his wife Diane. Diane handmade several dolls and asked Hendricks to deliver them to an organization that supported needy children. When he couldn’t find an agency, they created one!

Toys for Tots has local campaigns in over 800 communities, which covers all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. They collect toys for families that can’t afford to provide any for their children. To this day, they’ve distributed 627 million toys.

Toys for Tots boxes can be found all over the U.S., but for those in Costa Mesa, you don’t have to look far! Vanguard University’s very own Veterans Resource Center is doing a Toys for Tots Drive until December 16th. Come drop off new, unwrapped toys for children in need at Layne 123 or at the GEO office!

  As Veteran Army Sergeant DeAnna Riggs puts it: “The meaning of Christmas for me is giving someone something they can not obtain that would help their life. Some people cannot help themselves but would jump over a bridge for someone else. And that’s most people in the Army. The best thing I ever did with my life was serve in the army. I wish I was still into this day. It was the only time I felt like I made a difference. The army made me who I am. You have to go through the hard stuff to truly enjoy what you have.”

Remember this winter season to appreciate our troops, as they give up their holiday for your freedom and work toward making others’ Christmas magical. 

To learn more about Holiday traditions in the Military visit: https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/Holiday-Troop-Traditions/#christmas-drop-content