It’s that glorious time of year of holiday movies. We all have our personal favorites that we go to every year – and you might even have that precious DVD or VHS! The digital streaming world has totally changed the holiday movie world, and now many more are at your fingertips.

What are you watching this holiday season? From new classics like Elf to tried and true stories like Miracle on 34^th Street and Home Alone – they are all here. Check out this list below with all the fabulous holiday movies for all ages from 0 to 99+, and where to find them this holiday season.

Amazon Prime

• A Bad Mom’s Christmas
• A Christmas Carol
• A Christmas Story
• A Muppet Christmas Carol
• Arthur Christmas
• Babes in Toyland
• Christmas with the Kranks
• Curious George A Very Monkey Christmas
• Deck the Halls
• Die Hard
• Elf
• Jack Frost
• Jingle All the Way
• Home Alone
• Home Alone 2
• Home Alone 3
• Mickey’s Christmas Carol
• Mickey Once Upon A Christmas
• Miracle on 34^th Street
• Peppa Christmas
• Prancer
• Smurfs Christmas Carol
• The National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
• The Polar Express
• The Santa Clause
• The Santa Clause 2
• The Santa Clause 3
• The Star

Disney Plus

• Arendelle Castle Yule Log – not a movie, but adds a fireplace ambience with your tv!
• Babes in Toyland
• Cool Runnings
• Disney’s A Christmas Carol
• Duck the Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special
• High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special
• Home Alone
• Home Alone 2
• Home Alone 3
• Ice Age A Mammoth Christmas
• I’ll Be Home for Christmas
• Jingle All the Way
• LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special
• Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon A Christmas
• Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas
• Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas
• Noelle
• Olaf’s Frozen Adventure
• Once Upon A Snowman
• Pluto’s Christmas Tree
• Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish
• Santa Buddies: The Legend of the Santa Paws
• Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups
• Snowball Express
• Snowglobe
• The Christmas Star
• The Disney Holiday Singalong
• The Mistle-Tones
• The Muppet Christmas Carol
• The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
• The Santa Clause
• The Santa Clause 2
• The Santa Clause 3
• The Search for Santa Paws
• The Ultimate Christmas Present
• Winnie The Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year

HBO Max

• A Christmas Story
• A Dennis the Menace Christmas
• A Sesame Street Christmas Carol
• Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
• Deck the Halls
• Elf
• Four Christmases
• Fred Claus
• Jack Frost
• Miracle on 34^th Street
• National Lampoon Christmas Vacation
• Once Upon A Sesame Street
• The Polar Express

Hulu

• A Very Brady Christmas
• A Very Minty Christmas
• Christmas with the Andersons
• Christmas with the Kranks
• Curious George A Very Merry Christmas
• Dear Santa
• Deck the Halls
• Elf
• Holiday in Handcuffs
• Ice Age A Mammoth Christmas
• Jingle All The Way
• Last Holiday
• Miracle on 34^th Street
• The Holiday
• The Mistle Tones
• The Happiest Season
• Prancer

Netflix

• 48 Christmas Wishes
• A Boy Called Christmas
• A Christmas Prince
• A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding
• A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby
• A Cinderella Story Christmas Wish
• An Elf Story
• A Family Reunion Christmas
• A Princess for Christmas
• Alien Xmas
• All I Want For Christmas Is You
• Angela’s Christmas
• Angela’s Christmas 2
• Blown Away Christmas
• Christmas Catch
• Christmas with A Prince
• Christmas with a View
• Christmas Wedding Planner
• Elf Pets – multiple movies
• Elliot The Littlest Reindeer
• Father Christmas Is Back
• Klaus
• Jingle Jangle
• Happy Holidays from Madagascar
• Holiday Rush
• Holiday in the Wild
• Holidate
• Mariah Carey’s Merriest Christmas
• Midnight At Magnolia
• Miraculous: A Christmas Special
• Nailed It Holiday
• Operation Christmas Drop
• Prince of Peoria: A Christmas Moose Miracle
• Spirit: The Spirit of Christmas
• Sugar Rush Christmas
• The Christmas Chronicles
• The Christmas Chronicles 2
• The Great British Baking Show Holidays
• The Holiday
• The Holiday Calendar
• The Knight Before Christmas
• The Princess Switch
• The Princess Switch: Switched Again
• The Princess Switch 2: Romancing the Star
• Trolls Holiday
• White Christmas

Paramount Plus

• A Fairly Odd Christmas
• Bob the Builder Christmas
• How the Toys Saved Christmas
• Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas
• Loud House Christmas
• Happy Christmas
• Santa Hunters
• Surviving Christmas
• Tiny Christmas

Peacock

• 3 Bears Christmas
• A Cinderalla Christmas
• A Doggone Christmas
• Aliens First Christmas
• Curious George A Very Merry Christmas
• Dr. Seuss The Grinch Musical
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas – 1966 cartoon
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas – 2000 Remake
• Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol

The beauty of streaming is now you can take the movies on the go – and even to the gym. Who hasn’t wanted to watch Die Hard while on the rowing machine or on a break from lifting weights? What? Die Hard isn’t a holiday movie?  I beg to differ!

Tis the season for holiday sweets and treats. Chances are you have the traditional cookies that you bake with your family every year. The smell fills the kitchen providing that sensory memory of baking with your family and friends. Traditions are important, but it is also fun to mix up the cookie baking with fun and new recipes. While you may have your tried and true cookie recipes, check out these three recipes this year to try. Consider bringing them to a cookie exchange, or share them with a neighbor. Even if you don’t eat them, you are still providing a sweet treat this season.

Red Velvet Cookies

These cookies are the perfect time saver cookies because they are quick and easy to make. They only require 4 ingredients: Red Velvet Cake Mix, Oil, Eggs, and White chocolate chips. They may not have the typical seasonings of the season but they sure look the part with their red and white coloring.  

Directions:

1. Mix together the red velvet cake mix as instructed including the oil and eggs. Make sure the mix is fully combined. You can use whatever oil you desire.
2. Add in 1 cup of white chocolate chips. Coat these with a little bit of flour to ensure thorough distribution in the mix.
3. Bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes, time is dependent on the size of the cookie. Make sure the cookies are set before removing them from the oven.
4. Let cool for 5 minutes before putting on a cooling rack.

Stained Glass Cookies

These cookies take a bit more time but are stunning to look at in addition to being just darn scrumptious. Make your standard cookie sugar recipe, and add a little pizazz with these cookies. You can even gift them as ornaments, or even gift tags with writing in edible ink. These are fun to do as an assembly line getting the entire family involved in the process.

Ingredients:

• Make your standard cutout sugar cookie recipe
• 1/3 cup – ½ cup of crushed hard candies (ie: jolly ranchers, rock candy, any hard candy you prefer)
• Cookie-cutter – one large and one medium of the same shape

Directions:

1. Once you make your sugar cookie recipe, make sure your dough is tough enough to withstand cutouts. In most recipes, there will be an addition of a little bit of flour so you can cut the cookies into shapes and they will withstand the heat in cooking and remain in the shape.
2. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least one hour. This also makes the cutouts easier to make.
3. Roll the chilled dough to about ¼ inch thickness.
4. Cut out the cookies with the large cookie cutter.
5. Within the cut cookies, use the smaller cookie cutter to cut out in the inner shape.
6. If you want to gift these cookies as ornaments, use a toothpick or skewer to put a hole in the top of the cookie.
7. Put all the hard candies into a sealed plastic bag. Crush up the cookies using whichever method you like – a rolling pin works well too.
8. Into the well of the cookie, place the various colored hard candy.
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 375 F on a Silpat lined baking sheet. The baking sheet will allow for easy removal of the cookie once it is baked.
10. Once out of the oven, let cool before putting a ribbon in the ornament hole on the cookie.

Candy Cane Meringue Cookies

These cookies provide a quick peppermint bite in cookie form. As meringue cookies, they require longer baking periods at lower temperatures.

Ingredients:

• 3 large egg whites (make sure there is no egg yolk in your mix, or your meringues won’t rise properly – a tip heard often on Great British Bake-off)
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• ¾ cup sugar
• Crushed peppermints
• Possible additional ingredient: if you want to add a pop of red to your cookies, you can add red food coloring

Directions:

1. Beat egg whites to add air. Add in cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. When you pull out the beaters, the egg white peak slightly bends.
2. Once the soft peaks are achieved, slowly add in the sugar a spoonful at a time. (It helps to sing A Spoonful of Sugar while doing it for all parties involved). Once all the sugar is added and mixed in, keep mixing until stiff peaks appear. This means the peaks do not bend when put on the end of the spoon or beater.
3. Fold in crushed peppermint pieces. Be careful not to remove all the air just you just put into the egg whites.
4. Fill a pastry bag with the egg white mixture to pipe onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or spoon onto the sheet. If you want to add food coloring, add the drop of coloring to the pastry bag.
5. Bake at 225 F for 50-60 minutes, checking halfway through to rotate the cookie sheets to different racks.
6. Once cookies are firm to the touch, turn the oven off and leave in the oven with the jar slightly ajar for about one hour for slow cooling.

While these cookies may not be the first ones you turn to this holiday season, they are delicious, easily gifted, and great fun to make!

If the smell of fresh pine and glowing lights from those green boughs get you in the holiday spirit, you might be looking for a fresh Christmas Tree this holiday season. The cost might be a limiting factor while you try to stay within the budget for an already expensive month. As military families, there is an organization developed to specifically deliver holiday cheer with free fresh trees to military families – Trees for Troops.

About Trees for Troops

Trees for Troops, a program of Christmas SPIRIT, has been around for 16 years. In 2005, FedEx partnered with Christmas SPIRIT with the goal of bringing Christmas Trees specifically to military families. Since 2005, 262, 265 farm-grown Christmas Trees have been delivered to military families across the United States and overseas! FedEx assists in delivering these trees to over 70 military bases around the world!

The organization works with Christmas tree retail outlets that commit to collecting donating trees. This year there are 55 locations that have committed

How to Get a Tree

All donated trees will be picked up on December 6^th and delivered to military bases over the following 2 weeks. To see if your base is getting a delivery, check this link for a map or check the list below.

All branches of the Armed Forces are represented in donation sites.

The following Air Force Bases will be receiving donations:

• Little Rock AFB
• Edwards AFB
• Travis AFB
• JB Anacostia Bolling
• MacDill AFB
• Robins AFB
• Dobbins ARB
• Minneapolis Air Force Reserve Base
• Whiteman AFB
• Niagara Falls ARS
• Altus AFB
• Shaw AFB
• Ellsworth AFB  
• JBSA Lackland
• Hill AFB
• Francis E. Warren AFB

The following Army Bases will be receiving donations:

• Fort Rucker
• Fort Huachuca
• U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground
• Fort Hunter Liggett
• Fort Irwin
• Fort Carson
• Fort Benning
• Fort Gordon
• Fort Stewart – Hunter Army Air Field
• Rock Island Arsenal
• Fort Riley
• Fort Campbell
• Fort Knox
• Fort Polk
• Fort Leonard Wood
• Fort Bragg
• West Point
• Fort Drum
• Fort Sill
• Fort Bliss
• Fort Hood
• JB Lewis-McChord
• Fort McCoy

The following Marine Corps Bases will be receiving donations:

• MCAS YUMA
• MCAGCC Twentynine Palms
• MCLB – Barstow
• Camp Pendleton
• MCAS Miramar
• MCRD San Diego
• Camp Lejeune – New River
• MCAS Cherry Point
• MCB Quantico

The following Navy Bases will be receiving donations:

• Naval Submarine Base New London
• NSA Panama City
• NAS Jacksonville
• NAS Key West
• NOTU Cape Canaveral
• NAS Mayport
• NAS Whiting Field
• NAS Pensacola
• Naval Station Great Lakes
• NAS JRB New Orleans
• NAS Meridian
• NCBC Gulfport
• Naval Weapons Station Earle
• NSA Mid-South
• NAS Corpus Christi / Kingsville
• NASJRB Fort Worth
• JEB Fort Story
• NS Everett

The following Coast Guard Bases will be receiving donations:

• USCG Base Los Angeles Long Beach
• USCG TRACEN Petaluma
• Sector Humboldt Bay
• NSB Kings Bay
• PPC Topeka
• Base Cape Cod
• Sector Buffalo
• Sector North Bend
• SAS Corpus Christi
• USCG Base Portsmouth
• Base Seattle

Donate A Tree

The Christmas Spirit Foundation is able to provide Christmas Trees for military families thanks to donations. Donations can be done online and off here.  You can also select the Christmas Spirit Foundation as the organization you want to donate to through Amazon Smile. Through the Amazon Smile program, Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of what you purchase to the organization.

If you are Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, and Wisconsin, you can also visit these retail outlets to buy a tree and donate it if you visit before December 6th.

November and December are full of excitement and busy schedules. These are also times of increase in cost burden. There are holiday meals, presents, and travel over the holidays that add stress and increases expenses on an already tight military family budget. Add in the stress of deployments and workups, it can be a lot for military families to take. There are two organizations that want to express their thanks to military families with holiday meals and toys for military children.

Operation Homefront – Holiday Meals

Operation Homefront’s Holiday Meals program was born out of a chance meeting a military family in a grocery store. The military family didn’t have enough money to cover the groceries on the conveyor belt and began to take items off when the person behind them gave them the money to cover the cost. That person was Ken Ruff, Vice President for National Accounts at Beam Suntory. After that, Ken presented to the Beam Suntory leadership the idea of partnering with Operation Homefront for a holiday meal program for military families like the one he helped in the grocery store in November of 2009. The program has grown since then to include more sponsors and volunteers to support a vast number of military families across the United States.

The Holiday Meal event is open to– Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve, post 9/11 wounded, ill, or injured service members actively serving and no longer serving in the military and transitioning service members within 12 months of their discharge. Some events restrict the rank to E1-E6, some are open to all ranks so be sure to check out the details for the event nearest you. Events are filling up, so make sure to check them out and sign up for the waitlist if interested.

To find a holiday meal drive near you, check out this page.

Operation Homefront – Holiday Toy Drive

The holiday toy drive from Operation Homefront extends the holiday spirit to the children of military service members that meet eligibility criteria. To be eligible to register for this event, check out the details specific to the event of interest. Some events are open to the service member must be E1-E6 active duty and some are open to all ranks. In most cases, all events are open to post 9/11 wounded, ill, or injured service members actively serving and no longer serving in the military.

These events are very popular and fill up quickly as they start at the beginning of December. Check the page to see if there is a local event near you. At the time of this writing events in Colorado are full, but events in New Orleans, select locations in California and North Carolina are open.

Donate to Operation Homefront

If you want to donate to Operation Homefront to support military families around the United States through their programs, donate here.

Soldier’s Angels – Adopt-A-Family

The Soldier’s Angels program is well-known for Treats for Troops, and also has an Adopt-A-Family program.

Eligibility

The program is open to all families of deployed service members, families of Post 9-11 wounded, ill and injured and veteran families enrolled in HUD/VASH programs.

– Deployed service members must not be scheduled to return from deployment prior to December 25, 2021, are E1-E6 rank, and demonstrate financial need

– Post 9-11 wounded, ill, or injured service members or veterans must have proof of wound, illness, or injury and demonstrate financial need

– a veteran family enrolled in the HUD/VASH program must provide a letter of eligibility and demonstrate financial need

How to Apply

Families need to register for an account on Soldier’s Angels and complete the requested documents.

Adopt-A-Family

If you are looking for a way to support a military family this year, you can register to adopt a military family this holiday season. By registering to adopt a family, you are committing to giving gifts for every child and a grocery gift card to assist the family with the cost of a holiday meal.

There have been numerous news articles on the expected shipping delays that will affect this holiday season. The effect of the shipping issues is already being seen in the blank spaces in grocery stores and strange mail delays from online shipping retailers. While the news states that these delays will lead to a less joyous holiday season, it doesn’t have to be the case. You don’t have to give things this holiday season – you can give time instead.

Annual Passes

Chances are as a military family you have moved in the last few years. Time to check out your new locale but support local, and give the gift of time through an annual pass. Is there a museum, zoo, aquarium, historic home, or theme park near you? Consider getting an annual pass for your family. This allows you to explore at your own pace. Bonus if you are tired, or the kids are acting up, you can go home without feeling guilty that you spent all that money on tickets and then aren’t staying the whole day. An annual pass allows you to plan time together as a family. If you have an annual pass to a large zoo, plan days to just see mammals or birds or amphibians. If you get an annual pass to a theme park, stick to one land a day as a fun way to explore without stressing about doing it all. Use the annual pass at the historic home to check out the home during the different seasons to learn about that historical time period during that season. Annual passes support the local business themselves, and in getting passes to local aquariums or zoos you are often supporting the larger organizations to support wildlife around the world.

Day Trips

If an annual pass is not your speed, plan out day trips locally as a gift this year. You can get tickets, if they don’t expire by the end of the calendar year, and plan out an itinerary. Consider even asking for leave on those days now so you can commit to taking those day trips together. Want to spend a little less? Check out the National Parks near you. There are no-fee or low-fee passes for active military and veterans and can be used at any National Park. Plan out hikes or even overnight camping. The fact is time goes by quicker than we think it does. It’s already the holiday season this year, so let’s plan out a time together. You don’t have to limit this to just family. If you have local friends you want to gift an awesome gift to, consider planning out time together on a hike or meeting at a local favorite spot. Have family coming to visit in the coming year, gift the itinerary for a day trip all planned out – and when they come to visit purchase the tickets. It’s less stuff to ship, and in general, time together is why the family is coming to visit you in the first place.

Volunteer

Consider volunteering as a family this year. If you aren’t sure where to start, look on base. Organizations like the USO, Blue Star Families or Operation Help A Hero may be on your local installation and looking for volunteers to help with the programming. This supports the local community and ensures the spirit of giving in your family.

Give Homemade

There is nothing more personal than sharing a family recipe with others. Consider writing the recipe card down and sharing a mix of the item. Layer the items for cookies or brownies in mason jars and include the recipe so the item can be made, and the recipe is kept and repeated. Gifting to a large group of people at work? Consider mason jars filled with homemade hot cocoa mix. You can even add little marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, or mint chips to mix up and provide a variety.  Giving the gift of homemade is giving your time, effort, and the item. The heartfelt gesture is sure to be appreciated.

Photo Albums

The best part about this one is that is can be done and gifted no matter where you live through the gift that is technology. Build a photo album digitally with pictures of your friends or family and send them the link. Let them choose what they would like in regards to photo album size and then ship directly to them. There is still shipping involved, but they can enjoy the link digitally. Or if you prefer, build an album with just the files like Google Photos. You can jointly share the photos and enjoy reflecting on the time together.

Giving time through these items isn’t just kind, but also budget-friendly and in many cases eco-friendly. How will you give time this holiday season?

Whether you are doing a Do-It-Yourself/Personally Procured Move (DITY/PPM) or a government move, there are many ways you can save money when preparing for your next Personal Change in Sanity, er, I mean, Permanent Change of Station. If you have orders for six months from now, preparing now will save you time, energy, and money.

Budget

Figure out the budget you want to stick within, and stick to it. The best way to make a budget is to be informed. If you are moving, call around to multiple companies that offer storage and shipment – ABF U-Pack, UHaul, PODs, and PackRat. These companies offer different-sized storage units to ship your items. They each offer calculators on their websites to help you estimate the size storage crate you need to pack up the goodies of your home so you can make an informed budget. Don’t forget to account for packing materials and boxes in your budget. Moving companies also can get you quotes on moving help for moving the heavy furniture.

Borrow

Borrow equipment like a dolly to move boxes. Borrow people if a neighbor offers to help you move boxes for an hour.

While not strictly borrowing, keep your eyes peeled for boxes being put up for curb alert. Gather boxes of all sizes not just for packing your own things, but also for creating walls in the packing unit to create stability. Boxes can be used for protecting items like frames or pictures, even if you are not moving. Check with local grocery stores for large boxes they may be recycling. It’s technically borrowing if you use them for your move, and then put them up for curb alert at the next duty station.

Be Creative

Use what you have in your home for packing. Using what you have saves money and time. Use towels or blankets to provide padding around dishes in addition to paper. Use small boxes you have on hand to pack up small items or breakables to make sure they are protected while shipping. Repurpose the small plastic shoebox containers to pack up small toys to keep them together. Wrapping paper also makes great paper for wrapping items that are being shipped to your next duty station. Regular packing paper is best for wrapping items that need to be stored long-term, but making do with what you have for items that go direct from shipping point A to point B.

Be Resourceful

Whether you are doing a Personally Procured Move (PPM) or Government Move, know what reimbursements you rate. Temporary Lodging Expenses (TLE) is an allowance covering lodging and meal expenses while occupying temporary lodging as part of the PCS. Moving CONUS to CONUS, 10 days of TLE is rated while to and from OCONUS moves rate 5 days of TLE. Other reimbursements like per diem and house hunting may be authorized. Check out the Defense Travel Management Office website to check out the reimbursements, rates, and what you may rate for your move.

The military is having you move, do not be afraid to ask for the military rate at the hotels you may stay at before, across your move, and after. Don’t forget about military hotels on base! They may even have larger temporary lodging with large kitchens to cook a homecooked meal and a washer and dryer for laundry – a cheap rate plus the ability to refresh your suitcase is a win!

Giving Tuesday this year is occurring on November 30, 2021. The day is designated as a day for generosity – a day to donate to the organizations you hold close and desire to uplift. There is no amount too small or too large to donate to the nonprofits on Giving Tuesday, and well any day of the year. This year consider donating to organizations that support the military families and military community. They provide resources, comfort in times of need and support. Check out these organizations this Giving Tuesday.  

The American Legion is an organization that supports active duty service members as well as veterans, military families through scholarships and sports.

The Armed Services YMCA, or ASYMCA, supports military families on base and off with retreats for military children at a reduced cost, food supplies, clothing, and toys to children. Not to mention the programs for youth and teens. You can select to donate to the ASYMCA near you or to the larger organization that can share the donations to where it is needed.

Blue Star Families supports families around the U.S. with programming for military children and their families. If you have ever gone to a museum with free admission in the summer for the military, that is thanks to the joint venture of Blue Star Families and the National Endowment for the Arts. The organization also does annual research to determine what the needs of the current military family are and shares that with legislators in Washington when policies are discussed.

The Fisher House Foundation provides free or low-cost lodging to active duty military and veterans who travel for medical treatment and military treatment facilities. It’s like the Ronald McDonald House for military families – anticipating the needs of the military family.

The Gary Sinise Foundation offers unique programming to active duty military, veterans, their families as well as first responders and their families. If you have watched Forrest Gump, then you are familiar with the character Lt. Dan. Gary Sinise is the actor for that part and after the events of 9/11, he wanted to do more to honor the military and first responder families impacted. In 2011, the Gay Sinise Foundation was formed. From their RISE (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program, Relief and Resiliency program to outreach programs like concerts put on by Gary Sinise himself, the Foundation supports military families in various ways. You can even give in a bigger way by creating a fundraiser if donations alone don’t seem like enough.

The Honor Flight Network is back to providing flights to veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials of their respective wars. They use donations to cover costs of flights, hotels, food, and lodging for the veteran and the help they need while traveling.

Hope for Warriors is a nonprofit that supports wounded combat veterans and their families and the families of those killed in action. For the combat veterans and their families, their focus is on the transition out of the military, health and wellness, and connections to resources in the community.  Health and wellness includes caregiver support in addition to helping the wounded combat veterans. For those who have lost family members, the organization supports and provides resources within and outside the military community.  

The National Military Family Association supports the active duty military family with programming like Spouse Scholarships, Operation Purple Camps for military kids, Operation Purple Family Retreats, and Operation Purple Healing Adventures for the military family. Being headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, they also advocate for policies in Washington that directly affect military families like childcare, food insecurity, and healthcare coverage for young adults. 

Operation Help a Hero supports military families through various programming like OHH Baby Showers, Operation Enduring Support, OHH Camp Joy, Comfort for the Caregiver, Operation Rack Pack (providing supplies to returning military from deployment), and Operation Christmas Spirit, just to name a few. In addition to donating money, you can donate time to volunteer through your local programming.

The Semper Fi & America’s Fund aids through programming and support to combat wounded, ill, and injured service members and their family members, and veterans from all branches of the Armed Forces. Healthcare case managers and visiting nurses are just part of the team that makes up the Semper Fi Fund.

The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or TAPS, provides support, resources, and programming to the military family grieving the loss of their active duty military member. TAPS holds programming like Good Grief Camp, in addition to seminars and retreats for adults and youth throughout the country.

The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation was founded in 1991 and has continued to aid children in need across the United States by providing toys at Christmas. You can donate unwrapped, sealed toys or funds to help purchase toys. It’s a donation that provides cheer during a giving season.

The USO is known as an ambassador to active duty military families dating back to World War II. The organization provides programming through their local chapters that support their local community and unite community resources with the military family. They welcome military units back from deployment, provide programming to military children and even host a Santa’s Workshop for military kids to shop for their parents. All the programming differs based on the branch, but you can search which USO branch is near you to learn more.

Giving Tuesday is a great time to show support for your military community in a way that supports them, and may even support your family! Where will you give to you on Giving Tuesday?

There are several articles on how to decorate and what to include in a package to a deployed service member. They need and desire the comforts of home, and this is something that should be shared. The other group who enjoy care packages from home are the military families serving overseas. While there are amazing places to explore and new foods to try, it is nice to get a taste of the American home every now and again. If you have military friends living overseas, curate a care package for them with a taste of home with these items.

What To Send

What to send depends on the friends you are sending the package to. If there are favorite items from a local store that they enjoy, send those. Here are a few suggestions of items that those who have lived overseas or are living overseas enjoy:

–Chick Fil A Sauce – while there are plenty of copycat recipes out there, there is nothing quite like the real deal. Now there are even bottled and sealed bottles of sauce that can be purchased at grocery stores and Chick Fil A branches. Whether you are sending sauce packets or bottles, make sure to seal them in plastic bags to avoid leakage from ruining the entire contents of your bag.

– Local Coffee – If your friends are caffeine aficionados, it is fun to send some local treats. Make sure the bags or canisters are sealed. If you are sending grounds, place the bag or canisters in a plastic bag to catch any loose grounds that may escape with shipping.

– Local treats – Like local coffee, if there is a local candy or chocolate shop, support the small business near you and send some fun treats. Even if your friends are living in a location with good chocolate, it doesn’t mean they won’t enjoy something different from home.

– Spice Mixes – While Armed Forces living overseas do have Commissary privileges to purchase American products, the long period of shipping sometimes leads to empty shelves from shipping delays. Making homemade spice mixes in little jars is a nice way to share a personal touch along with providing a sometimes-needed item. If you are sending glass jars, make sure to cushion the items. Cleaned peanut butter containers are plastic, seal well, and can be used in lieu of glass. Again, make sure to put the jar in a plastic bag as pressures in shipping can sometimes lead to loose lids.

–Comfort Treats – If your friend enjoys tea, or a certain cookie they may not be able to get where they are currently living, it is a nice gesture to include these in their package.

– A taste of where you are living – Include a couple of other local treats to showcase where you are currently living. Maybe a BBQ mix when living in the south, or a locally made candle (be sure to seal it). Sharing a piece of where you currently call home is a fun way to keep in touch with your friends no matter where they live.

What NOT to Send

It should go without saying, but going to say it for old times’ sake. Do not send any alcohol, cigarettes, loose batteries, hazardous material or any fresh item that will go bad before its arrival in your boxes. If you are sending items with batteries in it, it is best to send it in the original sealed packaging for safety.

Don’t Forget to Decorate

If you are sending seasonal treats in the box, decorate the sides of the inside of the boxes with seasonally appropriate stickers. Write jokes on the inside of the flaps for a fun addition – don’t forget to add the punchline on the flaps as well! Decorate the outside sides of the box with drawings and stickers as well – just be sure to leave the address area clear of clutter so the address can be read easily.

Don’t Forget the Customs Form

When sending items overseas, a customs form must be included. Even if you are sending to armed forces overseas who are receiving mail through the military post, it is leaving the United States mail and everything must be declared. The package will go through the United States Postal Service and then change hands to a military post. The military post then ships the mail to the appropriate location when moving other goods to that base. Make sure to check the USPS guidelines for what items can be mailed internationally and specifically to that country. You will need to know the item types and approximate cost. No need to write each item individually. You can group items like “books” or “coffee” with approximate costs on each line.

Within the military community, TRICARE is known for the health coverage for active-duty families and their dependents. It is the constant coverage for medical and mental health benefits.

When a service member retires, does that coverage change? If the service member retired with benefits and retains TRICARE coverage, then TRICARE covers the retiree and their dependents.

Before the age of 65

When service members retire with benefits, there are several eligible health care plans to choose from. TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Select, US Family Health Plan (depending on locations), TRICARE for Life and TRICARE Select Overseas are options, depending on the location of the service member and other eligibilities. For example, a retired service member is only eligible for TRICARE for Life before the age of 65 if they are eligible for TRICARE and they have both Medicare Part A and B. Most military retirees utilize TRICARE Prime, meaning they are near a military base that they are able to receive medical care at, or TRICARE Select, meaning they are using TRICARE to be seen by civilian providers whether they are near a military base or not.

What is covered?

Mental Health coverage for retirees under the age of 65 is similar to those on active-duty service utilizing TRICARE for coverage. What is covered by TRICARE’s plans is covered here. This includes rehabilitation therapy, family therapy, intensive outpatient programs, and partial hospitalization therapy. This does not mean that there are no out-of-pocket charges for these treatments. On the whole, there is a contracted rate with in-network providers that accept the rate that TRICARE will reimburse for this.

What isn’t covered?

There are several exclusions for what TRICARE does not cover. Notably, counseling services like nutritional counseling, stress management, and marital therapy are not covered by TRICARE. For active duty service members, there are other resources that can be utilized to provide these services if needed. The full list of what is not covered is listed here.

What if the services needed are not covered?

If marital therapy is needed and it is not covered by TRICARE, a referral to family therapy from the primary care provider may help get this covered. Family therapy is a covered benefit when it is used for the benefit of the individual’s mental health. Other ways of receiving marital counseling may be available through a place of worship. Non-denominational churches may offer affordable counseling services. Veteran’s Affairs hospitals and clinics often have a chaplain on staff or within their network that they can refer to as well for counseling.

What about over the age of 65?

Once Medicare-eligible individuals read the age of 65 and are entitled to Medicare, the beneficiaries are automatically enrolled in TRICARE for Life. This means Medicare becomes the primary payer for medical costs. TRICARE will become the secondary payer, or the last if the beneficiary carries another health care insurance.

What does this mean for mental health coverage?

For beneficiaries with TRICARE for Life coverage, Medicare becomes the primary payer. This means that Medicare helps pay for and cover the following:

• Depression screening by a provider
• Psychiatric Evaluation
• Individual and group psychotherapy
• Family counseling, if the main purpose of treatment is for the individual
• Medication Management

Whatever costs Medicare doesn’t cover, can be billed to TRICARE. Traditionally TRICARE covers mental health services that are medically required that include:

• Psychotherapy, to include individual, group, and family/joint sessions
• Psychological Testing
• Medication-assisted treatment

What is NOT covered by Medicare or TRICARE in regards to mental health coverage

• Art Therapy
• Music Therapy
• Dance Therapy
• Occupational Therapy

The only time these therapies would be covered is if they are part of a medically required inpatient, partial hospitalization, or intensive outpatient program which are covered.

What are the costs?

Of the services listed above, the only 100% covered service with no cost to the individual is the annual depression screening by a provider. For every other service, the individual pays 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. This copay can be submitted to TRICARE for Life for coverage, and they may reimburse for that cost.

Don’t Forget Telehealth

Tricare has partnered with Telemynd for online counseling and mental health services. This telehealth partner covers all TRICARE eligible beneficiaries for services without copays or co-shares. Telemynd does not require a referral or authorization as of this writing. They can provide counseling for grief, stress, work, family issues in addition to depression and anxiety.

While it isn’t always easy to understand where to go for services, there are some covered services available for retirees. Always ask your primary care provider for options and services too as they know your local area. Mental health is part of your physical health.

Parents of school-age children have never expected to have to decide on school options during a pandemic. But here we are. After a year and a half of virtual school, or mixed virtual and in-person, parents were able to send children in-person to school full-time with a mix of emotions. Did this mean that there was a change in schooling and safety during the pandemic?

Masks

Masks have become a daily habit. They are part of the daily checklist – backpack, water bottle, lunch, mask. Whether we go to the grocery store or school, masks are required. But not all schools are alike in mask practices. Several parents shared that their schools are practicing “mask breaks”- students take the masks off for a period of time every hour or so. Other parents shared that students are allowed to remove masks once at their desks, and only are required to wear the masks when walking. Mask requirements when outside is mixed as well – some schools requiring masks when outdoors for recess or sports while others do not require masks when outside at all. Some schools require masks on buses while others do not.

Separation

When schools returned to partial in-person schooling last school year, students were often put in “A” and “B” days so fewer students were in the classroom allowing for 6 feet in between each student. With the return to school with full classrooms, the ability to separate by 6 feet is not feasible with classroom size and student numbers. To balance this, some schools have grouped students into “pods” so those students are always together while allowing for separation from others. Some schools have returned to the normal spacing while requiring continued masks or plastic dividers to minimize the spreading of respiratory germs.

Hand washing

While there were always sinks in bathrooms at school (or one would hope), now there are the additions of hand sanitizer stations seeded throughout schools. Students are encouraged to wash their hands between activities to lessen the potential of spread. Hand washing in younger ages has been discussed much more than a typical year –that one may be a win.

Closures

Per the CDC guidelines, after any COVID exposure, the exposed individual must quarantine to ensure no signs of symptoms for 10-14 days. There is a variety in schools for time out of school as well. Several parents noted that their school had a requirement of 10 days out of school for a school-based exposure and a 14-day out-of-school requirement for an out of school-based exposure. While the difference in time out of school does not inherently make since you cannot differentiate strain of COVID by location of exposure, it is the school district policy. Some schools require negative testing to return to school which can be difficult for students who may have had COVID as the tests can remain positive for a period of time after active infection.

If a teacher becomes positive that was around the whole school, the entire school closes. Some school districts have lessened this possibility by limiting activities like art and music to being done virtually by a teacher with the students in their respective classrooms. This seemingly keeps children and teachers in “pods” which lessens exposure risk.

Vaccinations

At the time of this writing, the COVID-19 vaccine is approved and available for ages 12 and up. Historically, some vaccines are required for children attending school unless waived by a healthcare provider. Vaccines like the flu vaccine are not required. With the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for lower ages, some pressure would be expected for vaccination given the pandemic, but with the flu vaccine not being required it was not expected to be a requirement. But the COVID-19 vaccination may be mandated for all children old enough to receive it. Notably, the Los Angeles Unified school board voted that all students 12 and older are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by January of 2022 in order to attend in-person schooling. At the time of this writing, the school district does still offer virtual schooling. Other school districts are following suit with families or teachers mandating vaccines for their students and teachers. There is a waiver available for medical or religious grounds.

All this to say – no two school districts are alike. This comes down to school funding and the ability to accomplish all safety measures.

Parenting is never an easy task. Add in the pandemic with its new information daily adds a new element to the game of parenting. Ultimately, with all of these measures, each family’s comfort level is different. Some families prefer masks outside and inside, some families only use masks inside. Some families are more comfortable to hugs, while others prefer fist bumps. That is okay. Practicing what safety measures you are able to and are comfortable with are the best you can do. Can we all agree that handwashing practices are important and that when little Tommy wipes his nose with his hand we don’t want to high-five him after?