<p>Please share your care package strategies: What do you send? How often? Have your offerings changed over time? </p>
<p>We are sending something more or less weekly, but hoping to taper off as D gets more settled in. For this first semester, she has made it clear that anything from home is a real spirit-lifter, so we're keeping the mailman busy. We've found that it almost doesn't matter what's in the package -- it's the thrill of getting it that counts -- and that it's better to include 5 small items in a box than one large one.</p>
<p>I'm afraid that our first packages were heavy on candy, and we've been moving more toward healthier treats; dried fruit, nuts, sunflower/pumpkin seeds, and the grandparents sent turkey jerky. On a whim, I sent a little box of assorted teas along with a cheap-o mug that I picked up, and she absolutely loved that. </p>
<p>We include a little toy sometimes, or some gum. If I think of it when I'm at Starbucks, I grab one of the free i-tune cards. She's always loved stickers so I send those as well, and noticed a couple of them decorating her laptop when she was home for Thanksgiving. And DH is continuing his long-standing tradition of clipping comic strips to share with her -- they have the same slightly warped sense of humor.</p>
<p>I’ve always sent my nieces things like funny fuzzy socks or those cute but really inexpensive gloves now that the weather is getting colder.</p>
<p>I recently sent my son a pair of polar fleece pants, a hat and three pairs of identical cheap gloves…and easyMac, gum, cookies, a package of mechanical pencils, and a $10 itunes gift card.</p>
<p>I am getting ready to send the second package. I found some inexpensive fleece gloves and socks at target as well as some small holiday decorations for her room, hand cream and some candy. I try not to send too much junk food.</p>
<p>We send the Royal Riveria pears from Harry and David - once in November and once in December. They are pricey, but healthy and she LOVES them! Even though her school has frequently been ranked in the top 10 in the nation for their food, she says it is hard to get ripe fresh fruit other than apples and bananas. You can get free delivery by going to Gift Basket Delivery: Send Gifts, Fruit & Wine | Harry & David by December 16. </p>
<p>We’ve also sent dried fruit, iTunes gift cards, fluffy socks, small holiday decorations, and small holiday themed gift bags (with holiday candy, personal kleenex, lip balm, etc.) for D and her roommates.</p>
<p>I also try to just write her a letter weekly. Life at home isn’t too exciting, but I include what is going on around the neighborhood and around town. I go through old photo albums and select a photo from when she was younger and copy that onto the bottom of a plain piece of copy paper. If it is around Halloween, it might be a photo of her at age 5 in a wizard costume, etc. I just try to make sure that she has something in her mail box at school at least weekly (not sure she checks it any more than that!).</p>
<p>Wonderful story - We have a friend who is in his mid 60’s now. He was from the midwest and somehow ended up attending Williams College. He had never been away from home and really has no recollection of how he ended up attending a school so far away. He took the train from home to school (long trip!) and was horribly homesick his freshman year. He said that he got a letter from his mother EVERY DAY of his freshman year. Amazing!</p>
<p>We send the most expensive package that school offeres to send during Final Exam week. It is waste, D does not eat few fruit there, the rest is garbage. However, I like to decorate little card included in this package. When we ask D. if we should continue wasting about $70 for packages like this, she said that she really loves them, and then I saw that she is keeping my decorated card, which she told me personally that she loves a lot. Well, since she is very hard working student, we will continue doing this little thing that greatly lifts her spirits during demanding time.</p>
<p>Somethings I have sent:
Craft supplies to decorate dorm room/halls/doors for the holiday - did this before Valentine’s and when I went to visit the whole hallway was decorated with the stuff I sent!</p>
<p>Christmas - supplies to make/bake/decorate cookies. Buy the Betty Crocker sugar cookie pouch (I think they just have to add an egg and a stick of butter), a couple of cans of frosting, sprinkles, sugars, cookie cutters.</p>
<p>Card making supplies - again, probably a girl thing, but girls tend to do more celebrating of b-days of their friends at school - so scrapbook paper, markers, stickers, etc.</p>
<p>Pick a theme and you’ll think of lots of ideas!</p>
<p>Just LOVE the idea of multiple identical gloves…if he wore them. He uses pockets to keep his hands warm. Loves hats and toques though.</p>
<p>Have sent 2 packages so far. The first sort of for Halloween, home baking, decorations, treats to share and the second to arrive just before he came home for TG, with small Xmas decorations, hot drink mix, a hat, socks, dark chocolate, individual canned mandarin oranges and a couple of T-shirts.</p>
<p>We’re going this weekend to see him in end-of-semester performances, so will also replenish his Jamba Juice card and the Starbucks’ as well while we’re there. Maybe the Metro card too.</p>
<p>Tea, cocoa, homemade cookies, hand cream, and foot cream are always appreciated. Magazines for reading when they should be doing homework. A gift card from a cafe on the college campus. Last time I send paperback books to read on the flight home.</p>
<p>flavored coffees and cocoa and stickers and markers and crayons and a coloring book or two. Sent her some beads for some reason (she’s crafty) and i-tunes cards…popcorn and when she was sick sent grandma’s soup, which I heard about on CC, but warning, it comes frozen and she couldn’t get it to unfreeze in the fridge until she was already better. Fortunately she found this funny.</p>
<p>Comic books and things like that…she likes this kind of stuff.</p>
<p>My family doesn’t send care packages but my mom did bring me a huge box of hand warmers once that was seriously appreciated, I am hoping she’ll get me the ones for your shoes for christmas. For girls, stuff to decorate is a good idea, too. My roommate and I want to decorate our door for christmas but I can’t justify the expense, and it’s sad not to see any holiday decorations anymore. I think cheap DVDs would be cool, too, I’d really like that.</p>
<p>I can assure you it really is the thought that counts, just put in whatever you think your kid might like or whatever looks interesting in the store. It’s nice to know we’re still being thought of even though we aren’t home anymore. I got a package from my sister the first month of school and felt so loved. Especially since nobody else had gotten any mail yet. :P</p>
<p>How about birthday? What do you parents do when your DD or DS has birthday coming and they are at school? I am thinking about calling local shop to deliver some ballons to our DD’s dorm room but don’t have much info on how and where to contact? Any ideas in Boston/Cambridge area? We are going to give her a belated birthday party when winter break starts but still want to do something special to cheer her up in the middle of final exams week.</p>
<p>s is a senior now and we too have tried to move to healthier foods in his packages. I’ve sent him apples from local orchards and plan to send the Harry and David pears. Sometimes we send clothing items (we buy “walk by” things for him at costco). I sent him a swine flu kit earlier this year with hand sanitizer, tea, herbal immunity enhancers, cough drops and some healthy snacks.
We don’t send stuff that often. I should try find time to do it more. S reported that his gf’s parents sent him a nice box recently with treats and gift cards. Wow.</p>
<p>crosscoast, my son is also in Boston. Just celebrated a big birthday and he went out to dinner with a friend. We sent a care package and some money. The one thing I have sent mail order is Grandma’s chicken soup. It is pricey but he loves it and raves about the challah bread. He is in an apartment doing his own cooking so this might not work if yours is in a dorm.
Also it is hard to send some things i.e. flowers, etc because he is in a secure building with no doorman. UPS has to ring his apartment and he has to come down to sign for packages. When he was in the dorm there was a proctor but they weren’t allowed to sign for things and everything goes to a central place so no flowers, etc.
You might need to find out ahead of time about delivery to the dorm.</p>
<p>Can anyone tell me how those reed diffusers work? I imagine they are a disaster if they get knocked over accidently? I was wondering if I should that new Febreeze thing with the battery operated ‘candle’ and the scented shades. Those tiny double rooms with 2 guys needs something for the air!</p>
<p>Timely thread!! I actually just got back from the post office…I mailed a package to my D in Boston packed with wintry, holiday themed goodies to lift her spirits since it’s getting colder out and the end of term stress is looming. </p>
<p>I sent her some snowman stationery and snowflake stickers to use to write to her 8 yr old pen pal, some fuzzy candy cane striped socks from Bath & Bodyworks, Bigelow Winter Lemon Body Lotion & Shower Gel & Peppermint Lip Balm, Kleenex tissues in a festive holiday box, fun thermal pjs from Victorias Secret, a small decorated & lighted silver tinsel tree, Celestial Seasonings tea with honey & cinnamon sticks, Ovaltine & mini marshmallows, pistachios and raisins. I also sent a musical card with a couple of Starbucks gift cards inside so she can treat a friend or two for the holiday if she wants. </p>
<p>I usually send at least one package and a card per month–either timed around a holiday or if there’s something stressing her like a big project or paper and I think maybe a “hug” and some encouragement from home will help her get over the hump. </p>
<p>When I send food now, I am definitely sending healthier things compared to last year–ricecakes instead of chips, and dried fruits and nuts instead of candy–she doesn’t want to eat too much junk food anymore.</p>
<p>Oh, and MidwestParent (post # 4) --That is a NICE treat!! I love those giant H&D pears, too (we get them for the holidays here) but my D will have to wait til she comes home to have some!!</p>
<p>Maybe it’s because I only have boys, but I have to laugh at the OP’s statement that she sends something weekly. Even with reminding them, my sons wouldn’t remember to pick up their packages at the campus post office. As for Harry and David pears, they’d sit there, rotting away, unclaimed! Oh, if only I’d had at least one girl!</p>
<p>I feel your pain cleveland…mother of 2 sons.
Sent S1 a pkg. at beginning of freshman yr after reading so much about them on CC.
He told me not to bother sending more…too much trouble to go pick it up.
I think his exact words were something like, “I didn’t move to Egypt. I can get all that stuff here,you know”. I never sent another one. He has since graduated.</p>
<p>I did send a “care package” of sorts yesterday. S2 emailed to say he couldn’t find his socks at sch. and would I mind checking his room at home for them. Not only did he leave his socks but also underwear and t-shirts all still lying in the drawer. So I boxed them all up and headed off to the UPS store.</p>
<p>Alas! Mothers of boys unite! As I was reading this thread, all I thought was “how cute!” Stickers, room fragrances, lip balm. Sorry, my son wouldn’t relate. (I hear you cleveland!) </p>
<p>When I went to his school for Family Weekend, I discovered this: the food gone. although some half-eaten bowls of raman noodles forgotten. The expensive face cream I bought for his super, dry skin…untouched. The snuggly I bought…still in its plastic wrap. </p>
<p>BUT, he was enjoying the boxes. Some of the boxes were cartons of Sam Adams (a perfect size). He was stacking those as a display. Some other boxes he’s using for some kind of a floor mat or construction thing. Clearly, he might not love those Christmas decorations I wanted to send, but he devoured the food and loved the boxes.</p>