Need creative ideas needed for deployed troops

[Cristy]

I know what a creative group this is and I need your help. My deployed son is asking for fun or gag gifts for his 18 troops so they have something to open on Christmas day. I believe I have enough handled bags at home. I can pick up "penny candy" and wrap in sandwich bags. Any great gifty ideas? Thanks.

 

[Darcy03231]

My friend has sent her son some "toy" kind of gifts. One that went over really well was a whoopie cushion. After several months her son asked for another one. Evidently they wore the first one out!

Another hit was small battery operated remote control cars (they were slightly bigger than a matchbox car).

 

[Jedana]

My friend sent her Navy husband a bag of Green Army men to play with.

 

[Magical Mama]

Just saw whoopie cushions at the target dollar spot! Large sized ones! What about like the over the door basketball hoop and ball sets, I think the dollar store carries those. I'm sure many "fun/gag gifts" could be found at dollar store. Like the ball attached to a paddle, small and something to do. I'm sure those types of things remind the guys of back home and being kids.

And please thank your son from all of us Disers for his sacrifices for us!!! Greatly appreciate all they do!

 

[Mickey2903]

Screaming Flying Monkey. I read about this on the Dis last year and bought several as stocking stuffers. They were a huge hit, probably more with me and my DH. Amazon has them and here is a link:

http://www.amazon.com/Slingshot-Fly...&qid=1353860050&sr=8-3&keywords=flying+monkey

 

[shortbun]

My friend sent her Navy husband a bag of Green Army men to play with.

Very funny! Do this for sure!!

 

[kathyinfl]

slinky, rubic cube, playing cards(with SpongeBob or similar silly characters), Yatzee, Uno, BopIt small one, match box cars with track, playdough or silly putty.
Check out Michael's $1 aisle. Cute things.

 

[cel_disney]

We have the screaming monkey! It's a big hit here for ages 3-93 and was from a 30 someone year old...I think it would be a great addition! And the woopie cushion or two is also great! The game left- right- center is a lot of fun and small...you can also throw in a small bottle of shampoo or soap...and maybe a deck of cards and small squirt gun???

I think that you could individually wrap each toy and put them all in a single box for your son to distribute for opening....maybe with a Santa hat

 

[DisMie]

Hi! Please thank your son for his service. My fiancé has been deployed a couple of times and I became known for the silly stuff I sent I definitely recommend silly string, bubbles, water balloons and squirt guns. Silly string was the biggest hit! I also sent those silly glasses with the nose and mustache attached. I just went to the dollar store and found the silliest things I could find that I thought they would enjoy.

 

[danygirl]

you might want to call the local uso, they send boxes all the time and they might have some good ideas.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Magic 8 ball
Nerf guns
Magentic brain teasers(look like twisted paper clips)
Water guns/balloons
Race car track and hot wheels
Remote controlled cars/trucks
Board games
Dvds include movies and old school cartoons
"crazy" magazines like cat fancy
Slinkys/rubic cubes/legos
twin size cartoon sheets
Cartoon charcter tooth brushes

You can put a small something in each bag/box and then pack them all in a large box for shipping. I would send smaller toys wrapped and then with a label for my husband to put the name of the solider on. I would then send many large tins of candy and cookies to share.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

I recently made my friend's deployed husband a care package of fun stuff from iparty. Silly Putty, a finger soccer game, trick magic cards, pixie sticks, pop rocks, gummi bears... I forget what else.

Today I got (at Goodwill of all places) a can of "instant snow". It looks like a small soda can with a pop top. It has the fake snow stuff you mix with water to make "snow". We thought was pretty funny for a guy stuck in the hot desert.

 

[michellejed]

Thank your son for his service!
When my daughter was deployed I sent her water balloons and play dough, bubbles and fun wigs, strings of lights and ornaments.
She shared with all her guys and sent pics home of them having fun.

I would warn to get these out ASAP, mine took 6 weeks!!! And she was in a remote forward zone. Hopefully your son is by a big base.

 

[MrEVILdrPorkchop2u]

As someone who has spent several Christmases in Iraq and Afghanistan, some of the best things I was sent during the holidays were:

Christmas lights
Cereal, bowls,plastic spoons (We would have a group breakfast Christmas morning)
Silly string
Comics from the newspaper
Beef sticks that would be shared
Christmas cards from random people

and my best gift ever........SpongeBob twin sheets and a SpongeBob pillow.....Silly I'm sure to most people, but this was something I would watch with my kids. Gave me a little taste of home.

 

[Shagley]

It isn't a gag gift, but I was just at Dollar Tree tonight, and they were selling packs that had three little containers of Mio (the liquid flavoring you add to water) for $1.00. This is the first year in many that I don't know of anyone that is deployed or I would have bought a bunch of those to send to the troops. If you have a Dollar Tree near you, check to see if they are selling them. The store I was at had them on display right by the register.

 

[LJSquishy]

I would send "Christmas in a Box".

-Battery operated mini Christmas Lights (about $5-$7 at Walmart, Target, Home Depot...make sure you include the batteries!)
-Instant Snow (either the kind you mix with water, or just the loose fluffy kind)
-Stocking stuffers (candies, $1 scratch tickets, $1 toys, beef jerky)
-Tiny Christmas tree (from a dollar store or Walmart)
-Mini tree ornaments for them to decorate a tree(from a dollar store or Walmart)

I love the idea of the green army men! And I bet as others suggested, comics cut out of the newspaper would be so appreciated.

 

[Cristy]

Great ideas. Thank you. I'll make my shopping rounds today and what I can do.

 

[3boymthr]

Hi,

Just a thought, you may also want to contact your local cub/girl scout pack/troop and see if they'd be able to help you out by making cards for all the people in your DS' troop. I know our pack was asked to do this and the kids had a ball making construction paper cards. Some of the kids wrote some very thoughtful letters to go with their cards. You can usually find the contact info for the local scout groups through the local council.

 

[Chelley00]

Screaming Flying Monkey. I read about this on the Dis last year and bought several as stocking stuffers. They were a huge hit, probably more with me and my DH. Amazon has them and here is a link:

http://www.amazon.com/Slingshot-Fly...&qid=1353860050&sr=8-3&keywords=flying+monkey

We got these last year for family stocking stuffers. They have more than just the monkey....frogs, pigs, chickens etc

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

What we fif my my DH battery was collected enough tp rolls to have 1 per soldier.

We cut strips of tissue paper to be 2x the wide of the roll. Roll the roll up with the tissue paper, ties one end off to, stuff the tube full of whatever you're sending then tie the other end off.

It looks like a giant candy wrapped up, each person gets their own, they just twist one end off and all the stuff pours out.