UKC

Evening all,

My brother is off to Afghanistan with the Military Police in a couple of days and will be there till April.

I will be sending him over a christmas present so he can slightly enjoy Christmas Day as much as will be possible whilst working over there. The item has to fit in a shoe box due to restrictions.

My brother is not interested in climbing so nothing climbing related please but can anyone think of anything that will cheer him up and be useful whilst over there?

Not got any ideas as of yet but I want to get him something memorable and useful as I know it won't be the happiest of Christmas's for him.

Thanks,

AT

In reply to An Triubhas: whatever you decide on, just something to bear in mind - christmas presents generally get shared out amongst the lads usually so rather than just get one item, try to fill it up with other stuff that can be shared out.

In reply to ruttingstag:

Like????

In reply to An Triubhas:

Maybe not suitable for a Christmas present, but lots of little useful things and luxury items?

Copied from an American website, Perhaps not what you were thinking of, but i'm sure most things would be welcomed!

PRINTED MATERIALS

Books (novels, short stories)
Newspapers (local)
Magazines

TOILETRIES/HYGIENE

After Shave
Baby Wipes
Nose spray
Eye Drops
Deodorant
Foot Powder
Hairbrushes
Hand Lotion
Hand Sanitizers (waterless)
Nail Clippers
Q-Tips
Razors (disposable)
Shampoo
Sunscreen
Tissues (heavy duty - i.e. Puffs)
Travel size body wash
Tylenol (individual packets)
Other

Plastic spoons
Baggies (with zip lock)
Batteries (AA, D, ....)
Bug Spray (must be packaged in zip-lock bag!)
Duct Tape
Disposable Cameras
Flashlights (mini/mag lite, extra bulbs, lots of batteries)
Fans (battery powered - small - with extra batteries)
Fly Strips
Fly Swatters
Pre-Paid Phone Cards
Shoe Insole Cushions
Socks

GAMES

Board Games
Checkers (travel size)
Chess (travel size)
Crossword Puzzles
Playing Cards

MUSIC

CDs
Tapes
DVDs new and used
Hand held electronic games
Sodoku books

CORRESPONDENCE

Writing Paper and Envelopes
Pens/Pencils
DENTAL

Floss
Mouthwash
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste

DRINK

Coffee (instant)
Coffee Creamer
Gatorade
Powdered Drink Mixes
Tea Mixes (sweet)

In reply to An Triubhas:

Forgot to add,

Watch,
Sunglasses,
Headtorch,
Decent Lighter,
Knife,

Things tend to get lost, broken, borrowed, forgotten, it is nice once in a while to have some nice new kit to abuse!

In reply to An Triubhas: luxury food items, cigars, pipe, books, toiletry stuff, tactical watch for your bro maybe.

In reply to An Triubhas:

Jazz mags
Bucket and spade
ice cube tray

Then some serious presents

In reply to An Triubhas:


My thoughts are with you at this difficult time.

More seriously though, get him some general crap as mentioned above to show that you're thinking about him and leave the serious presents until he's back (either on R and R or at the end of the tour).

Things get wrecked over there so best not to have anything too expensive etc. Likewise, things get lost on the way back, borrowed, stolen and all sorts.

Photos are nice to put in amongst the magazines, dvds, sweets etc.

In reply to Radioactiveman:


You implying jazz mags ain't serious?

In reply to An Triubhas:

My boy is just back - although not strictly Christmas stuff - he said the one thing he loved to see was photos. I was a little unsure as I thought it might be a bit like rubbing his nose in the fact he was thousands of miles away but in his case, he actually felt more part of 'home' when seeing them.

In reply to An Triubhas: this is awesome.. my brothers in afgan for 6 months so i now have lots of ideas to send him stuff.... hell appreciate a bucket and spade :P

also gonna try and send lots of advent calenders for him and the lads

can you send more than one shoebox?

ta xx

My ex was in the Army and spent 6 months in Afgan and I sent shoe boxes of goodies all the time - Just may take some time to get to him that’s all.

To anyone sending out shoe boxes we where strongly advised NOT to write 'Afghanistan' on the packaging as these where likely to be incepted by locals/taliban and not received…

I never sent anything amazingly exciting but books, CD’s, DVD’s..etc I did make the mistake of sending jelly sweets (Haribo etc) but these melt and create a horrible mess apparently! They can get most living essentials from Camp Bastion but I know he took some good quality coffee back.

As mentioned food,DVD’s,books etc were always shared around…

Of course my thoughts are with anyone that has family & friends out there

In reply to An Triubhas: Be sure to include a scented love letter wrapped up in a pair of size 24 knickers. Preferably, post them C/O a mate of his. Go on, you know you want to. They'll wind up on the bulletin board for sure.

In reply to An Triubhas:

Let's remember we are talking about a high desert environment in winter.

That means it's going to be bloody cold a lot of the time and some climbing type things will be a great help. For instance, a great wad of polypropylene glove liners might be an option. Find out where he is and look up the winter climate on the net.

Lots of little bits and pieces for taking care of yourself may be available at the bigger bases but that doesn't mean its like going to Boots in the high street. Proper talcum powder (hydrated magnesium silicate) is useful because a lot of so-called 'talc' is actually chalk or cornstarch. Real talc is what people leading active lives in an unaccustomed climate need because it's a solid lubricant that prevents chafing whereas the others just make a mess.

Then there are tools. Cheap versions just break in a military environment so it has to be the proper stuff. The Leatherman website may provide some ideas.

In reply to An Triubhas:

How about some good easy reading books. Some up to date newpapers. Some magazines in anything he is interested in. Some photos of friends and famaily. A mini mp3 player (a £20 one?) with messages from friends and family?

Thanks so much for all the ideas and also kind messages. It means a lot.

I've not totally decided on what I will eventually buy him but definately like a lot of the suggestions, very very useful and some which I know he will like.

Keep the ideas coming.

Thank you so much,

AT

In reply to An Triubhas: I'd suggest an exfoliating glove from Boots!
Sounds a bit poncy but there's nothing better for scrubbing all the dust and grime that a place like that can cake onto you.

In reply to adamtc: What about half a dozen fake beards Monty Python style?

In reply to An Triubhas:

I know of a family that has sent the following & both went down well... a small electronic picture frame that takes memory cards... then they just took loads of pics of daily life including the family dog & sent him a memory card full each end of the month with a letter so he didn't feel left out. Secondly they bought one of those remote control helicopters & a load of batteries... went down so well they had to send a second one!