Christmas Cards for Soldiers: How to Send, When to Send & Greeting Ideas

Deadline: December 5, 2024

Where to Mail Your Cards:
714 Farmington Road West
Accokeek, Maryland 20607

Founded in 2013, The United Soldiers and Sailors of America, known as the USASOA, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the essentials of life to veterans and service members, protecting the interests of veteran-owned businesses, and promoting veteran interests on Capitol Hill. The USASOA coordinates a program called Operation Christmas Cards For Our Troops, which sends out tens of thousands of Christmas cards to soldiers every year.

To participate in USASOA’s program, bundle up all of the cards you write for soldiers into a single envelope or box and mail it to the address above. For security reasons, the organization asks that you do not send individual cards or include envelopes with your individual cards. If you are submitting more than 10 cards, the organization also asks that you make a donation via their website to help offset the cost of shipping them to troops deployed around the world.

USASOA also accepts care packages for soldiers, and they note that they receive an influx of requests for items like toothbrushes, warm socks and packaged snacks (homemade snacks and treats are unfortunately not accepted during the holidays).

Deadline: December 1, 2024

Where to Mail Your Cards:
You can send your cards directly to A Million Thanks (complete this form to receive their address) or take them to one of their many drop-off centers across the country.

A Million Thanks (AMT) is a national non-profit organization founded in 2004 with the goal of sending 1 million letters of appreciation to U.S. service members stationed overseas. After surpassing that goal in just 6 months, AMT has gone on to send over 12 million cards and letters to U.S. military personnel around the world to date.

AMT delivers letters to troops year round, but if you’d like to get involved for Christmas, be sure to send them your cards by the end of November. AMT is dedicated to crafting personal messages for soldiers, and therefore stipulates that store-bought cards cannot have a pre-printed message inside — so be sure to select a design that leaves plenty of space for you to include a hand-written message of holiday cheer and support. They also recommend drawing pictures or including photos of you and your loved ones in your cards and sharing your names and email addresses in case the soldier who receives your card would like to thank you.

Similar to the procedure for USASOC, AMT asks that you do not place individual cards inside envelopes. Instead, bundle up all of the cards you’d like to send into a larger box or envelope properly affixed with a name and return address. They also recommend including $1 per letter to help cover the cost of postage.

Deadline: December 1, 2024

Where to Mail Your Cards:
America’s Adopt A Soldier
P.O. Box 1049
Springfield, VA 22151

Another great non-profit, America's Adopt a Soldier, runs year-round to thank deployed service members as well as wounded soldiers and veterans in VA hospitals and homes for their service and sacrifices. Unlike the first two organizations on this list, letters and cards can be any type of paper or format (though hand-written or hand-drawn cards are encouraged), with or without envelopes or stamps, and writers can send individual cards or bundle multiple in bulk.

If you're interested in providing care package items to troops, America's Adopt A Soldier also runs a program called Challenge America, in which you can sponsor care packages for soldiers stationed overseas. These care packages contain a variety of items like toiletries, snacks, games, batteries and clothing, and are packed at volunteer events every day around the U.S.

Deadline: November 30, 2024

Where to Mail Your Cards:
570 Delzan Place, Suite 10
Lexington, KY 40503

Military Missions is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to deliver care packages and thank-you letters to U.S. soldiers deployed around the world. While cards are accepted year-round (writers are encouraged not to date their letters as they'll be sent throughout the year), holiday cards and letters are also accepted in the months of October, November, and December.

Military Missions reminds writers not to include envelopes or stamps, and offers some tips for what to include in thank-you letters: words of encouragement, positive messages, and informal talk about yourself and recent events. It is also suggested that writers avoid talking about politics or religion. Make sure your cards or letters for soldiers overseas do not contain glitter, as it can cause problems for the soldier receiving it.

If you’re based in Kentucky, Military Missions also hosts Operation SEND Christmas, where volunteers come together during the month of November to assemble care packages for troops. You can learn about how to get involved by visiting their website.

Deadline: December 1, 2024

Where to Mail Your Cards:
Drop of cards and donations at your local Red Cross office.

The American National Red Cross is an organization whose mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering during emergencies by providing volunteer emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education.

Instead of offering a centralized program, local chapters of the American Red Cross coordinate their own Holidays for Heros programs. These allow local offices to better thank the service members and veterans in our communities in a variety of ways that may include but are not limited to sending mail with supportive messages to soldiers overseas. There is no longer a national P.O. box to send cards, but you are encouraged to contact your local Red Cross office for more details and information regarding where to send your kind holiday greetings and other ways to get involved.

Deadline: November 1, 2024

Where to Mail Your Cards:
ATTN: Letter Writing Program
9409 Owensmouth Avenue
Chatsworth, CA 91311

Operation Gratitude is another organization that sends care packages to troops, new recruits, veterans, wounded soldiers, and even their caregivers to show appreciation for those that have served or are currently serving our nation. Each care package includes a bundle of letters and cards that care package recipients have noted as their most cherished items in the box.

This organization accepts letters year round, but if you want your correspondence to arrive in time for Christmas, plan to have your cards in the mail by October. Operation Gratitude encourages you to compose cards to new recruits, veterans, first responders, and wounded heroes and their caregivers. For cards or letters, you must register online first, then follow the guidelines that will be emailed to you. As you compose your cards, include a festive holiday greeting, a fun drawing, a little about yourself or words of encouragement. Once all the cards are written, bundle them up (again, do not include individual envelopes!) and send them to the address above.

Deadline: October 31

Where to Mail Your Cards:
Laura Landerman-Garber
Holiday Card Challenge
5 Hutchings Drive, Suite 100 Unit 103
Hollis, NH 03049

The Military Holiday Card Challenge is the passion project of Dr. Laura Landerman-Garber, who began the tradition of handing out holiday cards to her family at Thanksgiving and asking them to write messages to troops in 2003. In 2017, she expanded her efforts nationwide, and the organization is expected to send its one millionth Christmas card to troops this year.

The mission of the Military Holiday Card challenge is to create meaningful connections between Americans and the troops and service members who protect them. They ask that cards be addressed to “Dear Warrior,” and include a personal note or share a story about how your family celebrates the holidays. Homemade cards are accepted, but should be no larger than an 8 x 11 piece of paper folded in half. Like many of the other organizations on this list, they ask that you do not include envelopes with your cards.

When writing your letter or card, it's important to keep your messages positive. Our military service members and wounded soldiers look forward to letters from civilians as an escape and a way to forget the stress of active duty, so it's important that any letters or cards addressed to them stay focused on upbeat, happy thoughts and ideas. Be sure to thank them for their service and remind them that it doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated. Remember not to talk about divisive topics like politics or religion, but feel free to let them know that they're in your prayers, if you’d like to.

For letter content, talk about yourself: Tell them about things you like, what you do or about where you live. Feel free to include a drawing or picture of yourself or something you'd like to show them. If you plan to share a return address or your email address, you can also ask them questions about themselves.

Remember that your cards will be going to all types of military members across different branches and services. So, it is best to use generic greetings like “Dear Hero,” or “Dear Service Member.”

Always double check the guidelines of the organization you’ll be sending your cards through for instructions on how to sign them. Most encourage letter writers to sign their cards with their first names, and if they’re comfortable, including home or email addresses so the soldier who receives your letter can thank you. (That said, cards sent by children should only ever include their first names.)

Generally speaking, you should restrict mailed items to letters and cards. Do not include glitter, confetti or anything that could create a mess or isn't securely fastened to your card or letter.

Most organizations accept any type of card or letter, with the exception of store-bought cards that do not contain handwritten notes. That means you can include any type of holiday card, a letter written on stationery or a drawing or illustration of some kind, so get creative! Minted’s Christmas Cards can be customized with your name and photo, leaving plenty of room for a handwritten personal message on the back.

Many of the programs included in this article also organize holiday care packages for troops. Be sure to double check their individual guidelines for how to submit a care package (including if the care package needs to be sent separately from cards or letters).

Many programs take requests for care packages directly from troops, so it is a good idea to check their website for lists of acceptable and needed items. Generally, it is encouraged for you to include personal care items like toothbrushes, shaving cream, deodorant, and socks in care packages, along with pre-packaged, store-bought snacks. Because it can take weeks or even months for a care package to be delivered to a soldier, most organizations do not accept homemade food or treats as donations