Turned off by the care packages available from the schools and the online sites, I would put together DIY care packages for my kids that are more personal. Here are some ideas for a Valentine’s care package that are sure to please your college students when they are far away from home. The girl’s Valentines package arrived in my daughters’ mailbox on a particularly difficult day for her, and it was so valuable to me to hear her say how much the package cheered her up.
Ideas for a College Care Package for the Girl:
- Food: Homemade treats are always a hit. One year I made these strawberry brownies with a fluffy rosewater buttercream frosting, covered it with wax paper and placed it inside a tupperware container. She said they were great, and didn’t much care that the frosting had lost some of its “fluffiness”;
- Relevant accesories: she is currently doing an internship every day at a hospital where they cannot have their cell phones. This is where an old-fashioned watch might come in handy (in school colors, of course)
- Fun stuff: How about a pair of sexy red panties for a college-aged girl? Most girls like pretty underwear, even if they’re not girly-girls (which she is not).
- Mundane necessities: Grandma’s spot remover might come in handy, along with some body cream and a “zit-zapper” stick;
- Sentiment & money: These go hand-in-hand sometimes, so I put the money in the Valentines card with my heartfelt sentiments. I was never really a big one for cards before, but it’s surprising how much more your words come across when written on a pretty card, rather than a printout;
- Standard favorites: The kids seem to have a standard item that must be included in the care package if you don’t want to disappoint. For my son, it’s often the card. For my daughter, it’s all about the jam. This package included the Raspberry Chambord Jam appropriate for V-Day.
- Reading material: Sometimes I’ll get current new magazines, but most often they want something really light to read that takes them away from the more serious. This one had a special on Teen Moms, one of her shows, and since she doesn’t have a TV, I thought it would help keep her up-to-date.
Ideas for a College Care Package for the Boy:
Details of College Care Package for the Boy:
- Fun: Over one Christmas break, the boy introduced us to Bannanagram, a fast version of competitive scrabble. It was fun and he surprised himself with how often he won. Thought it might be fun for him to play in the hotel rooms when they’re on the golf circuit over spring break;
- Specialty products he doesn’t get very often: he always saves the haircut and the laundry for visits home, and loves the smell and feel of the shampoo they use at the salon. It’s too expensive for him to get on a regular basis, so he will appreciate it;
- Food: see the brownie notes above in the girl’s package.
- Themed treats: Hot sauce, energy drink, and chocolates…all things he loves;
- Money: I got a little more decorative with his money, rolling the bills up and tying them up with fun decor.
- Sentiments: I usually opt for humorous cards for my son and then write the mushy stuff inside. Valentines Day apparently is not a humorous day for family members, as the only truly funny cards were for lovers and husband/wife types. So I went full-board with the sentiment.
Whew, packages out the door and the next one doesn’t go out until Easter!
