Send a Holiday cheer card to a Canadian Veteran or troops overseas!

Whenever the holidays roll around, people wonder how they can give to others. What better way to do this than have youth send handmade Holiday cheer cards to Veterans living in long term care facilities or to troops overseas? Some Veterans or Canadian Armed Forces members may not see their families this holiday season. Sending them a holiday cheer card could really brighten their day! It is a great gift to send these real-life heroes a personal message of gratitude to tell them you remember and thank them for their service.

How to make a card?

Handmade cards are very special. Each student can create their own card with their own artwork - drawings or construction paper designs glued on, such as trees, snowmen, winter sports, birds, wreaths, flowers, angels, presents and more. They can be creative as they wish!

What to write?

Explain to your students that they could start with a greeting like, “Dear brave Veteran,” “Dear Veteran,” or “Dear Hero.” They can then write about how thankful they are for what the Veteran did for our country and how they will remember their sacrifices and achievements. Some messages could be:

• Thank you for keeping Canada safe.
• Thank you for your sacrifices for peace.
• I will remember by wearing a poppy on my heart on Remembrance Day.

After that, youth should feel free to wish the Veteran a happy holiday!

Where and how to send Holiday cheer cards?

Collect all the cards and ensure that they contain appropriate messaging before sending. Group all cards destined for the same location in a single package.

Send Holiday cheer cards to Veterans near your community.

You may also digitally send a Holiday cheer card to currently serving Canadian Armed Forces members. This program is supervised by the Department of National Defence. Messages from your class might just be the morale booster a currently serving member needs to carry on with a mission.

You could also contact your local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and arrange distribution to Veterans in your area.

A variation of this letter writing activity is to send an electronic card to a Veteran if you know their email address.

Extension activities

You could create a "Holiday peace tree" in your school or classroom and have your students write messages of peace and remembrance. Tie the card messages to a fake or real tree to hang for the holiday season.

You may also wish to learn more about some Canadian military history Christmas Stories

Thanks for your participation, and Happy Holidays!