Show I CHRISTMAS OVERSEAS S i Th The dd odds on e on choice chore holber W il Christ Christ- t. t mas of ot servicemen s servicemen n overseas I la lato I Ito to to be home Short ot that Ideal I gift girt they've t told ld American tied lied Cross CroS field directors s they would like home to come to them them them-In In Inthe the form of at homemade food tood family fam tarn ily lIy phot photos s recordings of ot family gatherings s hometown papers and above alt all else els elsmore more more mall matt The majority of the servicemen and women and their dependent queried In the annual survey said they could buy most of the traditional traditional gift girt Items In n their post poat ex exchanges ex exchanges x cb changes or ships stores Many tale stale that the best possible Christmas Christ inaS mas maa gift would be a apron promise from front the f folks at home to to write regularly reg r it th throughout the year A A A fetter tetter every week for th the whole year Is better than any single lIngle all said Christmas gift they Food Ranks Rank High However homemade food ranked rank ranked ed high as a preferred gift Any gift Any food from home tastes so much better than what the mess hallsor halls hallsor or local bakeries can provide The common complaint about receiving receiving re re- re- re food from home was as that it usually arrived badly broken up The servicemen said that peanut peanut peanut pea pea- I nut butter cookies and similar Items usually arrive in bits no matter how well packed All stressed stressed stressed sed the fact that the food food food- cookies fruit cakes brownies homemade candy should candy should be able to stand standup up under rough handling lu In shipment preferably wrapped in foil roll paper and packed In tins or tight airtight air tight jars Other favorite gifts girts were piCtures pictures pic plc tures of family family groups s. s sweet sweet- I he hearts and Ien fr-Ien e especially snapshots of oC the family amidst Christmas decorations as a reminder reminder reminder re re- re- re I minder of when the servicemen were ere home for the the holidays and I bow how it will be when they return They emphasize the pictures should of necessity be small billfold size or in light sturdy frames Recordings Recording Popular Another way to send a touch of home to the servicemen overseas I 11 id is through recordings of family members friends and neighbors telling about what goes on at home Theres home Theres nothing like hearing hearing hear hear- ing the voices of your family and anda andI anda a la a record recording can be replayed many times All had one admonition Keep it cheerful 1 Many servicemen asked for subscriptions subscriptions sub sub- of the hometown newspaper newspaper news news- paper preferably by air mall mall mall- The papers papera carry lots of little I local items w which ar are interesting to read but which nobody thinks I Ito to write us about Other favorite means of keeping keepIng keeping keep keep- ing the servicemen overseas in and in step with life in the United States Stales is through the latest latest lat lat- est eat books the books the selection of cur current current rent books overseas usually is pretty poor subscriptions to magazines ma our newsstands get them late and run out early and the latest popular recordings In la 33 or 45 rpm the rpm the records available available avail avail- able here are seldom up-to-date up or orby orby orby by the most popular recording star back home Even en though servicemen dont don't own a phonograph phonograph phonograph graph they say they can play their own records at the Red RedCross RedCross RedCross Cross recreation centers or at service service ser ser- vice Iee clubs Civvies Are Welcome style American-style civilian clothing Is always welcome to the American American Ameri Amerl can cn overseas Service families with sma small l children all emphasize the difficulty of ot finding suitable childrens children's clothing clothing and and toys and books books books-at at many overseas eta sta sta-I sta tons dons And service wives WALs and nurs nurses all would like to get getgood getgood get good ODd stockings and lingerie preferably pre pre- preferably nylon for Christmas as th these se items items' also ai are are In short abort supply at most overseas posts foils 4 I 1 I Servicemen said they ther would lIke casual casul sport shirts slacks and other non non military wearing apparel apparel ap parel In the wash easy synthetic syn synthetic fabrics fabrici A gift ot of money the servicemen said would of course enable them and their families to b buy y themselves them themselves them selves something extra special for Christmas either In n service stores or civilian shops They stress that it tt should be In the form of postal money orders as American currency cur rency la Is difficult to exchange Inmany in inmany inmany many many places and checks are are either Imp impossible to cash or require requite re reo re- re q quite quire th the payment of ot a afee fee Undesirable On the undesirable list are such ite items as type military clothing cigarettes watches ties cameras and nd sporting goods all of which tan can be purchased at most and at bargain prices The servicemen and women I asked that families and friends use air mail mall for all aU letters and Christmas cards They believe many persons in the States think that an APO or address automatically automatically auto auto- automatically guarantees a letter will willbe willbe be sent lent air mall with just a four four- cent stamp which is not the case They are insistent that the folks at home put seven cents on the tho envelope and mark It Air Mail because it takes surface mall up tl to 40 days to reach such far away places as Turkey Korea and For Par mosa Finally and importantly the Post Office and Defense Departments Departments Depart Depart- ments advise that Christmas Christmas' pAr pair r- r eels cell should be mailed between I November 1 and November 20 for I delivery by surface mall ship mall ship ship- to servicemen overseas shIP mall and by December 10 for delivery by air mall They urge that persons In Inthis this his country should keep la In mind that hat the farther away from the theUS US U.S. the serviceman is station stationed d the earlier the parcels should be mailed to insure delivery to him before Christmas Christinas S. 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