Military Appreciation Month Gift Ideas
May is National Military Appreciation Month! This is the perfect time to honor not only service members but their spouses. Read on for some great ways to send those families some extra love and support this month.
*This article contains affiliate links. It doesn’t cost you anything, but if you click on the link and buy something, we’ll earn a small commission to help our writing team create more great articles.*
Military Appreciation Month
With Memorial Day and Military Spouse Appreciation Day in May, you can honor military families all month long!
You can start by observing Military Spouse Appreciation Day on May 6, 2022, and showing your favorite military families some love. These gifts are also great ideas for service members as well. Whether it’s through words, gifts, or acts of service, they are sure to appreciate tokens of appreciation. Servicemember or reservist spouses are the backbone and support of their spouse defending our country’s military. Often they are so busy with household responsibilities, like moving for the 50th time, paying bills, and feeding the children or pets, that they forget about themselves. Here are some ways to show the servicemember spouse in your life that you appreciate them!
Write Them a Card or Message
A simple way to thank a military spouse is by sending them a quick thank you message, call, or card. This can go a long way to help them feel appreciated and loved. It’s ideal for those who don’t usually want a gift from friends, spouses, or family!
If you’re looking into some card brands to check out are A Couple Puns, a military spouse-owned brand. A Smyth Co has some bright and bold cards and is owned by a brother and sister pair. Dear Hancock has beautifully drawn cards with tons of adorable, whimsical animals for the animal lover spouse.
Often spouses live far away from family and rely on the military community around them. Although they are service-connected, they will definitely be grateful to hear from another family member or friend.
Send Them a Gift Card for Military Appreciation Month
Do you know their favorite store or restaurant but can’t physically go there with them or aren’t sure what they would order? Send them a gift card to their favorite coffee shop, store or send them a general visa e-gift card! These days gift cards can go a long way in showing you care.
Some great gift card ideas are a Panera gift card, Target gift card, Starbucks gift card, or a Marshall’s gift card. Each spouse or military member has different interests, but sending a general gift card like a Target gift card or a Visa gift card is a safe bet if you aren’t sure what they would want.
Pay for a Babysitter or Take Their Kids on a Trip
Childcare can be one of the bigger stressors in a military family’s life. With their family consistently moving, a solid babysitter may be hard to come by. Many armed forces moms do choose to stay home with the kids. With COVID-19, they were home probably more often than not with their children. So they definitely will be looking for a getaway or vacation!
One act of service gift for a close family member or spouse could be paying for a babysitter or taking the kids on a short trip. This can mean so much for the family, especially the military moms and dads who would love a break. You can also offer to take the kids on a trip so both parents can relax as a couple or by themselves without their kids or pets.
Treat Them to Coffee or a Meal for Military Appreciation Month
If you live close to them, a nice way to show you appreciate them is to take them out to dinner or treat them to their favorite latte at a coffee shop. Sometimes they need one-on-one time. It’s nice for them to get their mind off of military life, especially if their service member is deployed. Have a nice chat over coffee, a bottle of wine, or dinner.
Again, if you live far away, you can still treat them to coffee virtually with a virtual gift card you can load a certain amount on. This is also awesome if you want to treat them a few times to use it all month long. Especially at the end of the month, take advantage of their military discounts for Memorial Day.
Send a Care Package
If you live in a different state or country from them, send them a care package. This is a creative way to honor and recognize their duty in a fun way. Send them a care package with all of their favorite snacks, candy, books, nail polish, essential oils, or anything else they are into.
If you don’t want to create your own box, there are great subscription box options like Brave Crate, which has many curated fun items, especially for those whose service member is deployed. There are also other general pampering/beauty boxes like FabFitFun boxes or tons of various themed options on CrateJoy.
Themed Care Package Ideas
You can take it up a notch by creating a themed box. If you know they love a certain movie series like Harry Potter, send them a few movies or items related to that series. Or if they like a certain actor/actress, you can send them DVDs or a movie subscription to the series of movies that the actor is in.
Another themed package idea would be a fitness box with protein bars, protein powder, workout ideas, workout bands (which are great to add as they are light), a water bottle, and a shake bottle.
You can also do a candy box or snack box. Be sure to send tasty but sustainable snacks like hard candy, chips, dried fruit, trail mix, and other options that wouldn’t melt or get yucky in transit.
You could even make a National Military Appreciation Month box themed with items from military-owned small businesses or military-themed gifts. There are great gifts for each branch, whether your service member is in the Navy, Army, Marines, or a veteran, there are lots of options, like a custom mug. Etsy has lots of great military-themed mugs and cups. Jewelry, candles, a military advice book, or a journal are also some great box add-ins.
There are lots of other themes, but definitely go off of what they would enjoy or use! This is a great gift idea because they can use a lot of items all month long.
Pamper Them
Military significant others, especially military moms, have to sacrifice a lot. Treat them to a massage, a retreat, or a mani-pedi so they can get their nails done. Or you can send them a fun pamper kit with facemasks, lotion, nail polish, and other fun items.
After getting their nails done, or a nice massage, they will feel very refreshed. You could even get them a month-long package for different treatments every few weeks. Sending them a self-care box will show them you care even if you live across the nation.
Military Appreciation Love
We hope this gave you great ideas to show the military spouse in your life that you value them. May is truly the month to show the military you care. Whether you know active-duty personnel, a veteran, or a U.S. Armed Forces spouse, there are many ways to show your appreciation. For more ways to show love for military personnel, check out our article on ways to thank military families on FamilyApp.
