Card signing guidelines

Please follow these guidelines when instructing participants how to sign cards. These guidelines will help to assure that all cards are acceptable to the United States Postal Service for shipping and to the military.
be-respectful-and-polite

1. Please address the card to “Dear Warrior”. Be respectful and polite.

holiday-greeting

2. Write a holiday/gratitude greeting, keeping in mind that our Troops are diverse in their holiday practices and beliefs.

personal-note

3. ***Write a personal note. For example: How do you celebrate the holidays? What are your family memories of holidays? According to our Warriors, this is known to be the favorite part of receiving your cards!

first-name

4. Sign your first name ONLY and the town and state where you live.

military-person

5. If you are or have been in the Military, or a member of a club, or an elected official or a First Responder, please consider including that information in your Card.

letter-size

6. If your card is homemade, please keep the size to no larger than an 8 x 11 size paper folded in half.

envelope

7. No envelopes needed please! If your card needs a protective cover. Please do not seal any envelopes

HOW TO ORGANIZE: GUIDELINES

****Guidelines and support for students and school personnel, business, organizations & groups of all sizes! Individuals too!****

Thank you for your interest in the Holiday Card Challenge for our Military and their families! Your contribution makes a real difference to the morale and spirits of our warriors abroad and state-side.

Students from preschool through university create the most heartfelt messages for our warriors. Hundreds of thousands of American students have created cards of care and holiday cheer for our Military and their families. Likewise businesses of all sizes, private groups, faith communities.individuals and families…you name join in! 

In 2019, the New Hampshire Commissioner of Education challenged all New Hampshire schools to participate and invited every school across the United states to participate in this program.

2020  brought  its own challenges with the Pandemic. Schools and businesses across the Country, whether in remote, hybrid , or in-school (business/office)  education joined in and sent tens of thousands of cards. I applaud the teachers, students, and employees  for their generous hearts amidst such complex times.

2021 ALL 50 STATES  joined in to send 138,000 cards of holiday cheer and care to our Troops, Veterans and Service Families. 

2022 kicked off a Valentines Day Challenge and sent 5,000 cards of love to our Troops. The first annual HAPPY SPRING 4 TROOPS Card Challenge resulted in sending 7,000 cards! The 2022 Holiday Card Challenge resulted in sending 224,000 crds of holiday cheer!

The 2023 Valentines Mini-Challenge was a success, following the format guidelines above but adjusted to Valentine’s Day We are excited to share the love with ur Military and their families.

Our 2023 Happy Spring/Easter/Passover/Ramadan Mini-Challenge has been a success, already having sent out 9,000 plus cards. 

Our 2023 Winter Holiday Card Challenge sent out close to 245,000 cards! We sent out our ONE MILLIONTH card! A true milestone, a celebration to be shared with the entire Holiday Card Challenge Community ! 

2024: We  sent out thousands of  Valentines Day Cards to our Troops and Veterans in early February! #sharethelove

2024: HAPPY SPRING Card Challenge was a success because of YOU!  Thousands of cards were sent around the WORLD! 

****2024 Winter Holiday Card Challenge is on! Here we go! We hope that you will join in again or for the first time!!

https://www.moonpig.com/us/personalised-cards/military-card-challenge/  CHECK OUT OUR NEWEST PARTNER MOONPIG, a card company that helps you design a free card online and then to mail it to us to send to our Troops and Veterans  All you do is click on the link, have a blast designing you card, have them mail to us and we will get it to our Warriors. And all for the cost of only a stamp on your part! 

 Please feel free to contact me at holidaycardsnh@gmail.com and I will brainstorm with you to create a Holiday Card Challenge for your students, groups, or company, be they once again in remote, hybrid, or full-in-school learning or hybrid business setting! If you are interested in having your school, group, or business  join in on a #cards2connect Challenge for our Veterans and/or Troops  throughout the year, let me know!  Thank you !

NOTE: We have a one-page-go-to guideline that we are happy to send to you! 

NOTE: Many schools and businesses create cards of care and holiday cheer throughout the year. Please feel free to send them to us at any point and we will hold them safely until the Challenge Season commences  

NOTE: CHECK OUT UPDATES 2024 Go to Home Page and click on link at top 

Join the Holiday Cards for our Military Challenge!

Here's how:

schools-1

1. E-mail parents/employees asking for donations of never-used holiday cards and blank greeting cards.

schools-2

2. Establish a collection box in the school/office lobby or front office. Include a contribution deadline and remind parents/employees (via e-mail) when just weeks remain.

schools-3

3. Purchase holiday cards very inexpensively at the local Dollar Store.

schools-4

4. Make creating holiday cards from scratch an art project. It can be as simple as a piece of paper folded in half!

schools-5

5. Enlist a student or employee service group to orchestrate the card challenge in your school/business..

schools-6

6. Dedicate specific (homeroom/advisory/meeting) times to discuss the purpose of the Card Challenge, the importance of our military, and the sacrifices of our Warriors. Use the time to write cards.

schools-7

7. Post these guidelines and writing prompts on a board, in the halls or send home in fliers/email.

schools-8

8. Enlist a student group/teachers/employees to review completed cards for appropriateness. Proofreading the cards ahead of mailing them is not necessary but very helpful. Please include a note in your mailed package if you did proofread the cards.

schools-9

9. Make public how many cards each class/your school/group/business collected. Challenge yourselves to collect even more next year!

schools-10

10. Some schools/groups/businesses create healthy competitions between classes/ districts/departments/branches/regions. Enlist local merchants (e.g., pizza restaurants) to sponsor teams.

schools-11

11. Box completed cards and deliver to the local drop station or ship to the Holiday Card Challenge in New Hampshire. Your cards will then be processed and shipped out to our MIlitary and their Families, overseas, and state-side

WRITING PROMPTS

Use your mouse to highlight these prompts, right click and then COPY from this webpage and PASTE to your classroom handout to help your students or paste into an email to be sent home to encourage family participation.

My favorite holiday tradition is…

I love the holidays because…

My favorite part of the holidays is…

Where I live, we celebrate by…

I know someone in the Military…

This year, I wish for a…

My holiday wish for you is…

In my family, we always …. during the holidays

My favorite sport/book/hobby is…

I have a pet named…

When I grow up, I want to…

In my free time, I…

I appreciate what you do because…

I celebrate… and we like to…

Drop places

Where can I drop off completed cards in New Hampshire?

As of October 1, 2024 : All drop stations are  accepting cards for the Winter Holiday CHallenge 2024  Please contact us at holidaycardsnh@gmail.com if you have any questions 

There are card drop-off stations across the State of New Hampshire. Many Drop Stations will have free cards for you to sign.  ****NOTE: If you would like to set up a Challenge drop-box in your location, please let me know !****

There is ALWAYS  a  drop box and free cards  outside the MARKET PLACE DINER  4 MARKET PLACE in Hollis, New Hampshire. This drop box remains available throughout the year.

Additional Drop Stations: In case you are not near  a drop station, please mail your cards  to us at the addresses below and if that is not possible, email me at holidaycardsnh@gmail,.com to brainstorm the best way to get your wonderful cards to me!   Fall 2024: There will drop stations  at all Franklin Savings across the NH, all M & T Banks across NH with some offering free cards, Mayor Ruais Office  Manchester City Hall (Free cards), Sals Pizza on Storrs Street in Concord (Free cards), Congressman Chris Pappas Offices in Manchester and Dover, NH (Free cards),  NH State House Visitors Center Concord (Free cards), Live Free Or Dine 650 Amherst street (Free cards) , Brookline’s Finest  106 Rte 13 Brookline NH (Free cards) , Buckley’s Bakery & Cafe in Hollis, NH,  Crotched Mountain School at Seven Hills  1 Verney Drive Greenfield, NH (8AM-4PM  M-F), Pilgrim Church Gift Shop 4 Watson Ave. Nashua, NH (W & F 10 AM-3PM),  AND MORE TO COME! 

If this is not convenient for you and /or you live out-of-State, please mail signed holiday cards and  donations to Dr. Landerman-Garber at the address bellow.

Laura Landerman-Garber
Holiday Card Challenge
PO Box 103
Hollis, New Hampshire 03049 

NOTE: UPS and FEDEX may not deliver to a PO BOX.  Official Nonprofit Business communications can be mailed to the street address below. 

Laura Landerman-Garber HolidayCard Challenge 

Suite 100 Unit 103

5 Hutchings Drive 

HOllis , NH 03049

Please email Laura at holidaycardsnh@gmail.com with any questions and/or comments/suggestions.

Deadlines

Our annual goal for the Winter Holiday Card Challenge is to deliver your caring holiday wishes to active duty military in all six branches of the U.S. service in time for the holidays. Note: Other #card2connect Challenges will designate deadlines.  

Boxing and shipping takes time. That means that we need to set deadlines well in advance of the holidays. We are grateful for your understanding and flexibility in this regard. 

For 2024, we hope to maintain the deadline of  NOVEMBER 15th.   HOWEVER,  PLEASE CONTINUE TO SEND YOUR CARDS IN AFTERWARDS  as we know that getting into the Holiday “mindset” takes time as well as many card-signing activities are tied into Veterans Day.   It is always a good time  to write cards of holiday cheer!  Those cards received after the deadline may be tucked away for the following year. 

NOTE: VALENTINES DAY CHALLENGE deadline os 2/5/25  go to the 2024 Updates Website Section for all the details 

***If you can not get your cards to us by the deadline but you still want to partner with us to make our collective mission a “mission-accomplished”, please consider joining with us by  our Sponsor-A-Box Program, set up a #cents4soldiers coin drive challenge at your business/school/neighborhood as #everypennycounts, volunteer to proofread/count/bundle cards, and/or making a donation toward the costs of  mailing your cards of cheer and care  (See How to Donate below Givebutter.com) ***

There are still plenty of opportunities to join in to support our Troops and our Veterans. Schools, companies, families,  and groups create Challenges during the year now for any variety of Holidays or “just” to send caring cards of connection.Please contact Dr. Landerman-Garber at holidaycardsnh@gmail,com and she will make sure that your cards reach our Troops!!

NOTE: Your efforts to work within these limits are appreciated. Many groups, especially schools, have card signing events around Veterans Day. Those events are very special in their own right and those cards that are signed during the events will surely be included!  As noted above, feel free to  contact Dr. Landerman-Garber in case your time table for signing cards is outside the general deadline as she will make sure your wonderful cards will be sent to our Warriors.

Become a Supporter

Donate Now
Holidays Cards for our Military Challenge is a 501C3 non-profit corporation registered in New Hampshire, USA. Contact Laura Landerman-Garber (President) for further information.

Contacts

Quick Links

Promoting the Challenge, purchasing, boxing and shipping holiday greetings by the ton around the globe costs money.

Monetary donations in support of these and related costs will be gratefully received.

Donate Now
Donated by Apprised Marketing
X