Meaningful Gifts for Military Moms This Holiday Season

If you’re a military mom, the holidays can be a little rough if you are the mother of a child who is serving in the military, or if you are a mother who wears the uniform. Military moms face unique challenges in their relationship with the military and their families. During the holidays, if you’re a service member in the military, you might have to leave your children and possibly deploy. As the mother of a service member, you might have to watch your child get deployed during the holidays.

That said, shopping for these tough women who raise our men and women in uniform, or themselves wear it, can be easy if you just give it a little thought.

The venerated veteran employees of USAMM grabbed their pumpkin-spiced lattes (okay, that’s not true, we drink our coffee black) and headed to a meeting room where we discussed what would be the best gifts for military moms. Below are our ideas of the top gifts for military moms, in no order of precedence, and we hope it will help you get that special military mom in your life something great for the holidays.

Time

Your mom carried you in her womb for months, then she invested years-worth of time into raising you. She taught you right from wrong, and helped you become the person you are today. It is important when shopping for gifts for military moms that you take that into consideration.

If the military mom in your life is someone who actually serves in uniform, the task of getting her meaningful gifts for military moms takes on a larger meaning. In either case, whether the mom you’re shopping for serves or not, the gift of time is probably the best of all gifts for military moms.

Mothers love spending time with their kids and while a trip to an exotic location, a cruise or a weekend at a theme park might be tempting around the holidays, most mothers are grateful to spend quality time with their kids in this busy, modern life. Take your military mother to a nice dinner or even for coffee a few different times. Spend time with her on the porch swing chatting and catching up. She definitely wants to hear about all of your military adventures and the life you have chosen for yourself.

Picnics and Parks

A military mom who serves would equally love time with her kids, especially if she is coming home from a deployment. Managing the logistics of the family during her dwell time makes it easier for her to enjoy her kids. Plan simple outings like picnics or trips to the park so she can chat and play with the kids. If the kids are older, maybe she can sit down and play their favorite video games with them or catch up on the latest trends on social media. Time together is invaluable and time makes one of the best gifts for military moms. Think about decorating the house, cooking and doing things together that might relax her and let her enjoy some time with the family.

Inexpensive Gifts

Presents are a part of the holiday season, so if you feel compelled to do some shopping, remember, this is the same woman who put your school artwork on the fridge for years, so a gift from you will be treasured no matter what it is. If you’re just starting out your military career, budgets can be tight, so think about getting her something that represents you that she can wear to show her pride in your military service. Or maybe there is something she can put on her vehicle to show others that she raised a service member. T-shirts, hats, decals and other items are great gifts for military moms.

Mothers who are in the ranks can benefit from gifts for military moms that are more oriented to their service. Multitools, uniform items, and service pride gifts are great gifts for military moms. You should also consider getting her something special that will be a trinket she can carry with her when she is far from home and her children. Bracelets with charms for each kid or maybe something from a special outing with the kids.

Sentimental Gifts

One veteran-employee at USAMM mentioned that in the summers when on vacation as a child, he and his mother would wake before the rest of this family and walk the shoreline on the beach. One morning, he and his mom found two perfect sand dollars. Years later, he put them in a shadowbox and gave it to her as a holiday gift. He instantly became her favorite child, or so he says.

The point is, gifts should be meaningful and sentimental, so consider that when you are looking for gifts for military moms.

There are some things to consider. If your military mom is let’s say, in the Navy, for example, consider gifts that she will be able to take with her that won’t take up too much space. Wearable gifts for military moms are great in this regard.

If you are shopping for a military mom who doesn’t serve, but has a child that serves, consider a gift that will remind her of that child when he or she is away serving. Helping her set up her video teleconferencing app or software might be one of the better gifts for military moms who aren’t tech savvy and would love to hear (and see) their child when they are not home and serving the country.

With a little thought, you can get the military mom in your life some truly great gifts for military moms that she will remember and treasure.