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<                                                    September 18, 1917

         THE AMERICAN RED CROSS
                     WOMAN'S BUREAU
                          WASHINGTON, D.C.


        Suggestions for Christmas Packets

            For our  Men at Home  and Abroad

         By Christmas  we shall have a large number of men in
        France, and 600,000 in the cantonments at home, beside the
        thousands in  our regular Army posts and in our Navy, and
        everyone will be eager to help in giving them Christmas cheer.
         No matter how generous a supply of gif ts some of the men
        may  receive from families and  friends,  it is  believed thaf
        ali  Red Cross members  will want to unite in sending to each
        man a Christmas  packet fìlled with good things and good will.
         In order that the men may be equally remembered and yet
        that there may be a pleasing variety in the packets, the follow-
        ing suggestions are made for preparing and assembling the
        Christmas parcels:
         I. Nothing should go in them which will not keep fresh from the
        time of packing until Christmas.
         2. Dried fruits and other food products should be  packed in small
        tin or wooden boxes, one-quarter to one-half pound size.
         3. Hard candy, including chocolate, would probably be safe in tin
        foil or heavy cardboard, but no soft chocolates nor anything that could
        possibly be crushed should be used, as the remaining contents of the
        package might be spoiled thereby.
         4. Several dainties packed in oblong tin boxes  holding  each a
        quarter of  a pound, will provide a better variety for a packet than a
        larger quantity of a single confection.
         5. No liquids nor articles packed in glass should be placed in the
        package.
         6. For wrapping the gifts use a khaki-colored handkerchief, twenty-
        seven inches square, and form the base of the packet by placing on the
        center of the handkerchief a pad of writing-paper about seven by ten
        inches. 
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CHRISTMAS  PACKETS
  7. Select  a variety  of  articles either from  the  suggested  list  (or
according to individuai wishes) to an amount not excceding $1.50, and
arrange them on the pad of paper so that the entire package shall be
the width of the pad and approximately five or six inches high.
  8. Wrap and tie with one-inch red  ribbon and place a Christmas
card under the bow of ribbon.  A card hearing the greetings of the
Chapter would  be desirable.
  9. Wrap  the parcel  again  in  heavy, light-brown Manila paper,
tie securely with red, green, or gilt cord, and use Christmas labels or
American flags as desired.
LIST OF ARTICLES SUGGESTED FOR CHRISTMAS PACKETS
"Khaki-colored handkerchief, twenty-
   seven inches square, for container
*Writing-paper pad, about 7 by io
   inches
 Envelopes
 Pencil
 Postals
 Book (in paper cover)
 Scrapbook, home-made, containing
   a good short story, some jokes,
   etc.
 Knife, such as boy scouts use
 Mirror, steel
 Handkerchiefs, khaki-colored
 Neckties
 Mouth organ
 Electric torch
 Compass
 Playing cards
 Mechanical puzzles (an assorted lot
   of twelve small mechanical puz-
   zles can be bought at the rate of
   twelve for 50C.)
 *Red Cross Checkerboard (this is a
   combination set of checkerboard,
   checkers,chessmen,and dominoes
   made of  heavy cardboard  espe-
   cially for the Red Cross and can
   be purchased after October I5th
   for 5c. apiece)
 Other games
 Tobacco
 Pipe and pipe cleaners
 Cigarette papers
 Water-tight match-box
 Chewing gum
 Fruited, chocolate, and other sweet-
   ened crackers, in originai packages
 Fruit cake
 Preserved ginger
 Salted nuts
 Prunes
 Figs
 Dates
 Raisins
 Hard candy
 Chocolate in tin foil
Licorice
  The articles which are marked with an asterisk in the above
list will be purchased by  the Red Cross Supply  Bureau and
can be  bought from Chapters by the time Chapters are ready
to  pack the  parcels.  This  leaflet is  published early  that 
CHRISTMAS  PACKETS
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those interested may be gathering funds for the packets and
assembling the small articles to go in them.
  Chapters  will receive directions  from Division Managers
as to the dates when packets should be shipped to France and
also  as to the dates when those intended for the home canton-
ments should be ready for distribution.
   It is expected that money for the Christmas packages will
be raised by Chapters, through contributions by individuals for
this  specific purpose. 
DOUGLAS C McMURTRIE  NEW YORK