For us ordinary citizens, special occasions like Christmas and Valentine’s Day are usually reasons for the family and for loved ones to take some time out of their daily routines and spend quality time together. That is easier said than done, however, for the men and women who have chosen as their careers one that called for them to serve their country overseas.

It is for this reason that various groups that support the military organize Valentine drives destined for delivery to U.S. military service members who are currently deployed in combat areas overseas. Care packages are gathered throughout the month of January in various locations across the country. Boxes of Valentine cards, candy and snacks are lovingly packed and sent to service members, letting them know that the people back home that they selflessly serve remember them during this special day of love. Care packages are usually sent overseas annually on February 1st.

Angela Pollock, who described herself as “a wife of a deployed soldier twice over,” provided a few Valentine tips in a post on helium.com. Among the nice-to-have Valentine gifts that she suggested are photos – quite ordinary, one might think, but in this day and age sending photos can become a labor of love and expression of creativity. One can opt to send a handmade collage of photos or go the more techie route and send a deployed loved one a digital photo frame.

Snack items also make great Valentine gifts, but Pollock warns against sending the cliché “box of chocolates” – and it is not because its cliché. These can melt while in transit and become all gooey and icky by the time they get to the deserts of Iraq, so she suggests sending cookies instead. The cookies can be frozen immediately before they are shipped to help them stay fresh; she further suggests sealing them tightly in plastic wrap.

In keeping with Valentine’s Day, USNavySEALstore.com is offering free shipping on any US order until Valentine’s Day, including orders for the “Support our SEALs” and “Condemn the Terrorists” T-shirts. Those who would like to spread a little Navy SEAL love around on Valentine’s Day may want to check out this special offer.