Making the perfect care package can be difficult, especially if you’re trying to put something together quickly in time for it to arrive for the big day. We’re here to help! Care packages are a great way to make someone feel loved and cared for even if they’re far away or you’re not able to spend a lot of time with them.
Sending or dropping off a package like this can make any occasion better, and with these care package ideas, we’ll have you at the post office sending off your box of joy in no time!
[amazon box=”B00MC737DG,B07FZDSXKX,B07DVDTYQ2,B07MGJC3CT,B07K16S3SZ,B01H74NM3S,B07KSQ36XS,B07GG447ZM,B07D1B8HWD,B01I0NSDE8,B07H5LVS3B,B0163BMT5I,B013MAZHI4,B01H1U8B48,B0000DZLTY,B00BWJQEC6,B006PWSDII,B00N6L5RJ4,B00A9K5JXO,B07DXRQSPH,B0773TXQ3G,B01N7KYY5Z,B07NX71WJX,B00008XPN0,B0184XUCR0,B075LZZ5MR,B00JMK6SCS,B0756GBL99,B07BHSB9G5,B00LBK7OSY,B07K53VQK9,B07DCCLH96,B06XGLLLR9,B004CTH7ME,B01C5U4PTY,B07629RLTC,1401261094,B07DNKYMM9,B0117SFLUW,B00BCKTF5I” template=”table”]
What is a Care Package?
Care packages are collections of items based around a themed that are usually sent to help the recipient celebrate or survive a season. We hope these care package ideas we will help you as you shower your loved ones with affection.
Top 10 Best Care Package Ideas
Finals Survival
[amazon box=”B00MC737DG”]
What to Include
- Colored pens and highlighters—to help with color coding and studying
- Sticky notes—either fun colors or with funny sayings
- Snacks—energy bars or single-serving snacks
- Gift card to a local coffee shop or Starbucks
- Gift card to food delivery service like DoorDash
- Bubble wrap to pop when they’re stressed
- Stress relieving toys like Fidget Spinners or Squeeze Beans
- Stress relieving tea
[amazon box=”B07FZDSXKX,B07DVDTYQ2,B07MGJC3CT ” grid=”3″]
Why Send It
Finals can be gruesome. Your loved student might be sleep deprived, not eating well, and have a mind spinning with algorithms, authors, and astrophysics. Sending a care package lets them know that you believe in them and are there for them.
When to Send
Send your package the week before finals. Many colleges have what’s called a “dead week,” which is a week dedicated to studying before finals begin. Make sure your package gets to your student before they get buried in their books and forget to check their mail!
Price to Create
Depending on the size of your gift cards, you can put together a great Finals Survival Care Package for between $30-$75
Super Bowl
[amazon box=”B07K16S3SZ”]
What to Include
- T-shirt from your favorite team
- Football Bingo cards for those more interested in being with friends than watching the game
- Gatorade or Gatorade mix
- Slim Jims
- Small blow up football
- Football themed sweets (these come out around the Super Bowl)
- Chips, salsa, and canned or jarred nacho cheese
- Football themed napkins
[amazon box=”B01H74NM3S,B07KSQ36XS,B07GG447ZM ” grid=”3″]
Why Send It
Watching the Super Bowl together is a tradition celebrated with friends and family. When you can’t be there to support your team in person, send a care package so that you can be there in spirit. Or pass the tradition on to your children so that they are able to celebrate the Super Bowl properly even when away from home.
When to Send
Send the package so it will arrive the week leading up to the Super Bowl. It will be no fun if it gets there late, so make sure it arrives by that Friday.
Price to Create
This package can be created for $40-$80 dollars. If you are looking to save money, make sure to buy Gatorade mixes instead of the actual Gatorade so you don’t need to pay to ship a heavy liquid.
New Mom Kit
[amazon box=”B07D1B8HWD”]
What to Include
- A natural but tinted lip balm
- Batteries for all the little gadgets like the baby monitor
- Lotion
- Baby wipes
- Alcohol-free hand sanitizer for all the visitors who will want to hold the baby
- Cute, no crease elastic hair bands
- Dry shampoo
- Personalized trail mix made with all her favorites goodies
- A food delivery gift card, like DoorDash or UberEats
- Dog toy to keep the family pup busy
- Mints for when visitors arrive before she can brush her teeth
[amazon box=”B01I0NSDE8, B07H5LVS3B, B0163BMT5I ” grid=”3″]
Why Send It
This kit probably needs the least explanation—moms need it! New moms are potentially up to their sleep-deprived eyeballs in diapers and spit-up. They could use a little pick-me-up or at least a little help.
When to Send
There’s no bad time to send this kit! You could send it before the big day so the mom can look forward to using all the items, shortly after she’s back from the hospital, or even weeks later after the majority of the help has faded away. These will always be welcome gifts!
Price to Create
The price on this care package will vary depending on if you choose to include food delivery gift card, but this care package could be assembled for $65-$100. Remember, though, that even a smaller care package with fewer items would be a welcome gift!.
Halloween
[amazon box=”B013MAZHI4″]
What to Include
- Candy!
- Candy corn
- A set of fun masks for them and their friends
- A spooky movie like a Hitchcock classic or a more recent crowd favorite
- Seasonal baked goods—anything pumpkin flavored will do
- Decor like miniature pumpkins or pumpkin fairy lights
- Pictures from childhood Halloweens
[amazon box=”B01H1U8B48, B0000DZLTY, B00BWJQEC6 ” grid=”3″]
Why Send It
Halloween isn’t just for kids, it can be an excuse for everyone to ditch their diets and eat a lot of junk food. Sending a Halloween care package helps the recipient be nostalgic for childhood days of dressing up and trick-or-treating. What a fun way to bring back happy memories!
When to Send
You can send this package anytime before Halloween. Just make sure it arrives before the big day! If you decide to include decor, send it at least two weeks before Halloween so they have time to enjoy the decorations.
Price to Create
Out of all the care package ideas, this one is the most affordable! You can put together a great Halloween care package for $25-$40, depending on what scary movie you choose.
I Miss You “Snow” Much!
[amazon box=”B006PWSDII”]
What to Include
- A snow globe from a city that is important to you
- White gum
- Fake snow
- Indoor snowballs for some cold weather fun
- A white sugar cookie candle
- White rock candy
- Winter spice tea with the snowflakes on the box
- A snowman stuffed animal
[amazon box=”B00N6L5RJ4, B00A9K5JXO, B07DXRQSPH ” grid=”3″]
Why Send It
Winter is reminiscent of the holidays, and the holidays make us want to be around loved ones. When that’s not an option, this I Miss You “Snow” Much! care package can help bring you “together” during the winter season.
When to Send
You can send this package anytime the snow is (or should be!) falling.
Price to Create
There are some big-ticket items in this care package, like the snow globe and indoor snowballs, so this care package is about $50-$70. Feel free to scale it up or down for your own needs!
Army Strong
[amazon box=”B0773TXQ3G”]
What to Include
- Drink mixes, hot chocolate, high-quality pour over coffee, and tea bags
- Flavor creamer pods
- Energy bars in their favorite flavors
- Condiments to improve the food they already have!
- Choose from their favorites of hot sauce, relish, mustard, ketchup, honey, Nutella, peanut butter, jelly
- Gum
- Trail mix without chocolate
- Non-chocolate candy (chocolate could melt)
- They’re favorite toiletries like high-quality soaps and shampoos
- Sunblock
- Lip balm
- Books and magazines
- Batteries
- Movies
- Pictures and cards from home
[amazon box=”B01N7KYY5Z, B07NX71WJX, B00008XPN0″ grid=”3″]
Why Send It
There may be nobody that appreciates care packages more than our military. As they protect and serve our country, we can certainly do our part in encouraging them.
While many of these care package ideas may be seasonally appropriate for your loved one in the military, if you’re looking for a “for no reason” package to send, here are some fun ideas.
When to Send
You can send this package whenever you want! We doubt there is ever a bad time to send a box of encouragement and little life improvements like this
Price to Create
This is another one of the care package ideas that you can scale up or down. Depending on how many options you give for condiments, books, and movies, you can create a great care package for $40-$100.
Make sure to look for condiments in plastic instead of glass to keep shipping down and prevent breakage.
Movie Night
[amazon box=”B0184XUCR0″]
What to Include
- Movies! You can either center them around a theme like a collection of rom-coms or else give one from a few different categories
- Cozy socks
- Plastic (unbreakable) wine glasses
- Popcorn to pop in the microwave
- Pre-popped gourmet popcorn
- Boxed candies like you get at a movie theater
- A fuzzy blanket
[amazon box=”B075LZZ5MR,B00JMK6SCS,B0756GBL99 ” grid=”3″]
Why Send It
There may be nobody that appreciates care packages more than our military. As they protect and serve our country, we can certainly do our part in encouraging them.
While many of these care package ideas may be seasonally appropriate for your loved one in the military, if you’re looking for a “for no reason” package to send, here are some fun ideas.
When to Send
You can send this package whenever you want! We doubt there is ever a bad time to send a box of encouragement and little life improvements like this
Price to Create
This is another one of the care package ideas that you can scale up or down. Depending on how many options you give for condiments, books, and movies, you can create a great care package for $40-$100.
Make sure to look for condiments in plastic instead of glass to keep shipping down and prevent breakage.
Beach
[amazon box=”B07BHSB9G5″]
What to Include
- Sunscreen!
- Sun hat
- A protective waterproof phone case
- Beach caddy
- Lip balm
- A good book to read on the beach
[amazon box=”B00LBK7OSY, B07K53VQK9, B07DCCLH96″ grid=”3″]
Why Send It
Nothing beats a day at the beach! If your loved ones don’t frequent the shore, though, they may not have everything they need to make the day successful. Use these care package ideas to help your friends and family have a holiday in the sun they won’t forget—and they’ll have you to thank!
When to Send
You can send this package whenever you want! We doubt there is ever a bad time to send a box of encouragement and little life improvements like this
Price to Create
You don’t need much to have a great day at the beach, but these little ideas will help their day to gomore smoothly. You can put this care package together for about $40-60.
Love From Home
[amazon box=”B06XGLLLR9″]
What to Include
- A Homesick Candle
- A CD of music often played in your home
- A favorite family board game
- A family photo
- Personalized notes from those still at home
- Homemade baked goods
[amazon box=”B004CTH7ME,B01C5U4PTY,B07629RLTC ” grid=”3″]
Why Send It
There’s no place like home, but with these care package ideas, you can send home away from home in a box! These care packages will vary a lot based on your home and family traditions, but these ideas will, hopefully, spark your own ideas to create the perfect package.
When to Send
You can send this package anytime you’re missing someone who is no longer at home, or anytime you think they might be missing you.
Price to Create
Because so many of these items are homemade, you can pull together a great Love From Home care package for $40-60. The Homesick Candle is the big-ticket item (about $30), so if you replace it with a different scent that represents home, you can bring the price down a little.
Superman
[amazon box=”1401261094″]
What to Include
- Small Superman toy
- Superman t-shirt
- Classic Superman Comic
- Superman themed soap
- Superman decal for his computer
- Superman patch
- Superman keychain
- Superman mug
[amazon box=”B07DNKYMM9, B0117SFLUW, B00BCKTF5I ” grid=”3″]
Why Send It
Many of us have a man in our life who has been our Superman. Using these care package ideas to put a box together for him is a great way to make him feel appreciated, especially when he’s far away.
When to Send
Send this box anytime you’re missing your Superman.
Price to Create
Out of all the care package ideas, this is one of the more expensive because many of these items are handmade just for your special guy. You can pull this care package together for $80-$120, but feel free to make adjustments to fit your budget and your man.
Go Send Your Care Packages
We hope that you’ve enjoyed these care package ideas, and we hope that you are inspired to create and send packages of your own. Your friends and family will feel so loved and appreciated!
If you have ideas we didn’t think of, or if any of these ideas worked for you, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you!