A package that arrives is worth more than a perfect one that does not. Most of what goes wrong with care packages is logistics rather than taste — customs, weight, heat, and the fact that missionaries move every few months and mail follows slowly.
Start with the constraints, then the contents.
Ask the mission office before the first one
Rules vary enormously by mission and change without notice. Some countries hold packages in customs for weeks or charge the recipient a duty they cannot easily pay. Some missions ask families not to send anything at all.
- Confirm the correct mailing address. It is often the mission office, not the apartment.
- Ask about size and value limits, and about anything that must be declared.
- Ask whether there is a cut-off for Christmas mail. It is usually much earlier than you expect.
What actually travels well
- Sealed, shelf-stable food from home. The specific brands they miss, not general treats. Nothing that melts if the route is hot.
- Practical replacements. Socks, good insoles, a decent umbrella, a water bottle. Missionaries walk more than anyone predicts and wear out shoes first.
- Small medical things. Bandages, blister treatment, familiar painkillers, sunscreen — these are cheap and oddly hard to find abroad.
- Photographs, printed. Actual paper prints of home, small enough to keep in a planner.
- Something to share. Enough of whatever it is for their companion, and preferably the apartment. A package that has to be eaten in secret is an awkward gift.
What tends not to work
- Chocolate through a warm country. It arrives as one object.
- Anything liquid or glass. Leaks ruin everything else in the box and are often refused outright.
- Heavy items. Weight is most of the postage, and they have to carry whatever it is at the next transfer.
- Electronics. Frequently restricted by mission rules, and a magnet for customs attention.
- More than they can move. Every possession gets packed into a suitcase every few months.
The letter is the part they keep
Returned missionaries are close to unanimous on this: the contents of the box are enjoyed and finished, and the handwritten letter is what stays in the planner for the rest of the mission.
Make it specific. Not “we are so proud of you” but the state of the garden, what the dog did, the argument about the holiday, who asked after them at church. There is more on this in what to write to a missionary.
Get everyone in the family to add a few lines, including the ones who find it awkward. Especially those.
Timing
- Mail Christmas packages absurdly early — weeks earlier than domestic mail would need.
- Avoid sending near a transfer if you know one is coming; packages chase people badly.
- A small package at a random time in a flat month often lands better than a large one at Christmas, when everyone is getting something.