I was talking with my daughter the other day, and she said, “Mom, you need to do a post on the care packages that you used to send us when we were in college. You always made the best ones!” Well, that made me feel good, so of course, I was going to do it!
Valentine’s Day is February 14th, and this is the perfect holiday to send a college care package to your college student.
Valentine’s Day Care Package
I put this box together for Valentine’s Day to show you how I decorated the boxes and what I would add to them. My kids always loved getting these. I would try to make them fun, but also put a few practical things in as well.
When they received their box, they were always so very excited to see what goodies they were getting. It’s so lovely to get a little piece of home when you are so far away from family and friends.
Making New Friends
The fastest way to make new friends is to share with dorm buddies who might not be getting a care package from home. Something homemade is especially nice, and I would always add extra for them to share with their roommate or anyone else they felt needed a homemade treat.
How To Put Together a College Gift Box For Valentine’s Day
I started off by getting a flat rate box from the post office. The box is perfect because you can stuff it as full as you want, and it stays the same price! They don’t charge you for the box until you ship it, so grab a few. I found that the large box worked better for me because of all the goodies I put in it!!
I used the large box, which is $21.10 for shipping, or you can get the medium size box for a flat rate of $15.05.
Materials for the Box
Hobby Lobby had everything I needed to decorate my Valentine’s box. I grabbed some pink paint and some fun glitter paint to color the inside of the box, then added a few stickers and some stuffing for filler.
For the first step, I taped up the box with some packing tape (make sure it’s pretty secure, so it doesn’t come open during shipping), then you can paint the inside. Give the paint 24 hours to dry, so nothing sticks to it, and the paint smell will go away. Just a thought, you don’t have to paint the entire box, focus mainly on the lid. There will be filler in the bottom of the box, so it’s not necessary to waste your paint. I also found some pink glitter paint to add to the inside of the box.
After the paint dries, you are ready to decorate the inside of your box!
I found some cute stickers and tissue paper at Hobby Lobby.
Below, I listed some ideas for different themed boxes and what you could add to each one. In addition, I linked some of the items that are highlighted. First is the Valentine’s box I put together.
Valentine’s Day Care Package Ideas
- Candy
- Cookies
- Socks (they can never have enough socks)
- Hair ties
- Emergen-C
- Candle (or diffuser)
- Gifts card to Subway or Jimmy Johns
- Razors
- Lips Balm or Chapstick
- Notebook
- Facemask
- Manicure Set
- Window clings
Halloween
- Socks
- Caramel sauce and apples
- Window clings
- Halloween lights
- Candy
- Hot cider
- Air plant
- A gift card to Starbucks
Health and Wellness Box
- Tissue
- Emergen-C
- Tums
- Tylenol
- Chapstick
- Lotion
- Coughdrops
- Toothpaste
- Hot tea
- Honey
- Healthy snacks
- Gluten-Free snacks
- Essential Oils
Christmas
Fun and Games Box
- Cards
- Card games like Uno
- Movies
- Gift cards for pizza
- Popcorn
- Candy
- Left-Right-Center
These boxes don’t have to be only for college students. They would make great gifts for just about anyone!
I get a little carried away with what I put in my boxes, and I usually stuff it to the point that I can barely tape it up. lol
Have fun with this and use your imagination. I’m sure whatever your college student gets from home, they will be super excited and very appreciative.
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I would love to hear your experience if you decide to do this project, so please share.
Happy Valentine’s Day! XOXO
Cheers, Stephanie
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