Day 28 - Secret Santa

Over the past few weeks, several members of my office were sent out on missions throughout the Christmas holiday. One, in particular, had organized an office Secret Santa but because of her duties that took her away from camp, we didn’t feel right in taking part in the gift exchange without here being present. As the days after Christmas rolled on, they began to arrive one by one. When we received word that the final Marine was headed back, we began to prepare for the evening to see who would receive what.

Before we could take part in the gift-giving, she first had to open up all the of mail that had accumulated while she was away. Care packages from family and friends back home were stuffed into boxes. Unsure of what to do with most of the items, she began handing things out that she knew others would enjoy. Mike and Ike candy, books, magazines, decks of cards, even phone cards. As she picked through her pile, we all went inside to find the packages with our names on them and bring them out to the patio to rest underneath our tree.

Once everyone had retrieved their gift from their Secret Santa, we stood in a circle and watched as each person opened their gifts. Some were hilarious pranks, some were items that we had been watching at the post exchange, others were gifts that were surely needed in the cold weather. I received an Air Force hooded sweatshirt for nights we would go to the gym. The limited number of civilian clothes I brought along with me were no match for the brutal weather here at night. The sweater was sure to get much usage in the coming weeks.

The funniest gift was from one of the Corporals to a Lieutenant. While he was away, he has asked fellow Marines to get a gift for his Secret Santa. That was his first mistake. Those Marines found an image of him in full gear looking off into the sunset and printed out a poster two feet wide by three feet long. When the Lieutenant unrolled the posted, a look of shock and awe overtook here. The rest of us knew about the prank and forced ourselves to hold back our laughs as she stood speechless. Once we told her the story behind everything, we presented her with the real gift he had gotten for her.

Some of the other gifts included a hand-crafted wooden pig, stuffed animals, a shot glass and flask set, a journal, and a man-bag. Yes, a man bag. All in all, we made a good decision to put off our holiday activity until we were all together. For the majority of them, they had been together for almost a year here in the desert and they wanted to make this holiday season one to remember. Though I had only been with them for two months, they all welcomed me as the “Plus One” to their Marine Corps gatherings. As they will be leaving soon and other Marines take their place here in Iraq, I will definitely miss the good times that I’ve shared with them. From the early days of building our patio through the New Years holiday, we had grown close. The bond between servicemembers is greater than any bond in the civilian sector. I volunteered to serve these months in Iraq and if given the chance to serve with these Marines again, I wouldn’t hesitate to volunteer once more.