The original post for “Holiday Cheer” was published 27 September 2017. Bumping this up to today, 14 December 2017 to keep our “Elfs” in the loop.
14 December 2017 “Holiday Cheer” Update:
When “Plan A” doesn’t work, move on to “Plan B”. (And have Plan C, D, and E in the background, too!) Continue reading Calling All “Elfs” – “Holiday Cheer at Walter Reed 2017”
Being far from home in a hospital over the Holidays is no fun.
We were grateful to once again have the opportunity to bring some “Holiday Cheer” to recovering Marines at the hospital.
On December 7, 2016 Marine Moms-Bethesda delivered gifts and cards to the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Battalion-East Detachment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. This was our 10th year bringing cheer to patients!
With so few combat patients on the hospital ward, we focused our “Holiday Cheer” efforts on our annual card campaign and adopting three recovering Marines.
Continue reading AAR – “Holiday Cheer 2016”
We love how “Elfs” from different parts of the country show their support during such a special time of year to those we serve! You are SO appreciated!
Thank You for entrusting Marine Moms-Bethesda as a steward of your donations and gifts in support of our mission of bringing food and comfort items to the injured, ill, and wounded warriors and their families at Walter Reed.
You help brighten their time spent during their recovery at the hospital, and you are more appreciated than you know. Thank you for caring.
Their very generous donations made this year’s event possible.
Alabama: Barbara
Florida: The Zabel Family; Cheryl & Ted
Maryland: Choptank Marine Corps League Detachment #439; US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 21-03; Dina; Jessi
Oregon: Marilyn
Washington: WA State Operation Thank You
Alabama: Barbara
California: “Women in Recovery”
Colorado: Ellen-Alisa
Florida: The Zabel Family, The Frase Family, Marilyn & Crew, and Cheryl.
Maryland: Michelle; Choptank MCL Detachment; Our Lady of Victory/Baltimore grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5.
Oregon: Marilyn
The hand-written, and sometimes homemade, cards were distributed during our December 6 Holiday Cheer luncheon on the 4th floor to patients either directly, or to their family members to give to their loved ones. They were given to combat patients, and to “regular” active duty or Veterans who were surgical and cancer patients on the 4th floor.
The handmade cards were beautiful – no they were gorgeous! The ones from the kids were great, the blank batch sorted into packets with stamped envelopes were really appreciated, but most of all, the heartfelt notes and thoughts inside the cards were uplifting and encouraging.
Continue reading Holiday Cheer 2015 Updates
This year’s “Holiday Cheer will be a little different and consist of:
We’re pretty excited, and also honored to have this opportunity to serve those who’ve served us and who are so far away from home during the holidays.
The holidays are right around the corner and it’s time to plan for “Holiday Cheer 2014”!We’ll be serving out-patients at Walter Reed during this luncheon. They live on their own or with their caregivers in dorm-like rooms. Many are young, single, and do not have family living with them.
Not all are “combat wounded”, however they are at Walter Reed-Bethesda for medical reasons during active duty service. Our Holiday Cheer event and bi-monthly luncheons are a HUGE morale booster for them!
The event consists of a holiday meal, Christmas stockings, handwritten holiday and Christmas cards from across the USA, cookies baked by our local “Elfs” AND a whoooole lotta CHEER!
“Holiday Cheer 2014” will be on December 4th, 2014. Location: USO. Serving Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM This event will be limited to 25 wounded, injured, or ill service members and their family members, first come, first served.
Continue reading Holiday Cheer 2014 – Would you like to be an MM-B Elf?
(Updated Dec. 9, 2013)
It’s hard to believe this will be the seventh year we’ve brought “Holiday Cheer” to Walter Reed/Bethesda! It’s actually the eighth holiday event if we count when Janelle, Brenda, and I were there in November 2005. 3/1 Marines we or our sons knew were patients on the overflowing combat surgical ward after being wounded in combat.
A Holiday Meal, Stockings, Cards, and Cookies, with “Elfs” providing support from all over the country made for a Very Merry Day at Mercy Hall!
Gladys and Bob, always early, were there and unloaded when Guy and I arrived around 10:15, with Katie right behind us bringing in adorable gingerbread houses from the Calvert County Hospice’s Festival of Trees Gingerbread House contest. Ace and the Sailors set up the two buffet tables and Jaime from “Touch of Relief” arrived shortly after to offer free seated massages to our guests. We missed having Jess with us. She’s being kept busy by “The Littlest Elf”, her darlin’ new Wee One. Jess sent the stockings with Bob she and her “Elfs” put together, made possible by individual sponsors and local organizations.
We covered the tables and started the chafing dishes, then began setting out the food and “niftie-gifties”.
The “Holiday Cheer” luncheon was quieter this year than in past years. The number of troops at the barracks is lower than they have been. Marines and Soldiers we’ve met over the past year or two have recently been medically discharged, and the ones still living there are kept busier than they used to be just a few years ago.
Stockings, cards, and other items left at the end of the day were taken by Katie, Bob and Guy to 7 East (the Traumatic Brain Injury Ward in the hospital) and the Marine Liaison Office for distribution.
Individual living quarters in this small out-patient barracks are equipped with a small fridge and microwave in a dorm-like room with a kitchenette. Pots, pans, cooking utensils, plates, cups, and silverware are the responsibility of the residents living there. We recently learned those basic items are no longer provided for them. That ended after the building was remodeled in 2011 due to budgetary restraints.
Continue reading Holiday Cheer at Mercy Hall 2013 (Updated Dec. 9, 2013)
Thinking about all of the “Elfs” involved, from our hands-on volunteers to the “Elfs” across the country who help make the event possible, it is overwhelming. Your support and help is deeply appreciated by those who are the recipients of your kindness.
The past several years we have held “Holiday Cheer” at Mercy Hall. However since the transition of Walter Reed to Bethesda, the dynamics at Mercy Hall have changed and we thought we could better serve our mission by hosting the luncheon on 4 Center, the 4th floor surgical ward, received permission to do so, and forward we went.
To our delight and complete surprise an Elf said, “Janie, pick up two chaffing dishes, a popcorn popper, two 6′ portable tables and a 4′ table. A check’s on the way to cover the cost.” When I opened the boxes to wash the chaffing dishes, I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. A very welcome addition to MM-B’s “Stash of Stuff” for the luncheons!!! Thank you SO much!!!
Plans for “Holiday Cheer” began this fall when the holiday card collection began. Information was sent out in our newsletter and on our Facebook page.
Many of our card “Elfs” send year after year. We begin receiving inquiries about them in August. Cards started coming in from all over the country in October. Lots and lots of cards from Florida this year thanks to Jan and her Florida “Elfs” getting the word out. 
Always love the cards from “Our Lady of Victory School” in Baltimore – pre-K through 4th grade and their Girl Scout Troop. This is the third year they have participated in the card collection. 
One group of cards came to us from Iowa; and there must have been 25 signatures from different people in each card, each signature with a different message to the troops. Screening the cards is one of my favorite things to do during “Holiday Cheer”. The messages are very heartwarming. Each card bundle had approximately 22 to 25 cards.
Once again, Chris and the Bayside Quilters’ Outreach Ladies made the stockings (and sent cards). Elf Jess did the shopping and with the help of Elf Bobbi and the crew from “Covers and Soles”, wrapped and filled them.
Continue reading December 1, 2011: “Holiday Cheer at Bethesda 2011”
“Elfs”, Cookies, Stockings, Cards, and a Holiday Meal!Here’s our AAR for Holiday Cheer 2010. Thank you to everyone who made it a wonderful success! You are SO appreciated!!!
Some “Elfs” sent gift cards, some sent stocking stuffers and ornaments, and others sent checks to help with the Santa shopping. They also helped by getting the word out about “Holiday Cheer at Bethesda” by posting on Facebook or on their websites and blogs.
Saying “Thank you” for your unconditional support of our wounded, injured, and ill service members seems inadequate to me. I have difficulty finding words strong enough to express the appreciation and gratitude that comes from the troops and their families when we gave them the stockings, cookies, cards, and food that they weren’t expecting.
So many people have given their time, money, and hearts to help with our event and each one of you have touched many people in extraordinarily wonderful ways that we will never know.
Thank you. We appreciate you.
Thank you to the “Cookie Elfs” – Kate, Barb, Don, Robin, Janelle, Aunt Jeanne and Mr. Russell, Alice, Catherine, Chris and her ladies from Bayside Quilters – Barb C. Kris S., and Marlene, and Grace. Thanks also to Delmarva Blue Star Mothers for helping to fund the cookie tins.
Jeanne, Janelle, Barb, Don. and Katie gathered together to sort the cookies into cheery tins. Each tin held a dozen assorted cookies.
Just a few of the delicious cookies the Cookie “Elfs” made. Continue reading December 2, 2010 – Mercy Hall: “Holiday Cheer at Mercy Hall”
Made possible by “Elfs” across the country!
Stockings made by Bayside Quilters of the Eastern Shore, MD.
Stocking stuffers were sent from: Continue reading Holiday Cheer at Bethesda 2009 “Elfs”
The food was great, the stockings were fun, the cookies were delicious and the cards were the icing on the cake!
”Elfs” across the country helped us fill 65 homemade stockings, sent us over 1000 Christmas cards, and the local “Elfs” baked 100 dozen scrumptious cookies for “Holiday Cheer”.
Our December Luncheon Crew and the Choptank Marine Corps League Detachment served up a full holiday meal including turkey, ham, and all the sides!
Heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made “Holiday Cheer at Bethesda 2009” possible!
Our goal was to fill 60 stockings, fill 60 containers of cookies with a dozen cookies in each, Continue reading “Holiday Cheer at Bethesda” – Mercy Hall, December 3, 2009