Let Them Know You Care

When you come from a close Christian family and you're away from home at Christmas, you try not to think about it. You work through it. You find distraction where you can. You push the holidays and all of its festivities out of your mind.

But it's hard. Everyone you talk to wishes you a Merry and a Happy. Every TV show is about the holiday. So you eventually get overwhelmed.

That was my experience living peacefully across the Pacific. I can only imagine what it's like for our military personnel fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. This must be the loneliest time of their service.

Soldiers, Marines, sailors, and airmen longing to go home for the holidays are part of the American Christmas tradition. The reason that songs like "White Christmas," "The Christmas Song," and especially "I'll Be Home for Christmas" struck a chord with Americans is that they were recorded and released during World War II. They summed up the desire of the troops to come home and the desire of their loved ones to have them return home safely.

Today, a new generation of Americans are fighting for our freedom overseas, but there are no great Christmas songs being written and sung for them. Like the Vietnam generation before them, they are largely forgotten by a public too concerned about domestic issues to care about them, and they are demonized in popular culture as "kill crazy" murderers.

This Christmas you can remember the men and women serving in the U.S. military. You can pray for their safe return, if you are so inclined. You can send a "CARE package" to a soldier you know. Or you can give a donation to a charity that helps the families of deployed military personnel.

You can also participate in one of two programs now being offered by Revision Eyewear . For every 50 people who sign up as fans on Revision's Facebook page, the company will send a pair of Sawfly ballistic eyewear to a deployed member of the U.S. military. In another Revision program, the company is donating 500 pairs of Sawfly ballistic eyewear to the troops for the holidays. The donations are being made through AnySoldier.com .

Jamie Brandon, Revision's e-business manager says that the company has been running its Facebook fan promotion since the third week of August and "no end line" is in sight. "We are prepared to do it for quite some time," he adds. Already Revision has donated 78 pairs of eyewear through the program.

For the second straight year the company is also making its "A Hero's Christmas" holiday donation to the troops. E-mails were sent to Revision customers, suppliers, and friends that allow them to choose what branch of service person will receive the gift. You can also go here and choose the recipient branch. There is no cost to you for making the selection, and you can even write a note to the recipient.

The Revision Sawfly Military Eyewear System features Mil-Spec ballistic interchangeable lenses. Adjustable arms ensure a comfortable fit. Prescription inserts are available. It is a really nice gift for a soldier, Marine, sailor, or airman serving in the Sandbox.