<p>Great ideas, I love the Monthly theme idea! And lottery ticket, except if my son won he would probably drop out :0
haha My daughter did request a steamer… over an iron, she said it’s the big thing with the girls. I think I will let her pick that up next time she’s home! OH… and I did buy her a Pier 1 Sweet Pumpkin air diffuser and a couple sachets for her drawers. 
Happy Shipping everybody… keep the creative ideas coming, love em!</p>
<p>Sachets are great to have, we found nice ones at TJ Maxx.</p>
<p>Regarding the lottery tickets- I’m out of state, so my parents joked that if I won I could just send the ticket back to them to cash it in…and that they would take good care of it.</p>
<p>Both D’s loved that fun stuff from Target in the dollar isle, like a rug with a pumpkin, tiara themes like bunny ears for easter, tiaras for fun with a wand, socks with funny pictures theme, etc. I always sent more than two of each because there were always friends they wanted to include. And of course home made cookies. Two years I did the Harry and David fruit each month for three months special- that was popular, too.</p>
<p>My care packages were from 2009-2013, but I think they would still work. 
Over time, I developed a formula: Heavy on healthy-ish snacks (she loves dried fruit, also pumpkin seeds, those little 4-packs of single-serve applesauce, canned nuts, and turkey jerky), and usually one naughty snack or maybe a box of Starbucks VIA. Some practical things like chapstick, a cool pen, post-its, hand-warmers in the winter. Little fun things I’d pick up when I was out and about – silly socks, a cool color of nail polish, a bottle of yummy shower gel. Once I sent a clear glass mug and a couple of boxes of fancy tea bags, and that was a hit. My D and DH share a similar sense of humor, so he’d always clip a couple of comic strips for her. And if I could find them, window gel clings for whatever holiday was coming up.</p>
<p>After a disastrous attempt to make a brownie in a mug in the microwave (documented in photos on FB), DS requested baking pans (he’s a freshman in a suite with a kitchen). Amazon to the rescue (we’re 3500 miles away); grandma and I had fun shopping for pans, mixing bowls, and a 4-pack of gourmet brownie mix that they’ll add in to any order over $25 for under $8. Free shipping and it’ll be there in 2 days - woot!</p>
<p>Here come the freshman 15; I hope he’s still swimming laps…</p>
<p>He also requested other “foodstuffs” (his word), so I’m appreciating all the healthy snack ideas on here for the next package. </p>
<p>My son has started taking vitamins, so they will be going into the his package, along with some silly socks (but he’s kind of particular, so I won’t spend much on socks). He also likes belts of different colors. My other son does protein powder, so I’ve sent him that, along with exercise shirts. The one constant request is mom’s homemade cookies. I guess that’s pretty universal. I’m just waiting for it to get a little cooler for those. </p>
<p>Eta: both of mine need the “freshman 15.” They are very thin. I was frustrated when I gave away many nice pairs of jeans, etc. bc I assumed my son would NEVER be that thin again. Well, he proved me wrong. He is the o e who said “maybe I need the freshman 15.”</p>
<p>Just back from Walgreens -they had lots of cute stuff on the Halloween aisle and a huge selection of candy.
My D has a kitchen this year so I have done things like Pizza crust mix and a package of turkey pepperoni, tin foil pans, muffin mix.</p>
<p>Just reading the thread title I’m getting a hankering for Moose Munch… :)</p>
<p>A few more ideas: board game, cards, card game, frisbee. </p>
<p>Isn’t Apples to Apples a perennial favorite? Settlers of Catan, too? </p>
<p>Games were big in my daughter’s dorm, but I don’t know if they usually arrived via care package, when students initially moved in, or after trips home on break.</p>
<p>Definitely doing the window clings for Halloween! Pumpkin spice diffuser was a big hit She also requested Febreze… Twinkle lights from Ikea, fun nail polish, great ideas!</p>
<p>Perhaps this thread was meant only for parents of college freshmen? I’m thinking the specific “class of” thread listed under the Parents Forum might be a better place to connect if that’s what’s desired.</p>
<p>I don’t see why any of these ideas are exclusive to the class of 2018.</p>
<p>Re Apples to Apples – We had purchased that for D during freshman orientation, because it’s so big and heavy that we didn’t want to ship it. Agree that it’s a great game (for all ages – we’ve played it with 80-year-olds at my mom’s Assisted Living!)</p>
<p>In terms of care packages, toys/games was part of the formula which evolved for me. I’d cruise the dollar aisle at Target and get something cheap and cheezy. The thought was, something that will make her laugh, hopefully with her roommate or someone who happens to be in her room. At various times, I sent her a Slinky, a cheap balsa airplane model, capsule sponge dinosaurs, and a yoyo.</p>
<p>Uno is the perfect care package game, because of its size. Boggle and Yahtzee are larger, but also good. [url=<a href=“http://www.bananagrams.com/]Bananagrams[/url”>http://www.bananagrams.com/]Bananagrams[/url</a>] was THE thing when my D was a freshman.</p>
<p>dup</p>
<p>LasMa, I sent several of those same items to my daughter, too! I was creative initially and then went for prepackaged, lol.</p>
<p>LOL. I continued to be creative throughout the 4 years – and beyond – because it made me feel connected to my far-away D. As I’d be doing my grocery shopping, something would catch my eye, and I’d think, “If she were here, she’d want that!” In the beginning, we did start off with WAY too much candy, cookies, and other junk food. I think it was D who actually requested we toss in some dried fruit once in a while! That’s when we started putting some thought into the snacks. I am not a baker, and not once did I send homebaked goods, so it was not hard to transition to packaged healthier stuff.</p>
<p>I kept a USPS Flat Rate box in the spare bedroom, and would toss in items in as I found them. When it filled up, I’d slap a label on it and mail it, and start the next box.</p>
<p>When D graduated and settled in her new city, I sent her another care package. The cheesy toys were replaced with kitchen gadgets, but basically the same idea. She informed me that she no longer needed me to do that, and besides she was concerned about the environment and hated all the packaging that was involved. They do grow up!</p>
<p>My system for sending packages is to save boxes that will fit in my mailbox at the end of my driveway. Shoeboxes seem to fit great. I have a digital kitchen scale and use the post office’s website to print labels. I put it in the mailbox before I leave for work in the morning. I am always amazed how quickly they get there. Tomorrow morning some mini pumpkin bread loaves and a dish towel are heading out.</p>
<p>I sent Halloween socks, Halloween Pez, lip gloss, post-its, and microwaveable macaroni and cheese. She’s a macaroni and cheese nut! I also included some coupons she received in the mail, and a pair of slippers she left at home.</p>
<p>Is the weather still too hot to send food?</p>
<p>We stopped sending DS packages after a couple of years - we had found that he often did not even open it (or to pick up the package late.) When he calls to ask for something, we will send him what he asks for. He does not like having too much stuff in his room.</p>
<p>Last month, we sent him one of our cars. He is happy for this after so many years without a car on campus. Now he drives everywhere by himself to buy whatever he needs by himself. (A problem for someone without a car is that there are not many good shopping places within walking distance near his campus. There are a lot of restaurants close to the campus though. But he thinks restaurant food is generally not healthy. (He could not afford high-end restaurants.)</p>
<p>S lives off campus now and receives his mail the next day. I haven’t sent him a care package in a while but I will this month. Its his last quarter of school before Dec. graduation. D is oos and still lives in a dorm. I’ll be doing a cookie swap with my friends and sending her a Halloween themed care package complete with decorations for her dorm room. She eats low free and gluten free (by choice) so I’ll have to be creative with what I send her. </p>