Just sent one off. In addition to the treats and comfort food he likes I added three things with labels just for fun
Bubble wrap labeled “For Stress Relief”
Star bursts for “That Burst of Energy” and
Smarties labeled “Brain food” Decided dumdums were out of the question
Only sent a plane ticket home for the day after the last final.
^ Ugh. Travel arrangements. While D doesn’t have to fly back and forth, its still a 5 hour drive, which for me requires an overnight. She’s staying at school for her summer research, but she has to travel back and forth several times before her second year even begins and its starting to add up $$. Although the bus turns into an all-day thing and ends up costing $150± anyways (between transfers/cabs), I foresee this happening at least a few of those times so I don’t have to take time from work.
I always send my own “finals” package rather than the high priced packages offered by a service. But even thou this is my 6th year of doing it, I am always at a loss as to what to send. It’s because I think it’s all a waste. Either it’s junk that will eventually get thrown out, or it’s junk food. But I do it because I don’t want my child to be the child who doesn’t receive anything because everyone else’s mom is good at doing this.
I go to the grocery store and use the aisle that has specialty candies and cookies, choose 4 or 5, and ship.
My son’s college offers a finals care package fundraiser that benefits the ladies Div III softball team. Parents and students are sent emails and can select options and write something on a card. The girls visit their dorm room and some even sing or entertain them. It is a small LAC so it manageable for them.
One year we changed our minds and didn’t get him a care package for some reason and didn’t tell him. The girls knocked on his door and asked for his friend who had the same first name. My son took the friends package thinking it was from us. Not only did he finish off the food in a day or two, but he never told anyone including his friend about the package. So later on after we figured out what had happened, my wife and I paid to send his friend a care package the next semester and I told my son to stay away from his room.
I might go grab a priority mail fixed price box and take it with me to the store…I always seem to get too much stuff and spend a lot on shipping. Then again, what i ship isn’t the basic junk that seems to be in the Amazon boxes. She doesn’t need food -she has a full meal plan - I think it’s nice to just get something from home.
@doschicos, thanks so much! I already filled the box and its ready to go but you can be sure she’ll get some Whoopie Pies sometime over the summer, just for fun! BTW, I found bags of cotton candy and some crazy oversized wooden pencils with carved animals on them to finish up the box. She’ll love the cotton candy 
I received marketing emails from the hotel on campus (managed by the Hotel school) every year to see if I want to pay for a room for my kid to have a quiet place to study/sleep, and they would throw in a “finals package.” All for $300/night. Hmmm…no.
I’m a horrible parent. I never sent a finals package to either of my kids. But when they got home, I did make,them their favorite meal!
I didn’t do finals packages either. I knew they had more than enough to eat and I’m not a fan of little tchotchkes that just become clutter for them to deal with. My business partner, who is kind of a tchotchke queen (well meaning) sent care packages to my kids and to her kids’ friends! No way for me.