Regina woman turns family tradition of sending troops Christmas cards into community affair

Somewhere overseas, a deployed Canadian service member is opening a Christmas card from someone in Saskatchewan — and it’s all thanks to Roxanne Brown.

The Regina woman started the Brown Family Christmas Cards for Soldiers Program in 2006 with her husband and father.

“We had no idea what to expect. With it being just the family, we always had it in November during the CFL playoff games. Every Sunday, a playoff game would be a ‘card day’,” Brown remembered. “We’d sign them the first day, do the addresses the next day, stuff them the last day on Grey Cup, then get them out in the mail.”

Two years ago, after Brown’s father passed away, she opened it up to the public because they “needed extra hands.”

Since then, it has turned from a three-person operation into something dozens of people take part in across the province.

According to Brown, a record 1,523 cards were sent out to Canadian service members overseas ahead of this Christmas.

Over the years, the envelopes have been packed with everything from photos to confetti — a Brown tradition.

“I know my family is annoyed to all end when I put (confetti) in my Christmas cards, so we put it in all of them,” she said with a chuckle. “You can pretty much guarantee that every person who’s getting one of these (cards) is smiling. (The cards) are covered in stickers (and) they’re covered in stamps; it’s just the thought and care and love that goes into it.”

This time around, Brown said they added custom-made postcards to each envelope — complete with a picture drawn by her cousin’s son, Hayden Hoenes.

“It’s this nice lovely piece of child art in a full-on postcard with all the information on the back outlining who did the artwork,” Brown explained. “Those who receive it can either choose to keep it or mail a postcard home.”

Some years, Brown said the cards arrive before Christmas, while other times, they arrive weeks later.

Regardless of when the envelopes are delivered, Master Warrant Officer Jacques Ouellette with the Canadian Forces’ Write to the Troops Program said it’s the thought that counts.

“Every time mail arrives on any operation, it’s like Christmas. It doesn’t matter where you are; when people know that mail is in the camp, everybody’s smiling,” Ouellette said, remembering his mission in Africa. “As soon as (troops) see the mail right there waiting for them, they forget about food, they forget about showers — they just want that mail.”

Over the past 13 years, Brown said she has received back a few handfuls of cards, notes and emails.

“Some letters are very quick, ‘thank you for thinking of us,’ and other letters are actually very detailed. I’ve got a couple letters I’ve kept here that are two pages long with photographs of themselves and their mission,” she explained.

However, the note that stands out most in Brown’s mind is the one she received in 2010 from those deployed in Haiti.

“Shortly after the earthquake, we got a letter from people serving there and it came with a group photo of the entire mission — the people who were serving,” she recalled, adding it’s nice to literally see the smiles the cards put on their faces.

“It’s hard when people are away and they don’t all have family, so it’s nice to know somebody is thinking about you.”

Having served overseas, Ouellette emphasized the impact is long-lasting.

“It makes such a difference to military members,” he said. “It gives them a chance to disconnect from the burden of being in an operation and in distress. It gives them a break and it’s a link right to Canada. This is really, really important for their morale.”

Looking to next year, Brown said she’s already thinking of ways to show soldiers year-round that civilians appreciate their sacrifices.

“People need support. People need to be told once in a blue moon that the work they do is important, and it’s important to get it from somebody besides your own family,” she said. “We need to give them our support and tell them we’re thinking of them, and — every once in a while — drop a card in the mail.”