Being away from home is difficult at the best of times; being away from home at Christmas is even more so. Determined to bring a little bit of home to Bosnia, four friends, Cpl Theresa North, Cpl Nancy Trider, Cpl Jennifer Burton, and MCpl Edith Scott, gathered around the Christmas tree in their pajamas to open special care packages. The packages were delivered early that morning by Santa and his helpers LCol Peverly, Commanding Officer of the National Support Element (NSE), and CWO Morrison, Regimental Sergeant Major, NSE.

From left to right: Cpl Theresa North, Cpl Nancy Trider, Cpl Jennifer Burton, and MCpl Edith Scott enjoy Christmas morning in Velika Kladusa, Bosnia. Fourteen Hundred Canadian Forces members are currently serving in Task Force Bosnia Herzegovina (TFBH).

The care packages are part of Operation Santa Claus, a program that aims at delivering a Christmas gift to all military members serving far from home. The soldiers in Bosnia were not expecting a package. They believed that because Task Force Bosnia Herzegovina (TFBH) is part of the Deployed Operations Amenities Program, OP Santa parcels would go to less established missions such as the one in Afghanistan.

"It was nice to receive something you don't expect," says MCpl Scott. After opening the packages, the women marveled at the variety of items, including a backpack, jelly, day timers, Christmas greetings, and artwork from around Canada. Accompanying the OP Santa packages were several snack items such as Crunch N Munch and Humpty Dumpty products (not available in theatre). The treats were distributed in the messes on Christmas Eve and Christmas night. These proved to be the extras that made Christmas even more special.

For Theresa, Nancy, Jennifer and Edith, opening their OP Santa gifts was the highlight of their Christmas in Bosnia. They send a special thanks to all involved in the OP Santa program, and kudos for a job well done.