With this DIY St. Patrick’s Day care package you will make the recipient’s friends green with envy! Whether your loved one is far from home because of college, a missionary trip, or military deployment, they will feel extra lucky when they open this St. Patty’s Day gift in the mail!
The month of March is now in full swing, which means it’s time for me to get busy making this month’s college care package for my oldest daughter who is in her freshman year at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
In case I have any newbie readers to my blog, (hiya! I’m Magan & I’m so glad you are here!) I’ve been sending a monthly themed care package to show our firstborn how much we miss her and are always thinking of her!
I am now on month #7 of making different care packages, and I will link all those ideas at the end of the post if you want to read more about other fun box ideas to inspire you!
1. Get Well
2. Halloween
3. Blue Themed
4. Winter Holidays
5. Nut Themed
6. Valentine’s Day/Pink Themed
Most months it’s pretty darn easy to choose a theme, because there is usually a holiday-specific occasion to celebrate, and other times, I need a little more help creating new care package ideas so I search my favorite creative community… the Pinterest website!!
Here is my College Care Package Pinterest Board if you want to see the collection of ideas I’ve found!
For the month of March, it was SO simple to put together a super cute gift box to send to our daughter to celebrate St. Patty’s Day!
I mean, green beer St. Patrick’s Day and college students go hand in hand!
I realize life is busy and not everyone has the extra time to create a college care package, so I have broken down the entire process into 4 basic steps with free printables and lots of tips, tricks, ideas, and suggestions to make it easy peasy!
Bring on the shamrocks and shenanigans cause it’s the perfect time to show your favorite college co-ed how much you care!
Now that we have our theme established: All Things Irish (AKA St. Patrick’s Day)…let’s jump right in!
HOW TO MAKE A ST. PATRICK’S DAY CARE PACKAGE
STEP #1 – GET THE GREEN GOODIES & GIFTS FOR YOUR ST. PATRICK’S DAY CARE PACKAGE
First up on our list…it’s time to search and shop for the contents of the package.
This green/Irish-themed care package was so fun to put together because I just looked for festive St. Patty’s Day items when I was out running my errands…in particular, I purchased almost everything at the Dollar Tree, Walmart, and my local grocery store.
*Mom Tip #1* – I never send liquids because #spillshappen. Leave the spills for the frat house parties! LOL!
Here’s a list of the St. Patrick’s goodies I bought for this particular care package:
- Green and Gold Tinsel Garland
- Green Bead Necklaces
- Sour Cream & Onion Pringles Can
- Lucky Charms Cereal
- Green Shamrock Headband
- Nature Valley Granola Bars
- Pistachios in Green Package
- Emerald Cashews
- Quaker Sour Cream Rice Chips
- Green Pea Harvest Snaps
- Green Mike & Ike Candy
- Green Fruit Strip
- Fake Plastic Gold Coins
Since most of it was purchased from a discount store the total price to fill this package was under $25 so you don’t have to spend a bundle!
* Mom Tip #2 * – Don’t forget to sign a handwritten note or card to brighter the recipient’s day! There’s nothing like a personalized touch from home!! I’ve included the free printable notes here!
Yes, I know there are A LOT of sweets in this care package…and my daughter is not much of a junk food eater, but I know she has lots of new buddies in her dorm that will join in to help her eat all the snacks.
With any luck, maybe she will meet a new friend by sharing the care package goodies!
If you are having trouble finding enough things, here are some other items you could throw in for fun:
- Your Kid’s Favorite Snacks
- Tate’s Cookie Packs in Green Packaging
- St. Patty’s Day Sign or Dorm Room Decor
- Festive Window Cling Stickers
- Irish Themed Food
- Spearmint Gum or Mints
- Homemade Food or Treats
- St. Patrick’s Day Swag & Accessories (think silly sunglasses, festive socks)
- Any other gold or green items!
Mom Tip #3 – It is never a good idea to send anything fragile or flammable…be sure to take into consideration any housing rules! Most college dorms do not allow candles, incense, etc…so I’d be sure to omit those too!
STEP #2 – DECORATE YOUR ST. PATRICK’S DAY CARE PACKAGE
Do you know the best way to make the care package recipient’s friends green with envy??
Not only getting an awesome care package but that it’s in a D-E-C-O-R-A-T-E-D box!
Now is the time to unleash your inner cheesy mom!
Don’t know how to do that?
Well, search no further…today you are in luck because the leading lady of the cheesy mom tribe has prepared some free printables for you!!
All you need to do is simply download the box flap tags, print them (I use tagboard/white card stock to make it sturdier), and glue the tags to the inside of the flaps of the box using a glue stick.
In this file download, you’ll find two versions of the tags…one set from “we” for a family/group and the other set from “I” for an individual sending the St. Patrick’s Day care package.
I also have included some cute little notes you could use too!
When it’s all said and done, it will probably take you an extra 10-15 minutes to decorate the box…definitely a good investment of your time!
If you want the printable box tags for the inside flaps click the link below!
ST. PATRICK’S DAY THEMED CARE PACKAGE PRINTABLE TAGS
STEP #3 – FILL YOUR ST. PATRICK’S DAY CARE PACKAGE
To pack this care package, I first placed a few sheets of green tissue paper inside the bottom of the box.
Next, I loaded it up with green goodies, glued on the tags, and placed a few sheets of tissue paper on top.
Lastly, I added the sparkly tinsel to the top with a few festive notes!
STEP #4 – SHIP YOUR ST. PATRICK’S DAY CARE PACKAGE
Once you’ve gussied up the box up with the printed St. Patty’s themed tags and loaded it up with all the green goodies, it’s time to tape it up, attach the mailing address, head to your post office, and send it to your loved one!
*Mom Tip #4* – If you are frequently sending care packages to the same person, creating a word document of their address and your return address will save you some time and energy in the long run. It’s so much easier to print it out on the computer and tape it on rather than take the time to write it out each time you ship a package.
And there you have it folks…that’s how you make a Saint Patrick’s Day care package in 4 easy steps to send your loved one far from home a little love in the mail!
MORE CARE PACKAGE IDEAS
Here’s a round-up of my blog posts from my website featuring the packages I’ve sent so far in case you need some added inspiration!
1. GET WELL
For September I sent a “Get Well” Package filled with all sorts of cold/flu remedies in case she or any of her dorm mates get any of those nasty seasonal “bugs” that seem to run rampant around college towns and most dorm rooms.
2. HALLOWEEN HOLIDAY
In October, I sent a Halloween-themed package that definitely brought her an extra dose of joy and happiness! She thought it was simply spook-tacular!
3. BLUE THEMED
For the month of November, since it was starting to get a bit chilly in Ann Arbor, Michigan where my daughter is attending school, I thought a blue-themed winter college care package would be super fun to put together!
Plus it is one of her school colors so it also played upon the school spirit vibe there too! #GOBLUE
4. SNOW THEMED
When December rolled around it was time to really focus on the cold snowy theme…there are lots of “snow” puns with this Christmas care package for December.
5. NUT THEMED
The January care package was filled with all sorts of nut-themed treats and snacks!
6.VALENTINE’S DAY
February’s box was filled with lots of love letting our daughter know we were “pinking” of her!!
* Mom Tip #5 * – All of these ideas would work great for birthday care packages, exam care packages, or any time your college student needs a little extra surprise gift or reminder of love and support from home.
Got any super creative ideas I should use for my next care packages for the upcoming spring months?
Let me know in the comments!
Until next time, cheers to sending a little luck in the mail, and cheers to you!
XOXO,
Magan
Psst – Want more Saint Patrick’s Day Ideas?? Check out these lunch box jokes that will have your kids “Dublin” over in laughter!
It’s not a holiday without a scavenger hunt in our house…you can find our St. Patrick’s Day Treasure Hunt here on my blog site!
