Hale, Caroline, Hawkins, Haley

We’ve all heard the phrase _there’s no place like home for the holidays_. Well, how do you handle the holidays when a piece of your “home” is halfway across the world? Unfortunately, this is a very real experience for families of military Service members. Although many military families are away from their loved ones this time of year, there are, thankfully, many ways families can develop and strengthen their support systems to ensure the holidays are still a special experience. In this article, we will discuss social support, the influence it has on families during the holiday season, as well as different ways the community and military families can build and strengthen support systems. #### WHAT IS SOCIAL SUPPORT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Individual people are inherently connected to the communities in which they live. _Social_ connections to others in the community _support_ people in leading healthier, happier lives; hence, the term _social support_. For example, a [recent study](https://militaryreach.auburn.edu/dr?id=aafa0f2a-a13d-49da-8a38-eed98a245c4e&rt=rs) showed that simply having coffee socials for military Veterans to mingle with their peers helped those Veterans to form meaningful friendships, feel greater purpose in life, and even access programs to meet their everyday needs (such as housing or medical services). Although the coffee socials were originally organized by a civilian facilitator, Veterans became increasingly involved and were eventually facilitating the socials independently! Opportunities for social support helped these Veterans, but, perhaps more importantly, they were motivated to continue these events because they recognized how helpful this kind of social support could be for others. This is a great example of how both civilian and military communities can come together to support Service members, Veterans, and their families. Although the holidays can be a difficult part of the year, when families have social support, they feel more connected to others and can enjoy the season more easily. Here are some fun holiday ideas that can help military families build their social support systems: #### EVENTS ORGANIZED BY THE CIVILIAN COMMUNITY With any event, ensure you are maintaining your state’s social distance laws/policies. * Organize a hot chocolate social * Like the Veteran coffee socials, a hot chocolate social is a family-friendly activity that encourages community engagement. * [Show a holiday movie at a local recreation center](https://sportadvisory.com/host-community-movie-night-at-your-recreation-center/) * To make military families feel welcomed into the community, take a traditional family movie night and turn it into a community-wide event that specifically features military families as desired guests. * Host a “sponsor a military family” event * Bring civilian community members together and sign up to bring local military families things they will need to help them celebrate the holidays, such as meals, gifts, and other holiday items. #### WAYS MILITARY FAMILIES CAN BUILD SOCIAL SUPPORT * Attend religious services * Just because the pandemic happened this year doesn’t mean religious ceremonies have stopped. Many organizations are beginning to offer in-person services; however, if you are uncomfortable attending in-person, find out which organizations are offering virtual services. * Join winter sports leagues * Joining a winter sports league, like hockey/ice skating or basketball, can allow your children to exercise, while allowing you to connect with others in your community. * Participate in virtual caroling & tree lighting * The holiday spirit can’t be stopped by the pandemic! Virtually gather your friends and turn on the holiday cheer by decorating for the holidays together. Maybe even virtually bake some cookies together or your favorite meals using video conferencing, such as FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, or Zoom! * Volunteer at the local food pantry * Serving others is good for the soul! If you have the extra time, take your family to a food pantry or soup kitchen to volunteer. Your hearts will become warmed as you support and connect with members of your community. * Mail cookie decorating kits * Cookie decorating!? Yes, please! Gather lots of sprinkles and colorful icings, make your favorite cookie recipe, and package it all up to send to your friends, particularly friends with young children. Cookie decorating kits are a great way to send holiday cheer if you can’t physically be with those near to your heart. Have them send you photos of the final products! Overall, it is important that military families understand they are not alone and that there are plenty of people ready to support them in any way they need, amid a global pandemic and especially during the holidays. Simple acts of connection can start with you! ##### References [Gorman, J. A., Scoglio, A. A. J., Smolinsky, J., Russo, A., & Drebing, C. E. (2018). Veteran Coffee Socials: A community-building strategy for enhancing community reintegration of veterans. Community Mental Health Journal, 54(8), 1189–1197.](https://militaryreach.auburn.edu/DetailResult?resourceid=aafa0f2a-a13d-49da-8a38-eed98a245c4e&resType=resSum) [Link to Source](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10597-018-0288-y)

Family Story

https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-Gorman18TRIP

Gorman, J. A., Scoglio, A. A. J., Smolinsky, J., Russo, A., & Drebing, C. E. (2018). Veteran Coffee Socials: A community-building strategy for enhancing community reintegration of veterans. Community Mental Health Journal, 54(8), 1189–1197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-018-0288-y

Community reintegration may be a particularly challenging transition in a service member or veteran’s life, characterized by issues with finding and maintaining social relationships. Veteran Coffee Social events are an informal social intervention with the aim of gathering veterans together to talk over coffee. Using a case study approach, this study reviews the qualitative data from seven weekly Veteran Coffee Social groups with a total of 2,236 veteran engagements (i.e., total number of veterans engaging in events, not counting repeat attendees) over nine months. Participation in Veteran Coffee Socials was associated with numerous benefits, including increased social support and facilitating access to services.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-018-0288-y

Programming
Mental health
Veterans

Army
Navy
Multiple branches

Veteran

Veteran

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)
Aged (65 yrs & older)

Qualitative Study
Case Study

Gorman, Jay A., Scoglio, Arielle A. J., Smolinsky, John, Russo, Antony, Drebing, Charles E.

Veterans transitioning from military to civilian life are vulnerable to a loss of social support and an increase in isolation from their communities, which can exacerbate other difficulties they may be experiencing, such as physical or mental health problems. Veteran Coffee Socials are an innovative community-building pilot intervention designed to foster social support and community between veterans. In seven target communities, certified peer specialists initiated and facilitated weekly “Veteran Coffee Socials”—open peer support groups for veterans, held in local coffee shop or restaurants. Over a 9-month period, an average of 8.5 veterans attended each meeting, for a total of 2236 veteran engagements across seven towns. A range of activities were identified as commonly occurring during these Veteran Coffee Socials. Veteran attendees routinely formed relationships with each other, representatives from community organizations, and staff from local and VA healthcare resources. One of the most common activities involved veterans receiving information and directions for enrollment into needed healthcare supports and to local community resources. Case descriptions are provided illustrate the potential positive impact of this intervention to build community and expand social support for returning veterans through the examination of three individual and three group examples.

Springer

Article
REACH Publication

Social & Community Reintegration Research Program, ENRM
VA Medical Center, JAG Social & Community Reintegration Research Program, ENRM
VA Medical Center, AAJS
Department of Psychology, Suffolk University, JS
Department of Psychology, Suffolk University, AR
Social & Community Reintegration Research Program, ENRM
VA Medical Center, CED