USAFA Cadet Gift Guide

[goforspaatz]

Hey all,

I thought I could help out some parents/sibs/SOs with ideas on gifts that cadets will appreciate for Christmas/Hanukkah/your holiday of choice. An asterisk indicates doolies might particularly enjoy.

Room:
-Hot water heater with auto-shutoff*
-Monitor (under 24")*
-Printer*
-Keurig machine + K-cups
-Gaming console
-Small projector*
-Desktop speaker system

Life:
-Boingo subscription (civilian WiFi)*
-Netflix/Hulu/etc. subscription (dangerous for your 4-deg)
-Chegg/WolframAlpha Pro subscription for techy majors
-IRA contribution/max-out
-Waffle top (sand color) for upperclass only
-Under Armor HeatGear ABU socks/thermal base layers/in-regs gloves*
-Black backpack (gives your doolie personality!)*

Recreation:
-Subway/Chik-fil-A/Dunkin'/local restaurant gift cards*
-Gas station gift cards
-Bluetooth speaker (rugged is better)
-Ski/snowboarding passes
-Climbing gear (backpack, jackets, clothing, protective gear, etc.)
-Camping gear (pack, tent, stove, food, sleep system)
-USAFA clothing

Other cadets/parents feel free to jump in with your suggestions/recommendations. These are what I could come up with short notice.

 

[Wishful]

I liked the digital picture frame that can show several photos in slideshow mode.

 

[RickD_USAF]

If you can provide the prepaid service for laundry, that helps.

 

[Wishful]

You may wish to consider a gift for the sponsor family. To say that they do a lot is an understatement as DD's family went above & beyond. A previous poster recommended Omaha Steaks as a gift which we sent & was much appreciated. DD invited them to her graduation & surprisingly was their first sponsored cadet to do so. DW & I still keep in touch.

 

[cadet15]

You may wish to consider a gift for the sponsor family. To say that they do a lot is an understatement as DD's family went above & beyond. A previous poster recommended Omaha Steaks as a gift which we sent & was much appreciated. DD invited them to her graduation & surprisingly was their first sponsored cadet to do so. DW & I still keep in touch.

I can't emphasize this enough. I left COS 5 years ago and I spent Thanksgiving with my sponsors this year. Still keep in touch with them weekly. They bailed me out on said trip when my car was wrecked. We are family. I know that I got lucky, but there are many amazing sponsors out there that go above and beyond for their "adopted kiddos". Many don't see how much they do, but they are an integral part to the Academy and are often overlooked.

 

[Dsmcse]

Noise cancelling headphones are a big hit with the cadets right now. Just bought Bose quiet comfort 35 headphones for my son for Christmas.

 

[RickD_USAF]

I just sent DS and his two roommates each a $25 Gift Card to Subway. It gives them a break from Mitch's.

 

[GoArmy2022]

My friend's a doolie and I bought her a couple of pounds of chocolate because she enjoys the stuff--from what it looks like the cadets have been running a lot!

Hope it works wonders for the heart but I have a feeling she won't be eating it in moderation lol--I love her to death and would totally get her something nice if I had anything in my pockets!!!