DHL celebrates 21 years of bringing holiday cheer to troops

For more than two decades, DHL Express has been carrying on a heartfelt tradition of bringing holiday cheer to U.S. military personnel stationed overseas. Through its annual program Operation Holiday Joy, the global shipping leader is sending hundreds of freshly cut Christmas trees, holiday decorations, menorahs, holiday lights and heartfelt messages from schoolchildren to troops deployed in Djibouti, Kuwait and Bahrain letter.

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This is the 21st year of Operation Holiday Joy, a partnership between DHL, Dees’ Nursery and several New York charities. “The holidays are especially difficult for those who are away from loved ones,” said Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Express US. “This program allows us to express our gratitude and honor these brave men and women. Bringing some feeling of home. Our DHL family is honored to be able to spread holiday warmth to our troops.”

The celebration kicked off on Monday, December 9, at Dees’ Nursery in Oceanside, New York, with veterans, community members and local school children in attendance. Santa Claus will make a special appearance and students will read touching letters to soldiers before a patriotic and holiday-themed performance by the American Heavyweight Band.

After the event, a police-escorted convoy will deliver the goods to DHL’s JFK facility. From there, holiday packages will be loaded onto a DHL 767 aircraft for a brief stop at the company’s Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport hub before traveling to DHL’s Bahrain hub before heading to U.S. military bases in the region.

The initiative dates back to 2004, when the mother of a deployed soldier asked Dees’ Nursery for help in giving her son a Christmas tree. That simple request inspired Dees’ Nursery, DHL and local businessman Jim Adelis to launch the program, which has delivered more than 13,500 trees to troops stationed abroad.

This year, Dees’ Nursery provided the trees, and additional donations came from organizations such as Adopt a Soldier’s Platoon, the Lt. Dennis W. Zielinski Memorial Fund and VFW chapters across New York.

Operation Holiday Cheer continues to grow, uniting the community in gratitude and ensuring that service members stationed far from home feel the warmth of the holidays.