From all of us at Team Sandboxx, happy holidays! Regardless of where you’re from, where you and your family are currently stationed, or what religion you may practice, we hope that this December is filled with joy, love and merriment.
To help you celebrate this holiday season, we’ve gathered a few of our favorite videos that feature some popular military traditions. Whether you’ve been a part of the armed forces community for years, or have recently joined and are looking to become more familiar with some of the customs of your new military family, we hope these videos help to get you in the spirit of the season, and make you smile in the process.
1. USMA’s 2017 Army Navy Spirit Short Film: Lead From The Front
Each year, before the much-anticipated Army vs. Navy football game, which is typically the last football game of each school’s season (unless they make a bowl appearance), the cadets at the United States Military Academy produce an Army Navy spirit short film. This year’s film, called Lead from the Front, starts off by talking tongue-in-cheek about the ways in which Army is better than Navy, but the Army is really looking to “massacre Midshipmen morale,” which means… well, you’ll have to watch the video to find out!
We really like how many senior officers stepped up to the plate to participate in this year’s awesome video. It’s great that the cadets and officers alike have so much enthusiasm for this spirit short film and football game, as well as for the institution that they represent.
2. The Happiest Holiday is a Homecoming
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqNgEWGX8yE]
In this year’s holiday video from the Navy Exchange, a father and son lean on each other to celebrate holidays throughout the year, anxiously counting down the days until Mom comes home. The two boys have a big surprise waiting for her at home to catch her up to speed once she walks through the front door!
3. Beautiful Rendition of the National Anthem at the Army-Navy Game
While this video isn’t strictly related to the holidays, the annual Army-Navy game does take place in December, so we thought it was worth including. The snow falling on the field and cadets, along with the angelic voices of the West Point and US Naval Academy Glee Clubs, make this year’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner seem perfectly suited for the holiday season. We love that the Glee Clubs combined forces, too, putting their different allegiances aside for the greater good of the military and our country. Talk about getting in the holiday spirit!
4. U.S. Air Force Band – 2017 Holiday Flash Mob at Gaylord National
To celebrate the start of the 2017 holiday season, the US Air Force Band surprised visitors at the Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland – just a hop, skip and a jump away from SANDBOXX HQ – with a surprise performance of “Dona Nobis Pacem” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” The band believes that the gift of music is a fantastic way to bring people together and celebrate the freedoms that we have in America, and thus does a surprise flash mob that they capture on film every winter season.
5. Air Force Lieutenant Dresses as a Lion to Surprise Son
Tis the season for holiday homecomings, one of our favorite military traditions of all! This December, returning from her 5th deployment in the Middle East, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Ramothea Webster surprised her son, Joshua, at school. Disguised as the school’s mascot, Lt. Col. Webster completely shocked her son after revealing her surprise, before the two embrace during their long-awaited reunion.
Which of these videos was your favorite? Did we leave out a clip that we shouldn’t have missed? Let us know in the comments below – and if we missed a great one, we’ll go ahead and add it to this post so others in the military community can enjoy it, too!
