10 Holiday Gift Ideas For Your Loved One

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 What to Get an Inmate for Christmas

Introduction

I love the holidays and I bet you do too. Even while I'm serving time in prison I still feel the Christmas spirit and choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I want to be in the free world giving presents, enjoying time with my family, and overdosing on cheesy holiday movies, but that's not my reality right now. My family and close friends have told me they wish they could find something to get me for Christmas but they struggle to find prison approved presents, and I imagine you might be struggling too. So I'm here to help! Here are my Top 10 Gift Ideas for your loved one this holiday season.

1. Send A Book

Whether finding the newest release from your loved ones favorite author, or choosing something nonfiction on a subject you know they like, sending a book through Amazon or any bookstore to your loved one will show them you care. One book I use and recommend is "Hot Pot Chef: Texas Prisons Cookbook" by Charles Hill.

2. Make An eComm Purchase

Having enough commissary in your locker to make a special meal with friends in prison can make the Christmas spirit come alive for your loved one. Surprising your loved one with an eComm filled with chips, meat pouches, condiments, coffee, and cookies will make the holidays special even while in the prison environment.

3. Pay For A Movie

While you may not be able to specifically choose a movie for your loved one to enjoy, depositing a total of $9.60 into your loved ones Securus Debit Account enables them to rent a "new release" movie and watch for 48-hours.

4. Share Some New Photos

Whether you share recent pictures through e-messaging or by sending hard copies to the Digital Mail Processing Center in Dallas, we cherish photos of friends, family, and our community in ways I cannot describe. If you can make the photos specific for your loved one they will be even more special!

5. Schedule A Phone Call

The holidays are a busy time, so simply setting up a phone call or two where your loved one can speak with you and other family members will make them feel remembered and loved during the holidays.

6. Make An Unexpected Deposit

We all understand that money isn't everything, but having financial stability in prison removes a major stressor. Inmates budget and plan purchases, having an unexpected bump in their Inmate Trust Fund will be a surprise blessing for your loved one this holiday season.

7. Get Them A Magazine Subscription

Magazines used to be all over the prison system but the tablets have replaced them for the most part. However, when a magazine does come in, it is read with fervor and passed around to entire wings. Subscribe your loved one to a magazine they will love. Texas Monthly, and National Geographic are always good options. Just make sure your loved one doesn't already have a subscription before you buy it.

8. Plan A Visit

Sometimes it's impossible to secure an available date to visit your loved one during the holidays, but if you can secure a date, and communicate it with your loved one, they will have something to look forward to in the future. Who says we can't celebrate Christmas is mid January?!

9. Invest Into Their Future

Point 15 Acquisitions, LLC is an investment account for inmates. Because of this, they have no social media or web presence, but Forest Wester is a Christian man with decades of financial investment experience and has created the best solution to investing in your loved ones financial future. To open an account write to: Point 15 Acquisitions, P.O. Box 53234, Midland, TX 79710.

10. Pray, Pray, Pray

When you feel you have nothing else to give, your prayers for your loved one make a difference! Pray for them this holiday season. Merry Christmas and always declare I Choose Hope!


Contact Trent directly by creating a Securus e-messaging account at SecurusTech.net or on the Securus App. You'll need his full name, State, and facility (Trenton Blythe, Texas, Texas Department of Criminal Justice). He'd love to hear from you!

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