Asta, that's a great thing to do for the holidays. I have several friends and family members in Iraq and Afghanistan right now, and they're all obsessed with home. Christmas cookies or whatever would be perfect.
While we're on the subject of holiday giving, my pet charity is Heifer International. You can Google it. They help families start sustainable food and income sources. Basically, they provide a small amount of livestock to a family: cattle, goats, chickens, honeybees, whatever. The family can keep all proceeds from whatever they sell, but they agree to help other needy families by passing some of the offspring on to someone else in need. They operate in 53 countries including the U.S.
Any other pet projects out there?