Emergency Kit Christmas Gifts for a Prepared 2021
An emergency kit isn’t so festive as a gift of goodies, cocoa mix or bubbly cider. But 2020 changed my thoughts about neighbor gifts.
This year showed me that anything can happen — pandemics, earthquakes, floods, wind and snow storms, and more. This year I assembled emergency kits to that my neighbors keep in the car, for “just in case” moments.
You can add the tag line, “Emergency! And you’re prepared! Because of some of us who cared. Have a Merry Christmas and a Prepared New Year.”
I did a small version for neighbors, with 16 handy items in a quart-size ziplock bag. I assembled a larger, more extensive version for immediate family members.
I placed a list of all the items inside the bag, so you can see what you’ve got, and to make it easy to re-stock.
About 10 years ago, I made a similar kit to keep in my car just after Hurricane Katrina happened. Watching TV footage of evacuees stuck in New Orleans’ Superdome was my motivation.
I’ve used the kit fairly often, even though I’ve not had to evacuate. For instance:
-I pulled out the rain poncho while covering an outdoor Bob Dylan concert during a downpour.
-I used the snacks when my grandkids got hungry after a hike.
-On a road trip, I used the toothbrush and toothpaste when I forgot to pack mine.
-At a church activity, I was able to offer Advil and Pepto Bismol when one of the leaders became ill.
-I gave the hand warmers to a tennis friend whose hands got icy cold while we were playing.
– I used the band-aids when I scraped my knee.
– I used the matches to light a birthday cake, when we were celebrating at a park.
I like stowing it all in ziplock bags, because it’s easy to see the items through the clear plastic.
When assembling my 2020 kits, I made sure to include the year’s indispensable items: a disposable mask and mini-bottle of hand sanitizer. I didn’t have room in the bag that other prized possession — a roll of toilet paper, but I did include a small pack of Kleenex.
What should go in an emergency kit? I consulted several preparedness lists, and chose items that seemed most useful. I found travel-size items like toothbrush and toothpaste, hand sanitizer, Kleenex, and hand lotion at Walmart, which also had flashlights, glow sticks, washcloths, and rain ponchos. I also ordered a lot of mini-size items online — little soaps, individual packets of Advil and Pepto Bismol, scissors, hand sanitizer, masks, reflective blankets, whistles etc.
If you’re doing a lot of kits, compare prices as the costs can add up quickly.
Here’s my list for the large kit:
EMERGENCY KIT- 2-gallon bag
Glowstick or flashlight/batteries
Matches in ziplock plastic bag
Hand warmer
Gloves
Rain poncho
Reflector blanket
Toothbrush & toothpaste
1 bottle water
Eating utensils in a sandwich-size bag
Whistle
First aid bag (quart size Bag)
Cotton balls
Bandaids
Scissors – small
Hand sanitizer
Mask
Q-tips
Kleenex
2 safety pins
Hygiene bag (sandwich size bag)
Washcloth
Soap
Lotion
Meds bag (snack size ziplock bag)
1 benadryl
Aspirin
Cough drops
Pepto bismol or Tums
Advil
Food bag (sandwich size ziplock bag)
Small beef jerky
1 bag nuts/trail mix
1 box raisins/craisins
1 pack crackers
1 granola bar
*Switch out the food every 6 months
Keep this list in bag to re-stock.
Small Emergency Kit (in a quart-size ziplock bag):
Hand sanitizer
Disposable mask
Glow stick/flashlight
Hand warmer
Advil packet
Cough drops
Washcloth
Soap
Safety pin
Spoon
Granola/protein bar
Bandaids
Kleenex
Cotton balls
Q-tips
Whistle
Keep this list in bag to re-stock.