DHL Celebrated 22 Years of 'Operation Holiday Cheer', Delivering Hundreds of Christmas Trees to U.S. Troops Overseas

DHL continued its tradition of spreading holiday spirit to deployed military personnel, with a festive sendoff in New York

NEW YORK, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DHL Express, the world's leading provider of international express shipping services, once again delivered holiday cheer to U.S. service members stationed far from home.

For the 22nd consecutive year, DHL made the season a little brighter by sending hundreds of freshly cut Christmas trees, complete with ornaments, lights, menorahs, and letters from schoolchildren to U.S. troops stationed in Bahrain, Djibouti, Iraq, Jordan, and Kuwait.

This beloved annual initiative, known as Operation Holiday Cheer, is organized in partnership with Dees' Nursery and various New York-area charities.

"Being away from family and friends during the holidays is never easy, especially for service members abroad," said DHL Express U.S. CEO Greg Hewitt. "Through Operation Holiday Cheer, we are bringing comfort, joy, and a touch of home to our troops. This effort is a meaningful way for us to show support for those who sacrifice so much, and we are honored to use our global network to deliver a bit of holiday comfort to our troops overseas."

On Monday, Dec. 8, Operation Holiday Cheer began with a festive event at Dees' Nursery in Oceanside, N.Y. Veterans, local community members, schoolchildren, and Nassau County officials joined the celebration, with Santa making a special appearance. Students read their heartfelt letters to soldiers, followed by a performance of holiday and patriotic songs by the American Bombshells.

Following the celebration, a police motorcade accompanied the convoy from Dees' Nursery to DHL's JFK Gateway facility, where trees, decorations, letters and more were loaded onto a DHL 767 jet. After a brief stop at DHL's Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport hub, the shipment headed to the DHL Bahrain hub before reaching U.S. military bases in the region.

This year's contributions included trees from Dees' Nursery and items donated by local organizations, including Adopt-a-Soldier Platoon, the Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski Memorial Fund, and various VFW chapters throughout New York State.

DHL's Operation Holiday Cheer traces its origins to 2004, when the mother of a deployed U.S. soldier requested help sending her son a Christmas tree. Inspired by this request, Dees' Nursery, along with local businessman Jim Adelis and DHL, arranged the delivery. Since then, DHL has transported more than 14,000 Christmas trees and other holiday items to troops overseas, providing a heartwarming reminder of home each holiday season.

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SOURCE DHL