Holidays are a particularly trying time for deployed U.S. Navy sailors and their families at home. Social media sites like Facebook and Skype have increased communication and helped ease the transition for these families, but it’s the familiar holiday rituals on board that give sailors a sense of normalcy around the holidays. The USS Makin Island left San Diego on its maiden deployment just 10 days before Thanksgiving, but had ordered all the ingredients for a traditional holiday feast two months ahead of time for the more than 2,000 service members on board. While at sea in the Pacific, several sailors gathered around TVs to watch NFL football games, just like they would at home. Carrying out another Thanksgiving ritual, the USS Essex hosted a turkey trot 5K run around the ship’s flight deck, similar to the races taking place in cities across the U.S. Deployed from its homeport of Sasebo, Japan, the Essex was in the Indian Ocean during turkey day. In homeport at Naval Base San Diego, the USS Boxer served Thanksgiving meals to about 175 sailors who were on duty that day, in addition to several of their family members. Community programs like Adopt-A-Sailor also provide opportunities for local families to host sailors for a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal. After all, because of the nature of their jobs, active duty military are very familiar with the concept of home away from home.