SKOWHEGAN – The mother of a Skowhegan soldier serving in Iraq has sent 77 boxes of holiday fixings to Iraq so her son can have a proper Christmas with the other troops in his company.

Louanne Barnes spent $1,184 sending the packages to Iraq, a bargain considering the quantity of things mailed to her 25-year-old son, Daniel Goodwin, and the more than 130 other soldiers in his company, she said.

Barnes sent all the fixings for a week’s worth of holiday parties between Christmas and New Year’s. She mailed a tree with decorations, care packages including socks, ChapStick, books and snacks for all, and a red velvet suit for Goodwin to wear when he delivers the gifts.

“My son is going to be Santa Claus to all these guys,” she said.

Although the military mail system has improved and no longer takes more than a month for a package to reach Iraq, those sending gifts to family in the military should allow at least three weeks, according to several military support people.

Barnes said assembling the packages with a few other women helped her put aside worries about her son, and she hoped receiving them would speed the days for the troops scheduled to return in April.

The 77 boxes also contained food and decorations for parties with other themes, such as a Mexican pi?ata, Hawaiian leis, and New Year’s whistles.

Maine Army National Guard volunteer coordinator Linda Newbegin of Standish said most soldiers already have microwaves and computers. Newbegin said snack foods, reading material, and calling cards are always welcome.

Newbegin, whose stepdaughter and her husband are both serving in Iraq, said the best Christmas present for soldiers would be the knowledge that their families are well cared for at home.

“These are the things that mean more than the packages,” she said.