Two people, 7,000 miles apart: One unique Christmas card

Having a loved one serving overseas during the holidays is no picnic. But an enterprising woman found a way for the two to be together – even though they are very far apart.

Behold the Perdue Christmas card: One half shows 29-year-old Sgt. Daniel Perdue, in Afghanistan in army fatigues, holding up his part of the holiday greeting. The other half of the photo shows 25-year-old Christina Perdue, in Santa hat surrounded by the snowy landscape of Westchester County, New York. Thanks to some clever editing, the two come together for one wish, “Merry Christmas,” despite their geographic disadvantage.
 
“We may not get to be together for the holiday but we still manage to come together with our holiday photo,” Christina Perdue wrote on her Facebook page. “After searching for ideas we came across this one and thought it was perfect! I hope you all enjoy!”
 
Safe to say, many are appreciating the effort. The card — and the message behind it — quickly went viral.

On Facebook, the card is a hit — and their story was picked up by local TV station WABC. Comments like these are typical: Kimberly Mishk writes, “Such a great idea! Love this.” Jessica Bennie adds, “This is so cool! And it came out perfect!”

 
This holiday marks the couple’s second Christmas apart, and Christina Perdue hopes, their last. Perdue, a school nurse who enjoys crafts, wanted to do something special for their holiday card.
 
“This is his last deployment, we have to make it epic,” she told Yahoo News over the phone. She added that around this time of year, the troops should feel the love. “I feel like people think about the soldiers, but they don’t get enough during the holidays.”
 
She got the idea off the Internet, mailed the poster board with the greeting to her husband, with instructions on how to pose. Back home, she did the same, and put the two images together through an iPhone app and posted it on Facebook. Voila, viral gold.
 
The couple, who knew each other when they attended Central Valley High School in Montgomery, N.Y., reconnected through social media in 2008 and married in 2010.

“Out of the five years, I’ve had him home for two. I’m just excited for him to be home,” Christina Perdue told Yahoo News. “Deployments, no matter how many you go through, don’t get easier.”
 
Even though the two are apart, their holiday message shows how close they are.