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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- With the holidays fast approaching, families are beginning to make plans to be with one another.

But for the families of deployed soldiers, being together at Christmas is impossible.

That is why the Pikes Peak Chapter of the American Red Cross is offering them a chance to send their soldier a video message free of charge.

The Red Cross can afford to make and send the DVDs thanks in part to a $50,000 grant awarded to the chapter by the Department of Defense.

For Mandi Gould and her three children, Trinity, Taylor and Tyson, deployments are nothing new.

Their dad, SSgt. Gould has been deployed four times over the past few years.

"Well, the last one was the hardest because it was 15 months. I mean it is hard, the kids of course have things that he missed and he is gone every other year so he misses tons of things," Gould said.

As a way to keep in touch the family decided to record a video message to their soldier. Dressed in red, white and blue they talked about what is going on in Colorado, at home and in school.

"I hope he is excited because we did not tell him we were going to do this, and we are not going to tell him, so when he gets it i hope he is excited and thinks that it is really neat that we went out and did this for him," Gould said.

The Red Cross said the families that have come in to record messages have been extremely thankful for the opportunity. They said it is a great way for the soldiers to connect with home.

"The very first family we had this morning, the baby was only three months old and the daughter was about 18 months old. Dad had never seen the 3-month-old, and the baby actually spit up on mom which was kind of neat because it gives him a normal piece of home he can play over and over again," said Jennifer Mariano of Red Cross.

Red Cross officials said they plan to do the same thing for Valentine's Day.

To register your family call 719-785-2724.