DAPHNE, Ala. — Being away from home during the holidays is nothing new for Major Eric M. Moody, who is stationed at Camp Eggers Air Force Base in Kabul, Afghanistan.

However, this past Christmas and Easter, his spirits were lifted as he received care packages filled with greeting cards made by student Amaya Buddle’s first-grade class at Bayside Academy.

“The cards from Amaya and her classmates meant a lot to me,” Moody said in a letter. “I put them all on my wall in my office. Everyone loved them!”

Moody is a friend of Amaya’s parents. When Amaya’s art teacher, Phyllis Horne, learned that he was overseas, she devised a class project to send him cheer and to show her class’s appreciation for his service.

“Each student in Amaya’s class designed a card and wrote a special message inside for Major Moody,” Horne said.

To show his gratitude, Moody sent Amaya’s class a certificate and an American flag that flew over Camp Eggers on Christmas Day in honor of Amaya and her first-grade class. The flag came with a note that read, “Please display this certificate and flag in a place of honor for Amaya and her classmates, so that everyone will know of their efforts to make an airman away from home during the holidays feel appreciated!”