One elementary school teacher has found a way to help military children with a family member deployed during the holidays.

Lila Owens teaches art in San Antonio, Texas. She learned that several of her students had parents serving in the U.S. military overseas, so she started a Christmas card decorating project.

"They have webcam. They have email. But that hands on -- that mom and dad can put up in their barracks or on their wall and there's nothing like children's artwork," Owen's explained. "It's from the heart totally."

"Stay strong. Don't put your head down. He'll be back soon or she'll be back soon. They will be alright. Just don't let them go. Just keep thinking about them," Anthony Thomas, a student told his fellow students.

Owens says she knows first hand what it's like to be missing a loved one during Christmas. Her husband was away from her and their five children for eight years of his 20-year career in the military.