Family Celebrates Every Holiday Before Their Dad Is Deployed

— -- When a Florida father in the armed services was notified he was being deployed, his family made sure he wouldn't miss a single celebration while he was away.

Teenager Olivia Clendennin tweeted now viral photos of the family holding celebrations of every holiday her father, Al, would miss, including Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and his birthday, which falls in December.

Clendennin, 15, told ABC News the thoughtful idea was that of her mother, Kathy.

Al Clendennin will be deployed to Afghanistan for "around 100 days," his daughter said. It's his second deployment, and this time the family wanted to make sure he didn't miss out on the holiday season.

"Like the song says, 'It's the most wonderful time of the year' from October to December," Olivia Clendennin explained. "That's the season that family is most important. And the fact that he'll be missing; it will be just a little different."

So before he left on Wednesday, the Florida family first celebrated Halloween. While her mother took her father out for a massage, the family decorated the house for Halloween -- "the most recent holiday that he'd be missing," the teen added.

"He got home and of course we were playing 'This is Halloween' from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas.' We were all wearing costumes that we threw together that day ... and it actually felt like Halloween," the high school sophomore recalled. "My dad also threw on a costume; so did my mom. My grandparents also came over, and we have this tradition where we watch a scary movie."

The family chose "The Conjuring 2" this year.

Going a bit out of chronological order, the family next celebrated Al Clendennin's December birthday, with a gift of a new laptop computer to stay connected while overseas. Thanks to a birthday cake and sparklers -- because they forgot to buy candles -- the father jumped up and down with joy once he realized what was happening.

Next up was Christmas. "We got up," Olivia Clendennin said, "and my mom made our traditional Christmas breakfast -- waffles, bacon, French toast."

The teen said they also snagged a miniature Christmas tree from the school where her mom is a teacher and later decorated it with Christmas tree lights that were hanging in her bedroom. The family sported Christmas sweaters and played Andy Williams' holiday classic "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year."

"My dad said he wanted a fire, but we didn't have any wood. So we pulled up a YouTube video and cast it on our TV," Olivia Clendennin added.

Then the family, "traveled back in time" to celebrate Thanksgiving. "It was a traditional Thanksgiving; all the normal stuff. We even got olives because my dad loves those," the teen explained.

Olivia Clendennin told ABC News she hopes the holiday memories will sustain her father while he's deployed. Still, she has a message for him right now: "I love you and I miss you ... I have a big surprise for you when you get home."