By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer

MT LAUREL – A small, green card reads “Caution: This gift box contains some much-deserved, indulgent ‘me-time.’ Be prepared to sit back, relax and enjoy.” The invitation is the first clue that the lime green box is a Cheeriodical.

The idea of a Cheeriodical came to Mary Martha Parisher when she wanted to send a special care package to her Uncle Burk at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

“I wanted to send him some fishing magazines, but I called the gift shop and they didn’t carry magazines,” Parisher said.

She searched the Internet for a service to send a magazine-filled care package, but couldn’t find the service. Parisher decided to create her own company, Cheeriodicals, to fill the void.

According to Cheeriodicals.com, these “cheerful periodicals” are “feel-good gift boxes with magazines and treats.” And Parisher said receives orders for birthdays, brides, Mother’s Day and, she hopes, Father’s Day and graduations.

To begin creating a Cheeriodical, the purchaser must pick from one of 33 themed magazine options. The options include topics such as fashion and beauty, fitness, outdoors, cooking, politics, sports, family and home and many more.

“We basically have it all,” Parisher said. “Cheeriodicals cost between $39-54, and you’re getting a value. There are very few alternatives. I think a big event for us will be Father’s Day, as we’ll have pre-season college football magazines.”

Each Cheeriodical includes four magazines that follow a certain theme, or customers may choose their own combinations. The customer also has the option of creating a personalized card with a photo to include inside the box.

Parisher, who said she has a “sweet tooth” and spent “forever” finding these particular snacks, handpicked the treats. The Cheeriodicals include one of two snack options. The first includes sweet snacks such as chocolate popcorn, Mr. P’s Key Lime Cookies, praline pecans and butter-toffee peanuts. The more “manly” snack option includes ranch-and-hot wings-flavored popcorn, habanera BBQ almonds and buffalo-flavored pretzel chips.

“Some (of the snacks) I just fell in love with over the years,” she said. “And I kept notes on them.”

In addition to offering cheerful care packages for any occasion, Parisher hopes to partner with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to use a portion of the Cheeriodicals proceeds to “adopt” the wishes of children with illnesses.

Parisher can send Cheeriodicals anywhere in the continental U.S., with overnight delivery for most Birmingham-area locations. Visit Cheeriodicals.com to shop or place an order.