KABUL, Afghanistan — As the choir of Army soldiers sang a spirited "Frosty the Snowman" under a light snowfall Sunday evening, Lt. Com. Lynne O'Neil bobbed in time and thought of her daughter, Anna.

"I know my 2Z\x-year-old daughter's favorite song this year is 'Frosty,"' O'Neil said. "My sister, who's now the acting mother, told me today that when she plays that song in the car that Anna always says 'again' at the end."

Nearby, Sgt. Maj. Rick Turner thought of his family's own caroling traditions. When asked what he was thinking about, he turned quiet.

"Home. Thinking about my home and family. It's my second Christmas away from home," he said. After listening to the carols for 20 minutes, he went off to find a phone.

"This will be my Christmas call to them because things are starting to get busy," said the 53-year-old from Goose Creek, S.C. "The (base's) phone lines will get busy, so I'll get mine out of the way today."

As Christmas approaches, overseas military bases try to bring a bit of the holiday to soldiers far from home. Cafeterias are decorated with Christmas trees. Crayoned Christmas cards from school kids hang on walls. And base choirs, like the one organized by Chaplain Iris Dickerson, sing carols to passing soldiers after dinner.

As part of the Christmas celebration at Camp Phoenix in Kabul, soldiers will have four days of services, including a gospel service, a Catholic Mass and a non-denominational service.

"We create an environment here that lets soldiers know they are part of a family," said Dickerson, 38, who has been a minister for five years at Cedar Grove Baptist Church in Chester, S.C. Like many at Camp Phoenix, Dickerson serves with her National Guard unit, the 218th Infantry Brigade based in Newberry, S.C. Dickerson, the battalion's chaplain, organized two caroling sessions. On Sunday, 10 service members joined her on a crisp night outside the camp's cafeteria, where she led the group in holiday favorites like "Silent Night" and "Deck the Halls," the group's opening number.

The audience was thin at first. After "Deck the Halls" it let out a couple claps and a small cheer. At its peak, the crowd swelled to a dozen.