Christmas is sneaking up on us. As you are preparing for Christmas celebrations with your family and friends, it’s worth thinking about the children around the world who aren’t going to be getting a Christmas gift this year.
Operation Christmas Child is an initiative that provides children in need with a shoebox filled with gifts for Christmas. Since 1993, more than 100 million shoeboxes have been given to kids in more than 130 countries. The goody-filled shoeboxes are donated by families, churches, schools and businesses and distributed by Samaritan’s Purse.
Joining in and contributing a box is easy. Grab a shoebox and decide if your gift is for a boy or a girl and the age of the child (2–4, 5–9 or 10–14 years old). Then fill the box with presents. Different countries have different guidelines on what to include, but in general select:
Something to love
Something for school
Something to wear
Something to play with
Something for personal hygiene
Something special
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to make a child happy. For example, there are a great range of products under $15USD that could be selected from EtsyKids Members.
Make sure that you check the list of items not to include and remember to donate money for shipping and include a letter for your child. It's a great idea to remove and recycle all your packaging to help the environment.
When your box is packed, you can download a label for it and take the present to the drop-off center. Make sure that you get your children involved in packing and dropping off the boxes; it’s great for them to experience the joy of giving. The drop-off dates are coming up, so start packing now.
Have fun packing and bringing a smile to a child's face.
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LINKS TO OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD WEBSITES
Australia (
operationchristmaschild.org.au/) – October is national collection month
Canada (
www.samaritanspurse.ca/operation-christmas-child), collection week is 17 - 23 November
United Kingdom (
www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/), collection is 1 – 18 November
United States (
www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/), collection week is 17 – 24 November
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