A holiday tradition in my family is to put together a box for Operation Christmas Child. We always choose to put a box together for an older boy, since they are the ones that have the least amount of boxes donated.
What do we put in our box? Games! We put some card games in that would be usable for children who might not speak our language. We put dinosaur puzzles, musical instruments, toothpaste, a toothbrush, floss, soap and a pop up towel, school supplies, lollipops and a book. You want to be certain not to include any war type items, nothing liquid (that could leak if broken), no medications and no chocolate. (My post from last year more thoroughly details do's and don'ts.) We try to put decent things in the box because these are poor kids who have nothing. We also like to put our items in a plastic lidded box, as opposed to a shoe box. It is another way to add to the gift.Collection dates are November 16-23. Click on the Operation Christmas Child link to find a collection facility in your area.
Smiles in my day:
- Though I missed work today because of fever and feeling like gunk, I tested negative for H1N1 and strep. Though there is no antibiotic to give to me, I should be feeling better in 7-10 days. My smile? Hubs took very good care of me, as he always does when I am sick. He made me soup, got me chips (tortilla chips were the only thing that sounded appetizing), kept taking my temperature and bought me a Cure CD while he was out. Such a sweet guy. I think that he was thankful that I bit the bullet and got the interior of my nasal passages and my throat swabbed so that he can go to work and say that he did NOT have H1N1.
- Hubs must not have had H1N1 and he will be returning to work tomorrow. He took Tuesday off, but felt well.
- K- was able to go hang with Grandma and Grandpa today. She got a full Grandma day in, which she was really sad that she might miss because of my being ill. Grandma took her to McDonald's (the drive thru) and swimming. It was a great Grandma day! I am so thankful that my mother-in-law kept her. It gave K- a fun day, rather than having mom sleep and have her watch far too much TV.
Have a great day!
5 comments:
I am thinking of doing two boxes with my daughters for the first time this year. Thanks for sharing your experience!
We got into the habit of doing this while in Awana @ church. Even though they've outgrown Awana, we still take one in.
What an EXCELLENT idea!
ME TOO! I love this ministry and look forward to filling up my box each year. So great to give generously!
I work with a local group that collects gifts for families in need. I know there are hundreds, probably thousands of groups like this, because I know the girl who runs it. When I had my NP, we partnered because we did similar things. Anyhow... Each year we have given to this organization. Two years ago we were fortunate enough to be able to help 4 kids whose home had burned and they lost everything. The feeling was beyond amazing. Last year we just helped one child, but it was still one child who would have otherwise not received anything. We're also big on donating to the greater Pgh food bank because it helps everyone, not just kids, but the ederly, too. I've already sent a bag over and will do so again around xmastime.
Doing good for charities feels good inside.
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