This is something I have done for the past few years, and I was keen to get Tyne involved - admittedly he didn't have much of an idea of what was going on but nonetheless I told him all about what we were doing and why as we shopped for our goodies and filled the box up - as he gets older I would love him to do his own box each year and enjoy it as much as I do!
If you're not familiar with Operation Christmas Child, let me tell you a little bit about it...
Basically you find an average size shoe box, wrap it in paper, and decide what gender and age group you would like the box to go.
Then you set about filling it up with treats and essentials - once you're done, you pay a £2.50 donation to assist with getting the box to its recipient - and you take it to your nearest collection point.
It really is that simple!!
The shoeboxes are distributed to children who may not otherwise receive any Christmas gifts - last year the shoeboxes were distributed to needy children in countries such as Romania, Haiti and Montenegro among many others.This year children across Albania and Rwanda will also receive shoeboxes.
There are some guidelines on what you should include within your box....such as hygiene items, educational items, toys and fun things, and some sweets (no chocolate though!). And of course certain items are prohibited - things such as war-related items, anything political, toys without a CE mark etc.
Our Box:
We chose to put together a box for a boy aged between 2-4 years old.
We included:
*A toothbrush*Toothpaste*A flannel*Soap*A spongebob mini-maze*A Spiderman toy & Keychain*A colouring book*Felt tip pens*Some fruitella sweets*A pot of dolly mixtures*Candy sticks*A Santa Claus mallow lollipop*Spongebob hat, scarf and glove set*Peppa Pig socks
I really hope that whichever little boy receives our box will enjoy it!
Take a look at the video below for more information on the work of Operation Christmas Child....even if you don't want to watch the whole thing, just skip to 3.31 and watch for a minute...is that not exactly what Christmas should be about?! Look at the delight on their faces from such a simple act!
You still have until Monday 18th November to drop off your shoeboxes if you'd like to take part!
For more information, please visit http://www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk
