It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

If you've been following my blog at all, you know I am a bargain hunter (bordering on extreme cheapskate). 

Yes, I even sometimes do Christmas and birthday shopping for my son at thrift stores (hey, he just wants the toy! he doesn't care where it comes from! so why would I spend a fortune on it only to be selling it on eBay in a couple years when he doesn't want it anymore?). 

So when I found a coupon for $10 off $50 at ShopKo, my first thought was, "Hmm, I wonder if there's anything I need that I can get for a good deal at ShopKo?" 

Couldn't really think of anything, so I was about to throw it away, like I often do with these kind of coupons that make you spend a certain amount. 

(couponing tip: sometimes they are a good deal, sometimes they aren't if you would be buying something JUST to use the coupon. I always have to remember this one!)

Then I saw an ad online for Operation Christmas Child and I thought of all the shiny toys that I've seen around ShopKo at this time of year. That's when I decided to use the coupon to do a little Christmas shopping.

It's an American tradition... you walk through these department stores and listen to the Christmas music and look at all the nice new things (whether it's toys, clothes, food, whatever) and it just makes you feel happy! And it's even more fun when you are picking something out for someone else. Better than buying for yourself... buying something you know your loved ones will enjoy. The experience of "going Christmas shopping" is something I don't always get anymore since I do most of my Christmas shopping throughout the year at catalog parties, online shopping, or just picking up gifts as I come across them. 

But most of the world doesn't ever have that "Christmas shopping" experience. Parents in many other countries would love to walk through a store and pick out toys, clothes, and food for their children, but they can't. This past week I was excited to get a good deal on 10 pairs of new socks for my son. Many parents would love to be able to buy just one pair for their child.

So I decided I would use that ShopKo coupon to go pack a shoebox or two for Operation Christmas Child!

Now, if you are still reading this and have no idea what Operation Christmas Child is, here is a link to the website.
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/

Time for a little background: 

I remember doing Operation Christmas Child a lot with our church when I was a kid. One year we got something like 80 boxes-- with only a few dedicated people packing them and a very small but giving congregation (this is a church of less than 40 individuals) collecting items throughout the year. 

As a teen, I even had the privilege of volunteering at a collection station one time, and I spent an entire day packing little boxes into big boxes... from churches and individuals all over several states. It was awesome to unload mini-vans that were stacked floor to ceiling with Christmas gifts for needy kids. If THAT doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will! (Maybe a little snow. But since it was upstate New York in November, that was a given.)

So, finally to my "blog-story"! 
Here are the shoe boxes I packed:

I chose plastic shoe boxes because we don't buy shoes very often, so we didn't have any boxes lying around. Also, these ones I don't have to wrap, and they can be reused by the child. (But wrapped cardboard shoe boxes are really cool, too)

I got one of these books for each box. I don't know what makes this book "for boys" but it has nice pictures with the Bible stories, so since the child probably won't be able to read, he can at least enjoy the pictures. And probably someone will be able to read it to him at some point. I picked a board book because we're doing the boxes for little guys.

These are the toys I was most excited to put in. I wanted to pick a green tractor since that is Charlie's favorite toy (and his favorite color right now), and a rubber ducky, since he is also really into those. Racecars and airplanes are also things I thought Charlie would like. So now we can tell Charlie that there will be two little boys somewhere across the globe playing with the same kind of toys he has!

He doesn't really  understand what is going on this year. But he was still excited to "help" me pick out all the toys and pack the boxes. He especially loved holding the tractor and the dinosaur in the shopping cart.

I supplemented my ShopKo findings with some free samples of soap and toothpaste that I had collected over the year (I stuff all my free samples in a box till I need them... now I'm so glad I do!) and some extra stuff from the Dollar Tree. 

Dollar Tree is great for filling these boxes! Just don't buy all cheap stuff. You know that your kids break toys pretty much as soon as they open them... these kids will probably be much more careful because this may be their only present all year, but they are still kids.

I also put in one of our family pictures that will be going out in our Christmas cards, with an address label on the back. (Sometimes if you write a note, the kids may write a letter back to you! I doubt a 2-4 year old knows how to read or write, but maybe he will like the picture.)

This whole project was so much fun! 

I decided that if we are going to make this a family tradition, then I want to pick a kid who is close in age to our kid each year. Since the youngest age group is 2-4, we did two boxes for 2-4 year old boys.

Think about it like this... if you are buying socks for your kid, why not buy a pair for another kid? If your kid wants a stuffed giraffe (what kid wouldn't??), maybe another kid would appreciate that. 

Obviously this example can't go too far... I don't expect everyone to go buy groceries for another family every time they buy for their own. Although if you DID do this one time with your kids... what a lesson! 

And with small kids, it WOULDN'T be a good idea to let them pick out corresponding toys for themselves every time you fill a shoebox! But I just mean this could be a good way to let your kids "window shop" for gifts... they get the excitement of buying a toy they really like, while you explain to them how much another child will love playing with it.

As I'm writing this, I'm reading back and hoping it doesn't sound like I'm bragging. I was just pretty proud of our little box and I was excited to share about it with someone. Many of you probably already do boxes on your own or with your church. It's not a competition about how many boxes you pack... I just thought maybe this could give you ideas for your box next year (Depending on when you are reading this, I'm sorry to say there's not much time left to collect boxes for this year... collection week is November 18-25, 2013). If you have some other good ideas for what you put in your boxes, feel free to share!

But this is the main reason I am sharing this:

If no one had introduced me to this project years ago, I might not be passing it on to my family today. 

If my parents hadn't instilled in me the need to help others when I was young, I might not be so passionate about it today. 

One of the stories I heard ALL the time growing up was when my sister wanted a box of Apple Jacks but it was too expensive. As a family, no matter how little we had, we always gave to the food drives at church. You can imagine how surprised mom and dad were to find out that the food drive that year was FOR US. And right on top was a box of Apple Jacks.
Alot of people have a story like this. Here's another one:
http://video.samaritanspurse.org/player/?vid=FwcmpkZzobboBJqD4714Man4GEYnARDD&storyline=35&title=uncle-sis-favorite-christmas-memory

My parents always were (and still are) a huge example to me of giving to others. 

My in-laws are also some of the most giving people I know. 

I hope maybe I can inspire someone else to give, too.

But where should you give?

There are lots of charities that need help. Don't forget about the Philippines. (Samaritan's Purse is also calling for donations to help them right now. And there are probably many other Christian organizations doing the same.)

The reason I chose Operation Christmas Child is this: 

I just look at it as one small way I can begin to teach my son that kids around the world are just like him. Yes, they need people to provide for their physical needs, and I'm glad there are organizations that do that. But also, these kids love toys just like he does, they need love, and most of all, they need someone to tell them about Jesus. 

When you think about it, my son is just as spiritually lost right now as a little child in Africa. But the difference is... that child probably doesn't have a Christian family to share the gospel with him. And he definitely doesn't have a mom and dad who are able to buy him Christmas presents. If I can help his mom do those things for him-- or if I can be a part of that mom to him if he doesn't even have a mom-- why wouldn't I? 

I have no idea how many of these kids who receive a Christmas box will accept the gospel. I won't find that out till I meet some of them in Heaven. But the disciples probably never knew how many of the 5,000 decided to follow the Savior. All they did was hand out the bread and fish, and let the Savior do His work.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%206:1-14&version=NKJV

Christ IS doing His work around the world today. And this organization is one small part of that.

So I'm not going to spend my whole Christmas budget buying gifts for a kid who has more than he needs and plenty of people who shower him with love and presents. I know he can't understand this year, but like I said before, I want to make this a tradition for our family. Hopefully someday my kid(s) will love Christmas shopping as much as I do... not for themselves, but for others.

If you want to go fill your own shoebox, great*. If not, that's fine too. I'm just asking that everyone who reads this try to do SOMETHING. There are plenty of people with need whom you can be helping. Take some food to a food bank. Give to your church missions budget. Volunteer some time at a homeless shelter. Take a meal to a sick friend. Showing God's love doesn't have to be big... start small!

And not only at this time of year, but all the time. (Charities will have an influx of help in the next two months, so please don't forget about ways you can donate and volunteer during the rest of the year.) I know I personally could be giving more... of my time and my resources. I know most of my past (and future) blogposts about my life will reveal my inherent selfishness. And I know most of YOU reading this probably give of yourselves much more than I do. Thank you. Your reward is in Heaven if you are doing it for Christ.

I promise to get off my soapbox now, but if there ARE any of you who are still thinking that you just don't have enough to give, please go to this website to put things back in perspective.
http://www.globalrichlist.com/

Note: the above link is simply for the statistics. I don't know anything about the charity organization behind it, so I am not advertising for you to donate to them in particular

*If you pack a shoebox, remember that each box costs $7 for postage. If you pay this online, you can actually track where the box will go!
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/follow-your-box-iframe/
Another online option is a $30 donation to have someone pack a box for you.
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/buildonline/

Sorry this is so long. You deserve a medal for reaching the bottom of this post!

But you don't get one. You just get a...

Thanks for reading. 

(And Merry Christmas! Don't hate me because I am wishing you this when it is still November.)