Every year, Justin and I make it a point to give back during the holiday season. There are unlimited opportunities to give back and this year we chose Operation Christmas Child. I love the idea of packing a box full of gifts to bless a child. Even better, Bryson really “gets it” this year. We had planned to let him go shopping with us to help pick out items, but our schedules didn’t work out. We were still able to get him involved simply through conversation- explaining what we were doing, who the box will be going to, why we are sending another child gifts, etc.
When I brought out our shoebox to take photos, Bryson thought I was going to let him play with the toys. He stopped me. He said “No, mom. Those are for the other kids.” I smiled at him and said “You are right.” but my heart felt like it would burst because I am so proud of him. He’ll be 4 next month, so the fact that I can hold a box of toys in front of him and hear him say “no” makes me feel like I’m doing something right.
I searched the web for ideas for our Operation Christmas Child shoebox and found some excellent posts. After reading up on how to pack a shoebox, Justin and I settled on the Dollar Tree for our shopping. We knew we could really stretch our money there and find some great items. We decided to build two boxes- one for a boy age 2-4 and one for a girl age 2-4. The Dollar Tree even had plastic containers similar to a shoebox, so we purchased everything we needed there.
Of course, everything is $1 at the Dollar Tree, but we were able to buy some things even cheaper. You can buy packs and then divide the items up between several boxes. I’ve listed the prices for those below, so you can see that you can pack a shoebox even on a tight budget.
Items in our OCC Shoeboxes:
- double pack of toothbrushes ($1 per pack)
- tube of toothpaste
- bar of soap (2 for $1)
- pack of travel sized wipes (3 for $1)
- combs (pack of about 10 for $1)
- pack of 48 crayons
- waterproof book
- dinosaurs
- child size cups (6 for $1)
- jump rope
- dress up jewelry
- small globe-like ball
- blow pops (10 for $1)
- gum (15 for $1)
- stuffed animals
- silly putty
- elastics, bows, barrettes
I’m thankful that we are able to give back this Christmas and that we are able to teach our children compassion, kindness, and generosity through Operation Christmas Child. For more information about how you can get involved, visit the FAQ page. You can find Operation Christmas Child on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Look for hashtag #OCCGiving for more stories, ideas, and photos!
This holiday season build a box with your family to teach kindness, compassion, and generosity.
BlogFrog will match the first 200 boxes that are built. Pledge your commitment below to build a box today on Facebook or Twitter!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Operation Christmas Child. The opinions and text are all mine.
