Like many people now, I have started to buy my Christmas presents.
Well, to tell the truth I never stop looking for bargain's for Christmas and Birthdays.
Having now so many girls in their teens/early twenties, who roughly like the same thing and are all around the same size, I know that whatever I buy will come in handy for someone.
The other week Boots the Chemist had all their perfumes half price, I also had some vouchers and money off coupons so I ended up getting four perfumes at an incredible price. With Christmas, plus four birthdays coming up, I know they can be ear marked as gifts easily.
I now have my christmas spread sheet in place so I do not over spend, spend on unnecessary things or over spend for one particular child! (my kids may have inherited my crap maths abilities but they are great at working out in their heads the price of everyones christmas stash!)
As I have begun to put things on my spread sheet, wrap them up (colour co ordinated to identify who's is who's)-are you not impressed by my organisation?!! I was reminded of the children I saw many years ago.
The children who do not 'expect' presents, in fact they have long since probably forgotten their birthdays or the significance of these.
The children for whom Christmas would be just another day in a very long, hard year, was it not for the help of organisations like 'Operation Christmas Child.'
I have heard much criticism of such charities over the years.
Comments such as 'charity begins at home-what about all the children here who do not receive presents"?
Well, I cannot answer for everyone but locally their is a food share co operative run by the local churches that identifies those most in need and delivers food to them each week. There are also collection boxes everywhere, so that when you but presents you are encouraged to buy one extra and donated it to a local child in need. These are both brilliant ideas and help our local children and families when times are tough.
Yes, times are tough. I maybe a little controversial here, but the children over seas who receive these boxes, have not just endured the horrors of financial crisis and broken home, or domestic violence, none of which I wish to belittle in any way whatsoever, but they have also endured the horrors of civil wars. They have seen their communities burnt to a crisp, their relatives macheted to pieces in front of their eyes , their daily lives are a life and death survival and they have endured more emotional trauma than we can begin to comprehend.
Uncomfortable reading.
I have witnessed first hand people delivering these boxes in Eastern Europe, many years ago. They do arrive at their destinations and they are given to the most needy of children.
It is truly heart warming to watch the faces of these children light up at the contents of a small box. Sweets and treats which for them never happen, toys that are their own and not to be shared, hats and gloves to keep them warm and tooth brushes and hygiene products which for the older children are so loved and needed.
My children are always humbled when they pack the boxes. When they were little it was quite hard because they wanted everything inside the boxes as they looked so inviting and attractive. Now they just feel a twinge of guilt and perhaps cross something off the extensive list of hopes and dreams as they realise how little others have.
We make up the boxes from their own Christmas money that I have saved. Each box costs around £10 so that is one less present for them, but the knowledge of helping someone is far more precious than a gift that will be used up or discarded at a later date.
The children love buying things for their boxes and thinking carefully about what they have and what they can give away. We keep lots of little toys and toiletries so that we can put these in the boxes each year and we try to think all year round when we are sorting things of anything that can be put in a box.
There have been years we have not been able to do a box each so we have just done a box for a girl and a boy. Most
schools operate this scheme and are happy if you cannot afford to donate a box to collect items instead and hand these in and they will put class or school boxes together.
Whatever you decide to do, I can assure you that the child receiving the box will be so very grateful as it is the only gift they will receive this Christmas.
Take a look on Operation Christmas Child's Website for all the things that are suggested that you can buy as well as ways to get your box to the right place.
Operation Christmas Child is a great way of escaping the commercialism of Christmas and showing what the true meaning of christmas is to our children.
'It is in giving that we will receive.'
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