Christmas Shoeboxes

It's that time of year again! Shoebox O'clock! I can't remember when I first got involved with Operation Christmas Child through church, and made a shoebox. If I was properly story telling I would want to say hundreds of years ago, but I'm really not that old!

It became a normal part of the Christmas preparations for me, and one year me and Laura made something ridiculous like 30 shoeboxes between us, saving up all of our pocket money. (There is a photo somewhere of me lying on my floor in my school uniform entirely surrounded by shoeboxes, but this was in the days before digital cameras and so it's probably 'somewhere safe' in my parents house.)

Last year I'd just moved to London, and the year before I was somewhere around Uganda at this time of year, and so when someone mentioned Operation Christmas Child, and the shoebox appeal at work last week, I got very excited.

I'd forgotten how much fun it is shopping for loads of little things that we take for granted as having, for someone else. I had a lot of fun raiding the shops on my way home from work one night, and then all along Oxford Street after giving blood one evening, and got an amazing array of items. Things I hadn't really thought about getting seemed to pop out at me along the way, like a skipping rope, and a very cool multi pocket pencil case.

I decided to do one for a boy and one for a girl, both ages 10-14years, as I imagine that more people do ones for younger children, as it is much easier to buy toys to fill them. I based my shopping lists on hanging out with the older children at the Walk in Kenya. Anything that was associated with film stars, such as big hats, sunglasses and sneakers was deemed as cool and so the most coveted item. I'll never forget the day one boy insisted on squeezing himself into some pink converse style trainers, and refusing to take them off and put the navy ones which were meant for him on. I have to admit though, with his aviator style sunglasses, and a black scarf, he did look every inch the film star.

So here are my boxes...

There is the added excitement this year of being able to track your shoeboxes!! I've dutifully added my barcode into my girl boy and to be honest, even if it was made up, I'm still going to be so excited when I hear in January where my box ended up.