Every year we kick off the holidays with Operation Christmas Child shoebox shopping, decorating and packing.
The kids count on this! I love this tradition too, so it is an easy one to put on the calendar and follow through with!
Monday afternoon we met Kayla and Clyde at the local Dollar Store to shop for the shoeboxes.
It is SO hard to get a good photo of this little man!
The kiddos filled a box for their same age and gender.
Us adults filled a box for our same gender, but the 10-14 year age group, as we were told they were in need of more people to donate boxes for this age group.
The kids have a blast walking the aisles of the Dollar Store looking for just the right things to bless whoever receives their box!
We also buy washcloths, soap, and candy in bulk to add to everyone’s box.
We headed back home to eat dinner before we had our packing party. Kayla, David and Clyde were going to pack their boxes at their house.
Trying to get used to a sunset at 4:45 p.m.!!
I always have the cashier at the Dollar Store ring up one box at a time and place all the items back in the box.
That way the kiddos have all of the things they picked still together in a box, which is GENIUS when we go to pack them.
I may be speaking from an experience of not thinking to do this before. Once.
After dinner and the littles baths, we got to work!
Grant works a gazillion hours a week, but he arrived home in the middle of our packing party.
We planned ahead! We had filled a box for Blake and Grant both, so they could be a part of it as well!
Ring pops for every box!
Even though we do not know where our boxes will be shipped to, we made homemade cards for each one. We wrote them in English, and decorated them, saying things like “God Bless You,” “Jesus Loves You,” and “Merry Christmas!”
As soon as all the boxes were finished, labeled, and rubber banded shut – we had leftover cup cakes from Clyde’s birthday party! A perfect end to our holiday kick off!
It is a joy to make traditions with the children that they look forward to during the holidays! It is super sweet to hear the big kiddos reminisce about years gone by – and it is these seemingly little things that have a huge place in their memories!
Holidays 2016 – we are ready for you!
