The Power of a Simple Gift

So I am what some might call a Christmas freak.  I get giddy this time of year when I start to see the Christmas decorations go up in the stores and hear yuletide music playing over the speakers.  I love to look at all of the shiny bows and wrapping paper and get excited about buying Christmas boxes with glitter all over them, and I simply cannot wait to go Christmas shopping for family and friends.

There is something more, though, that gets me even more excited at this time of year.  This is the time of year that the Samaritan’s Purse organization runs their Operation Christmas Child project helping children in need across the globe.  In this project, Samaritan’s Purse asks people to give to children around the world by packing shoeboxes (or containers of like size) with all kinds of items such toys, school supplies, hygiene items, and more, which they then collect and send off to children in need.  Last year alone they sent over 8.17 million boxes from over ten different countries.  The following is this year’s Operation Christmas Child promo video:

Friday night my husband and I went shopping and spent about two hours picking out items for two shoeboxes—one for a girl and one for a boy.  We had an incredible time together choosing the things that we felt would bring a big Christmas smile to their recipients, and we look forward to tracking our boxes online this year to see what country they end up in. 

What an excellent opportunity to bring Christmas to those who might never have gotten any kind of present the whole year through!  Yes, this is truly one of my very favorite things about Christmas!