Were you lucky enough to have a Christmas stocking on Christmas Day when you were a child? If you were, do you remember the excitement of waking up to find this strange parcel of goodies at the foot of the bed? Or did you have a pillowcase of presents to unwrap?
I have spoken to a few friends to find out if they remember Christmas mornings. One person does not remember any items contained in the stocking one year, just that each gift was wrapped and that the rustling of the paper as each item added to her delight. She was only three or four years old at the time. Someone else remembers that his pillowcase contained books and a train set as well as a tangerine and sweets. Two ‘thirtysomethings’ recall the opening of their stockings as being the most exciting part of Christmas Day.
In an attempt to give deprived children the same delight at Christmas Samaritan’s Purse – a Christian relief and developmental organisation – launches an annual initiative called Operation Christmas Child. Each year, for the past nineteen years, this charity has distributed from the U.K. well over a million shoe boxes packed with presents to children in orphanages, hospitals, prison camps, homeless shelters and impoverished neighbourhoods. The communities reached so far are in Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
To help bring some magic to deprived children, the parish supports this scheme. Children attending Junior Church are encouraged to donate new items suitable for gift boxes.
Rosemary Loyd, an enthusiast of this endeavour, invited me to join a Shoebox Group at her house in early November. It was the first time I have joined such a ‘working party’. The dining room was filled with an amazing collection of items ready for packing. The table was piled high with various toys, pencils, rubbers, notebooks and fun jewellery. The window sills were crowded with soft toys and Teddy bears. On another shelf were selections of soaps, combs and toothbrushes. (Many items had been donated by members of the congregation, and a kindly dentist had supplied dozens of tubes of toothpaste). A large suitcase took up a corner of the room. One of our group collects things throughout the year and stores them in the suitcase in her loft.
Shoeboxes donated by members of our congregation had to be covered with wrapping paper. A steady flow of prepared boxes appeared throughout the afternoon from the nimble-fingered team in the kitchen. Each was to be labelled BOY or GIRL, and there were three age groups, 2-4 years, 5-9 years and 10-14 years.
The charity supplies an informative leaflet listing all the presents that would be acceptable. We studied it anxiously, checking to see if we had included items from each of the four recommended categories, i.e. toys, educational supplies, hygiene (flannels, soap, etc) and ‘other’, such as gloves, scarf, sunglasses, cap, hat, bangles, necklaces and hair bands.
We started to fill the boxes. Care had to be taken to pack them with suitable items for the particular age group. After some time our hostess made tea, and with it we enjoyed slices of freshly made apple cake and home baked cookies made by two of our number. We were reminded of the items which could not be sent: no food (although non-chocolate sweets could be sent); no medicine or vitamins, no liquids of any kind; no sharp objects, glass or mirrors; no war related items or anything of a political nature to be included.
Gradually the pile of presents found its way into the festive boxes. There was much searching for suitable things for boys. We needed more model cars, trucks and trains, more rubber balls, badges, puzzles and small musical instruments. We had lots of balloons, tennis balls, pencils and sharpeners, some notebooks and a few yo-yos.
I found it much easier to pack for girls in the 10-14 age group. Combs, hairbrushes, bangles, ribbons, gloves, scarves, pink-framed sunglasses, toothpaste, coloured pens and paper, a soft toy … these items soon filled up the box and left room for a pencil case, rubber, sheet of stickers, and more. Care had to be taken when packing for the small children. Luckily some people had donated appealing small dolls and teddies, farm and zoo animals, wax crayons, colouring books and sweets suitable for their age.
About thirty boxes were packed and secured on that afternoon. Together with all the other shoeboxes which families have been prepared, they were blessed at the Sunday Service on November 15th, and then taken away to be distributed to children in distant lands at Christmas time.
Christmas Shoeboxes
Jennifer Borrett