Hello Packers!
So, how many of you look on blogs, posts, Facebook articles and the Operation Christmas Child website and wonder "Should I include candy in my boxes?" ? Well, I was wondering the same thing this year. My first year didn't include candy because at that time I had NO IDEA that candy was allowed. I didn't really see a point in including candy at first. Candy leads to cavities and at the time I was thinking that children had access to candy where they were. I also wondered why in the world would we send candy to kids who might not have food to eat on a daily basis...why build up this desire for candy in the beginning and let them be let down when the candy is gone? That was the big mindset I had last year but this year I have filled up a 7 candy piece bag for each of my boxes. Why? Let me explain.
When we first get into the Operation Christmas Child spirit, we go from the Operation Christmas Child site to get the gist of what the whole organization is about and then we hit Pinterest, our church boards etc to find ideas on what to pack in our shoe boxes. I found everything from school supplies, hygiene items and what type of clothing to put in the boxes but what was a varying subject to put into shoe boxes was the concept of candy. Do we want to put sticky gooey candy in boxes? Do we really want to send something that could possibly melt in the sun and ruin a kid's perfectly fine box? Those were some of the other things running through my head as I was beginning my Operation Christmas Child journey.
Then after I handed out candy at Trunk or Treat last year, I realized something about the smiles and eager hands of these children. These kids didn't have to worry about not getting enough candy this year: guaranteed they're going to find some sort of candy cane or gum in their stocking and they'll probably taste the sweet taste of a Dum-Dum pop at the next Birthday party they go to and a cute box of chocolates on Valentine's day and all the candy sorts they get in between. These are American kids that can get candy on an every day basis while those kids in third world countries might not get any type of sweet within their entire year. I know it might not always be the case but just think about it.
Remember back to when you had your first piece of candy. What was it? Do you even remember? I believe that mine was a peppermint that I got from my grandmother. But just imagine that these kids have possibly gone their entire lives without ever experiencing their "first candy". Just like how many of these children have probably never received a gift before, they might not have had such great candy before. There was a story about a girl in Russia that I read that said that she got chewing gum in her box. She was so excited and whenever it lost its flavor she would cover it in citrus powder and continue chewing. Something as simple as chewing gum can change a child's perspective on their life, how crazy is that?
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CAVITIES?
I read an older blog post about a woman who distributed and she told us all to stop putting candies in our boxes. Why? Because a lot of these kids don't have access to dental hygiene and will get cavities. Well, I thought about that because in reality it makes a lot of sense. We don't always like to give our own kiddies candy because of the possibility of cavities but then, where's the fun in that? Where is the fun and exhilaration of life if we pull ourselves away from the sweet delicacies of candy? If we all stopped giving our kiddies candy because of fear of cavities, we are keeping our children from enjoying one of life's many pleasures: the pleasure to have our taste buds taste something different for a change!
Besides the point of letting the kids live for once in their lives as this might be the only dash of candy they get that year, I want to remind people to include toothbrushes and toothpastes in their boxes. Balance out the possibilities of cavities with the things that are supposed to prevent them! In my own experience as someone who wasn't for putting candy in the boxes, it definitely lifts that worry of cavities when you put in a good tube of Toothpaste and a nice sturdy toothbrush.
WHAT CANDY IS GOOD CANDY?
That is actually a really good question because I have heard horror stories of children's boxes arriving in hot places like Grenada, Rwanda and Jamaica and then finding the candy melted all over their items rendering them pretty gross and ant ridden when they are opened. One child's box had melted caramels all over her doll's hair and clothing: that would ruin any kid's day. I remember when my cousin dumped her milk all over my Easter candy and that is nothing compared to it actually touching and ruining my doll's hair and outfits. With that being said I want to point out some really great candies to include in your boxes if you choose to do so.
Candy Canes
What better way to start the holidays than with a nice peppermint candy cane? These are great to include in your shoe boxes because they barely take up any room, they have a plastic cover, they scream Christmas and kids love them! Sugar Cane is one of the more popular candy items out there and a minty one is no different. This great treat has brought a girl, Joanne I believe is her name, great joy because it was shaped like a "J" and she thought that the candy was made specifically for her. How sweet is that!
Suckers
Suckers to me are another great go to because they are packaged relatively tight like the candy canes and again, they take up barely any space when putting them in your boxes. Suckers don't tend to melt in my experience when it comes to quality ones. I recommend not buying the type shown in the picture mainly because they have come home melted just from being in my car. You have been warned.
Gum
Do you remember me talking about the girl from Russia? Well, that story is the only reason why I would ever put chewing gum into my boxes. I would worry about the gum melting in the boxes and gum could get in their hair and just...it leaves me with new worries regarding the involvement of gum in the boxes. However, gum is allowed in boxes as long as they are in the plastic ziplock bags like all the other candies.
Skittles
Now who doesn't love a bag of skittles during Halloween or that special bag you get before going onto the plane? Well, someone on another blog was telling us all how skittles are a great addition to the boxes as well. Who knew? I would think that because they melt a bit that they wouldn't be the ideal choice but many have included large bags of skittles in their boxes as the candy choice.
BAD CANDY CHOICES
Yes, there is such a thing as bad candy when it comes to filling shoe boxes. As you can probably already tell, melting candy is a big no-no from the comments I put in regarding candy. Here is a good list of candies to not include:
Chocolate of any kind-Pretty obvious but this will melt and just cause a huge mess
Chewy Caramels-These too can get really messy and no one wants to deal with that
Pixie Sticks-This is just an opinion but they are already flimsy and break just by contact, I wouldn't want my candy bag to be covered in candy dust by the time it arrives to the child.
Gummy Candy-Also just an opinion, I've seen gummy candy like Lifesavers Gummies and gummy eyeballs melt like ice cream on the sidewalk just by being in my car. It becomes something that looks a lot like Nickelodeon Slime and that can be a sticky mess for the distributors or the child's caretakers to clean up.
Liquid Candy-Again this is pretty self-explanatory, liquid gets hot and then more fluid so when that once thick gooey liquid comes out of the container, it will drip like water and lose its consistency. Besides that thought: liquids aren't allowed anyway.
Lik n' Dip-You know those minty candy sticks and the fruity powder we love dipping it in? Well, those are probably the messiest things around and just like the pixie sticks, I just don't trust the possibility of that powdery mess getting all over the candy bag.
I now put candy in my shoe boxes because candy is one of life's little pleasures. I have memories of candy and how my childhood looked just a little brighter because of it. Now, I don't want this post to dissuade anyone who has made boxes without candy or to encourage those who do: I simply want to put out there a point of view that might give you an idea if candy is a good idea or not. In my opinion, it is a semi-good idea: there are still parts of me that question my inclusion of candy in my boxes but the child in me is pushing the idea further and further until I find myself jumping in glee at Candy Canes on sale for 1/2 price. It's all a matter of opinion when it comes to candy and there is no right or wrong answer there: fill the boxes with what you think that child would want and most importantly listen to God as He guides you to put certain items in your boxes.
Happy Packing all and I hope you all have safe trips to your drop off locations!
Then after I handed out candy at Trunk or Treat last year, I realized something about the smiles and eager hands of these children. These kids didn't have to worry about not getting enough candy this year: guaranteed they're going to find some sort of candy cane or gum in their stocking and they'll probably taste the sweet taste of a Dum-Dum pop at the next Birthday party they go to and a cute box of chocolates on Valentine's day and all the candy sorts they get in between. These are American kids that can get candy on an every day basis while those kids in third world countries might not get any type of sweet within their entire year. I know it might not always be the case but just think about it.
Remember back to when you had your first piece of candy. What was it? Do you even remember? I believe that mine was a peppermint that I got from my grandmother. But just imagine that these kids have possibly gone their entire lives without ever experiencing their "first candy". Just like how many of these children have probably never received a gift before, they might not have had such great candy before. There was a story about a girl in Russia that I read that said that she got chewing gum in her box. She was so excited and whenever it lost its flavor she would cover it in citrus powder and continue chewing. Something as simple as chewing gum can change a child's perspective on their life, how crazy is that?
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CAVITIES?
I read an older blog post about a woman who distributed and she told us all to stop putting candies in our boxes. Why? Because a lot of these kids don't have access to dental hygiene and will get cavities. Well, I thought about that because in reality it makes a lot of sense. We don't always like to give our own kiddies candy because of the possibility of cavities but then, where's the fun in that? Where is the fun and exhilaration of life if we pull ourselves away from the sweet delicacies of candy? If we all stopped giving our kiddies candy because of fear of cavities, we are keeping our children from enjoying one of life's many pleasures: the pleasure to have our taste buds taste something different for a change!
Besides the point of letting the kids live for once in their lives as this might be the only dash of candy they get that year, I want to remind people to include toothbrushes and toothpastes in their boxes. Balance out the possibilities of cavities with the things that are supposed to prevent them! In my own experience as someone who wasn't for putting candy in the boxes, it definitely lifts that worry of cavities when you put in a good tube of Toothpaste and a nice sturdy toothbrush.
WHAT CANDY IS GOOD CANDY?
That is actually a really good question because I have heard horror stories of children's boxes arriving in hot places like Grenada, Rwanda and Jamaica and then finding the candy melted all over their items rendering them pretty gross and ant ridden when they are opened. One child's box had melted caramels all over her doll's hair and clothing: that would ruin any kid's day. I remember when my cousin dumped her milk all over my Easter candy and that is nothing compared to it actually touching and ruining my doll's hair and outfits. With that being said I want to point out some really great candies to include in your boxes if you choose to do so.
What better way to start the holidays than with a nice peppermint candy cane? These are great to include in your shoe boxes because they barely take up any room, they have a plastic cover, they scream Christmas and kids love them! Sugar Cane is one of the more popular candy items out there and a minty one is no different. This great treat has brought a girl, Joanne I believe is her name, great joy because it was shaped like a "J" and she thought that the candy was made specifically for her. How sweet is that!
Suckers to me are another great go to because they are packaged relatively tight like the candy canes and again, they take up barely any space when putting them in your boxes. Suckers don't tend to melt in my experience when it comes to quality ones. I recommend not buying the type shown in the picture mainly because they have come home melted just from being in my car. You have been warned.
Do you remember me talking about the girl from Russia? Well, that story is the only reason why I would ever put chewing gum into my boxes. I would worry about the gum melting in the boxes and gum could get in their hair and just...it leaves me with new worries regarding the involvement of gum in the boxes. However, gum is allowed in boxes as long as they are in the plastic ziplock bags like all the other candies.
Now who doesn't love a bag of skittles during Halloween or that special bag you get before going onto the plane? Well, someone on another blog was telling us all how skittles are a great addition to the boxes as well. Who knew? I would think that because they melt a bit that they wouldn't be the ideal choice but many have included large bags of skittles in their boxes as the candy choice.
BAD CANDY CHOICES
Yes, there is such a thing as bad candy when it comes to filling shoe boxes. As you can probably already tell, melting candy is a big no-no from the comments I put in regarding candy. Here is a good list of candies to not include:
Chocolate of any kind-Pretty obvious but this will melt and just cause a huge mess
Chewy Caramels-These too can get really messy and no one wants to deal with that
Pixie Sticks-This is just an opinion but they are already flimsy and break just by contact, I wouldn't want my candy bag to be covered in candy dust by the time it arrives to the child.
Gummy Candy-Also just an opinion, I've seen gummy candy like Lifesavers Gummies and gummy eyeballs melt like ice cream on the sidewalk just by being in my car. It becomes something that looks a lot like Nickelodeon Slime and that can be a sticky mess for the distributors or the child's caretakers to clean up.
Liquid Candy-Again this is pretty self-explanatory, liquid gets hot and then more fluid so when that once thick gooey liquid comes out of the container, it will drip like water and lose its consistency. Besides that thought: liquids aren't allowed anyway.
Lik n' Dip-You know those minty candy sticks and the fruity powder we love dipping it in? Well, those are probably the messiest things around and just like the pixie sticks, I just don't trust the possibility of that powdery mess getting all over the candy bag.
I now put candy in my shoe boxes because candy is one of life's little pleasures. I have memories of candy and how my childhood looked just a little brighter because of it. Now, I don't want this post to dissuade anyone who has made boxes without candy or to encourage those who do: I simply want to put out there a point of view that might give you an idea if candy is a good idea or not. In my opinion, it is a semi-good idea: there are still parts of me that question my inclusion of candy in my boxes but the child in me is pushing the idea further and further until I find myself jumping in glee at Candy Canes on sale for 1/2 price. It's all a matter of opinion when it comes to candy and there is no right or wrong answer there: fill the boxes with what you think that child would want and most importantly listen to God as He guides you to put certain items in your boxes.
Happy Packing all and I hope you all have safe trips to your drop off locations!
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