How many of you packers make something by hand to put into your boxes? It could be anything from making a card, knitting an item of clothing or sewing a basic rag doll but what I have discovered through talking to the people at drop off locations as well as some people who have been overseas to the distribution locations: a little personal touch can go a long way to the hearts of those kids.
I wanted to make this post to show you guys some ways to bring in some personal touch to your boxes if you ever want to. Again, like with all of my other advice posts, this is not a "demand" or the only guidelines for your boxes. I am not telling you guys what to do or how to fill your boxes, these are only suggestions.
A HANDWRITTEN LETTER
There is some debate about handwritten letters because more likely than not your box will be sent to a country where English isn't going to be their first or best known language. So there are some people that prefer not to include letters. I write letters to each child in Christmas cards that I find on sale or in a pack from the Goodwill: why? Well, these children have probably never received a gift before, right? That should also lead us to believe that these kids have never received a Christmas card either.
Although the kids over there don't know all about the English language, let us all remember that there are translators over there that can assist those who can't read. Also, I look at it this way, if a child really wants to be able to read the letter it will help push them to develop another language which doubles there chances of getting a better job in the future. I know that seems a tad bit silly of me but it's the way I see it.
I'll try to make another post about some ideas to include in your letters but I just want you all to know that the children will love any type of letter you send them. It could be a few words of encouragement or just a simple "Hello, I'm so and so and I want you to know God loves you", it could be as simple as that and it could mean the world to those kids. Another plus to this personal touch, it does not take in much room nor is it going to really affect your packing alignment.
CRAFT STICK PUZZLE
Crafts are something that you can do as well as your kiddies can do as well to really get in a good dose of personal touch. These are easy as well as cheap as far as some crafts go. The concept is simple, get some craft sticks which can go as low as fifty cents for a pack of 30 and then choose which design you want to put on there. It is always nice to buy things for the kids out there but making something, as my best friend would say, just really gets you into the Christmas spirit and connects you to the children who are going to be opening/playing with the toys/crafts you send over to them.
SCARVES
These are just a few of the scarves that I've made on my own time. I've been able to make scarves since I turned about 9 years old and I've been doing it ever since. Everyone, scarves might not be the top thing to put into shoe boxes mainly because our boxes are sent to places that could have extreme heat temperatures but God know where our boxes are headed. He knows that those children could use these scarves to their own devices, whether it be through keeping them warm or cutting the ends and using the yarn for a house fix, we don't know the extent of God's plan for our boxes but regardless of the circumstances: these things can make a difference.
These are another great idea if you really don't feel like you are putting as much effort into your boxes. I'm not saying that I don't put effort into finding items for my boxes but I will say that I feel inadequate sometimes when putting things into my boxes. I want to really put a personal touch to the box because a labor of love, something that you put time and effort into, it makes you really think about that person you are sending it to.
PILLOW DRESSES
I haven't made these before and I don't think I'll ever be that skilled to make them but these are called Pillow Case Dresses and each one is unique no matter what. I've seen them being made for girls 2 years old all the way up to 15 years old, it really just depends on the ages you are going for. But this item can bring in a personal touch mainly because it is by your hands that you are making this dress. You are going to provide something for those little girls that they can wear around the house or maybe to church, it might not be the cutest looking thing, but the thought as well as the work put into it gives your boxes a little touch of personality.
JEWELRY
It might not look exactly like this but I can say that I personally LOVED making jewelry for other people when I was younger. It made my day and I felt like a celebrity with other people wearing my "design" but regardless of childlike celebrity, making jewelry for others does bring people a sense of happiness and wonder. There was a story that they actually posted on Operation Christmas Child's video site so if you guys want to, you guys can watch this lady's story. The woman is around 70 or 80 years old and what she does to keep herself busy but still do the Lord's work: she makes TONS of necklaces for children. She doesn't make a single necklace that looks the same and it is just so amazing that she was able to make so many necklaces that don't look like a child's jewelry but something you could find at a nice craft fair or maybe at Macy's.
Jewelry is an international thing, I believe. When you go to Africa, they might have stone necklaces or something along those lines and jewelry traces back thousands of years and the first pieces can be found in museums. Jewelry has been around for quite a while and what better gift than to send a child a nice looking necklace or bracelet that she wouldn't have otherwise in her situation? That necklace could be what gives her confidence to go to church, to talk to that boy she likes, to pursue her future education, or to go off and get a job in her community: I'm not saying that jewelry is the key to confidence as no one thing of jewelry, clothing or whatever can just give a person confidence, but when I get a new set of earrings or a nice new shirt, I feel nice and comfortable in front of my peers. I think that feeling could be as international as the usage of jewelry is.
STRESS BALL CREATURES
I've never made these and don't think I ever will but these are stress ball creatures. I've seen them made on videos before with flour but considering they are going overseas I would recommend using sand in them. I think they are cute little creatures that could keep a child calm in their situation or double as a ball to toss around, and in some cases this creature could be used as a doll for the younger children. They look relatively easy as the materials look to be: Balloons, sticky googly eyes, yarn and a filler like flour or sand.
CRAFT STICK PUPPET
I might make these one day along with the craft stick puzzles because craft sticks are so small and thin, they are just great filler items and can make any kid smile. I like how they went with barn yard animals for this set of puppets. These can be made in anyway you guys want as they could be people, fish, weather situations, anything you could really think about. This idea is great because the kids will open their boxes to see that you took the time and effort to paint and glue together these puppet sticks and that makes all the difference in some of these boxes.
HANDMADE STUFFED ANIMALS
Stuffed animals are always a plus and are great for all ages as I have discovered through countless blog searches. I think the ones shown would probably be more along the lines of 2-4 year olds but stuffed animals are great and making them just brings you closer to the kids opening the boxes. I think that is one of the greatest feelings we can gift ourselves with while packing these boxes.
KNIT HATS
Knit hats are the best things that I have come across so early in the year. Just 1 1/2 weeks ago I looked at my loom for scarves and wondered if I would have enough hats to go with them. It is something I felt strongly about because what better than a scarf than a scarf and hat set? I found a circle loom set and began my knit hat endeavor and just love it! This hat took me about a half hour to make and it is absolutely a great way to feel attached to your shoe box recipients. I just recently made a pink hat with sequins all over it and I'm just imagining how excited that little girl is going to feel when they put it on their head.
Honestly, I haven't always had a "personal touch" to my boxes. I've been filling boxes for 2 years now and the only thing that I've included from my list here was a handwritten letter. It is the easiest and least amount of space taking idea on the list. I make some of these things because it definitely brings me closer to these children. I might never meet them, heck, I might never get an e-mail or letter but just knowing that those kids are receiving something that I made or wrote down, it brings me such great joy and closeness to these kids.
Hope these ideas get those creative juices flowing! Happy Packing!
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