Alright, so I don't really like to wrap up boxes in Christmas paper. Why? Well, most of the time that paper will be destroyed in the carrying hold and in the transportation process from the States to another country. I didn't want to do this at first but something told me that wrapping this box for this little girl would be worth it in the end. It did make an incredibly cute box but I must say that I give props to the packers out there that will wrap every single one of their boxes. I don't think I have enough patience for that.
Now, isn't that just adorable?
Now, I wasn't planning on packing a box today because I have work later on and a few errands to run but I just couldn't let this box go unpacked for another second. As you all know, I don't really like to do too many younger kid boxes. Why? Because in all truth, there will be more boxes donated to the younger/middle ages because they are a lot easier to pack. But, because of the things I saw the moment I walked in to my section of the garage for packing, I decided that this box will be going to the younger age of girls.
THE ITEMS:
So, the items that I included were all based off the basic criteria of the shoe boxes according to the Operation Christmas Child packing video from their website. The categories include: TOYS, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, SOMETHING TO WEAR, HYGIENE ITEMS, SOMETHING TO LOVE (Wow item).
TOYS:
So, I know that stacking cups are a bit young for a 2-4 year old but they can also be used to play with sand or with water depending on where they live and who doesn't love something they can put something else into? Then I included three items from my Valentine's Day haul: a heart clapper (noise, the parents will love me), a light up flashlight wand and a color in tote bag. I like to include the color in stuff for the younger age because although it will be covered in scribbles, it is still a bit too small for the older age groups.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES:
Every child deserves a coloring book so a coloring book was a must. (Unfortunately, this coloring book was too thick and didn't fit into the box, I had to use two Watermelon themed ones instead.) Of course, crayons need to go with the coloring book and more writing sets so five notebooks went inside with two erasers, a pencil sharpener, five pencils and five pens. (Someone asked me what the point of including pens was and I will say that pencils are helpful and all but nothing beats the smooth writing sensation of a pen against paper. Also, most children are able to make a pencil last for over three or so months so already that is about fifteen months of pencils right there and then pens for the opportunity to go to school longer as all they need is a writing utensil and something to write on.)
SOMETHING TO WEAR:
Having something new to wear might not seem all that great to kids in the United States but to a child who might not have anything, it is a great blessing. Unfortunately I don't have any youth shirts for girls or gender neutral colored shirts for the girls either so this little girl gets a knit hat, socks and a pair of mittens instead. When looking for clothing, you don't have to include a shirt specifically but if you want to include a skirt, dress, or just a pair of underwear, that would make a load of difference to that little girl.
HYGIENE:
Alright, so technically a water bottle and silverware aren't hygiene items but to fit the categories, they don't really go any where else. So here this child will be getting a set of silverware that have little hearts on them, a pack of facial tissue, a bar of soap, a toothbrush, a comb and a sippy cup.
SOMETHING TO LOVE:
This is one of the larger stuffed animals and I know I'm a little ageist here but I like to include the larger stuffed animals for the youngest age. Along with the cute bunny, this girly will get a pack of sweet heart candies. This is the last year for us to include candy as well as toothpaste so if you guys are thinking of including them, pack as much as you can because this will be the last year to do so.
PACKING:
1. I didn't include this in the picture because I always forget about stickers but here is the box with the flattest of items: stickers. Again, just a reminder, always have the flat stuff on the bottom of the box.
2. Then went in the notebooks, crayons and the coloring books. I feel terrible for not being able to fit that one coloring book because that would have made my day as a child but hopefully the two coloring books here will suffice.
3. I didn't realize how deep my box was until I started loading it with the goodies. As you can see, the candy and the soap are both bagged so that they don't melt, crack or spill out onto the rest of the gifts.
4. Now doesn't that look like a happy bunny? Unfortunately because the sippy cup was smaller than the usual cups I fill, it took up all that space with nothing inside it. Thankfully the stacking cups held the socks, pencil sharpener and the erasers so that the bunny could fit in nice and snug at the top of the box's items.
Alright Packers, it is 6/20/2016 here in the States and that means that the first day of drop off, 11/14/2016 is 147 days away! Can you believe it? We're under the 200 day mark! I hope you all are running those brains of yours on what to include in those boxes and get your praying knees on full blast for these beautiful children.
(Box 79)
Happy Packing!
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