Do you have any fun family Christmas traditions? Our newest holiday tradition is Operation Christmas Child, a program run by Samaritan’s Purse Ministries. Operation Christmas child involves packing up shoe box gifts and shipping them to kids in need!
This post is a part of day 10 of the 12 Days of Christmas blog hop! Scroll down to the bottom to find more family traditions from my blogger friends!
Who is Samaritan’s Purse Ministries?
Mission Statement
“Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.“
Find a Shoe Box
How do you get started? Hobby Lobby has plastic boxes for $2.99. Another option would be to find a small shoe box to use!
These plastic totes are handy because they come with an instructions pamphlet. You can stop by Samaritan’s Purse website to find out how to pack a shoe box or follow along here!
How to Pack a Shoe Box
1 . Get a standard size shoe box and pack it up for a boy or a girl.
2 . Choose a “Wow” item like a ball (with a pump) or stuffed animal!
3 . Fill your box with other gifts. Samaritan’s Purse recommends toys, hygiene items or school supplies.
4 . Pray for the child who will receive your box! You could even include a special note or photo!
5 . Include a $10 donation with your box. This is very necessary to cover the cost of shipping. If you want to ship your box and find out where it goes, you can do so here!
6 . Drop off your shoe box at a drop off location! National Collection Week is November 18-25th, 2019 (or the current drop off week)! Find a drop off location near you right here!
Go Shopping with the Family
We have 5 children and they loved getting involved in the shoe box packing. Since our kids range in ages 1-8, we chose to fill a box for a boy ages 2-4 and a girl ages 5-9!
Gift Ideas for Girls
If you need a few ideas, we filled the girls’ box up for ages 5-9 with these items! Samaritan’s Purse recommends that you fill the boxes with items like toys, school supplies and other fun items like stickers, hair bows, or dress up clothes!
Gift Ideas for Boys
We filled up a shoe box for a boy ages 2-4. We chose very practical items that we thought our 4 year old son might like!
Tip: Include a pencil sharper with color pencils.
“Do not include: Candy; toothpaste; gum; used or damaged items; scary or war-related items such as toy guns, knives, or military figures; chocolate or food; seeds; fruit rolls or other fruit snacks; drink mixes (powdered or liquid); liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers; aerosol cans. -Samaritan’s Purse rules
Pack Up Your Boxes
My kids really enjoyed helping pack up shoe box gifts for kids in need!
Their smiles say it all! I love how we could instill the value of giving to others in our kids this Christmas season.
My friend Briana from Parties with a Cause blog also shipped out shoe boxes! Stop by her blog to read about her experiences as well!
Once you’ve filled your boxes, find a drop off point between November 18-25th, 2019 (or the current drop off date)! I hope you feel inspired to join in and send shoe boxes to kids in need. It’s really a great experience to do as a family.
What are your family Christmas traditions? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop
Christmas Advent Story Book Calendar
by Parties with a Cause
DIY Christmas Music Advent Calendar by
Jordan’s Easy Entertaining
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I love this idea Sarina! What a wonderful tradition to get the kids involved in.
Thank you so much Jordan! My kids enjoyed it!
It’s so awesome to see how happy and excited your kiddos are about these boxes. I makes my heart happy seeing the boxes make an impact on the children from BOTH sides. Such a great family tradition!!
Yes, it’s such a great family tradition. It’s nice to be able to help out kids who need it!