This tradition started about three years ago in grad school and we loved it so much we promised that we would do it every year from that point on. We each get a shoebox, decide on a gender and age, and then go shopping for items to fill the boxes with. These boxes get sent off by Operation Christmas Child to children in less privileged countries so that they have a gift to open up for Christmas. Sending off that box and knowing that you’re bringing so much joy to a child’s life is easily one of the greatest feelings in the world. Watch a video of children opening their Operation Christmas Child boxes. I guarantee it’ll make you smile from ear to ear.

All of the directions for how to pack a shoebox can be found here. It’s very simple! Decide on a gender and age, pack a box with goodies, print out a label here (the shipping labels are $9.00 but it’s really cool because you can track your box to see where it ends up!), and then find the nearest drop-off location. The most important thing to know is that national collection week is NEXT WEEK November 13-20! This weekend is a great time to put one together!

This year Stephen did a boy and I did a girl in the age 5-9 range. We usually find the stuff for our boxes at Target since the “dollar section” has a lot of good options. Even better was that they were having a Veteran’s Day discount this year! We set a budget of $20 each and were both able to get a good amount of things for each kid within that. If you can’t find a shoebox we found these plastic ones at Target for $0.94. We also like to add in a little note in the box so that the child can be reminded that they are so loved. We hope you join us in this great tradition that we love so much. Have a great weekend!