Operation Christmas Child Day !!!!
Today was Operation Christmas Child day. Every year since high school Teri and I have made a tradition of assembling shoeboxes full of presents to be send abroad to developing countries. While I lived in Cambodia I had the priviledge to see a group of children receive their presents, and it was a very cool experience. I know, logically, that for the amount of money it takes to fill the gifts and ship them abroad one could just send the money, but watching those kids feel cared for by people across the ocean that they'd never met makes the splurge worthwhile.
This year is a down year for me, but I had to do at least one. So Alan and I went to Fred Meyer this morning to fill my one shoebox. We picked girlie stuff (because I like the froo froo, and he had no opinion on the matter) for a child in the 6-9 year-old category. Now my box is wrapped, gifts inside, and this week I'll drop it off at a Baptist church over in Phinney.
It's just one of the many things I love about Christmas, but it heralds the beginning of the Season for me.