Notes and Planning for Next Year's Holidays

[Harriet]

Oh, I came up with a regret. I wish I'd done an Operation Christmas Child box. Our church usually does an angel tree but did not this year, and I didn't know that until it was too late to do an OCC box. So I felt a "gap" in my heart/spiritual side of holiday (especially with dd) because there was no tangible hands-on giving moment.

So, my remedy is - what about making up an OCC box through the year and having it ready in advance for the yearly collection, which is 3rd week of November.

I had also thought about making one secretly through the year and giving it to HRH on his Sept birthday for him to deliver to the collection center in Nov. He almost begs us not to give him gifts, so that would be the perfect "not for you, but still a gift".

I always wonder whether my box is the right size. They say, "standard size please". Hmmm .... ... best guess, I suppose. They also mention a plastic container is okay. That would probably be helpful to a person.

[BookSaver]

Harriet ~ Our Christmas gift giving has also become almost non-existant. DH's family does not exchange gifts at all any more, although of course we still give to DMIL. My family still draws names for Secret Santa, but DH and I opted out this year because the past couple of years it ended up we were just exchanging gift cards. We also have the problem that sometimes bad weather keeps us from attending the party, and then it's a challenge to deliver the gifts in a timely manner.

I really like your idea of a child's gift box to fill throughout the year. My sewing group donates children's items every December to the same women's shelter.

I still have those Christmas-themed soft toys and flannel pajamas to finish, but I know I won't get to them for a few months. The problem with finishing them now and holding them until next Christmas is always the danger of forgetting the "safe place" where I would put them -- plus of course the space needed for an "extra" box.

So I'm looking around trying to figure out what would make a handy little gift box and where I could keep it handy to get to throughout the year ... and there, on the shelves over my desk, is a decorative metal box! Empty! I know it's empty because it's still in the plastic wrap from when I bought it last year at a clearance sale for $1.

It's a little bigger than a shoe box but it fits nicely on the shelf. Tada! I knew that box would come in handy.

No, no, I'm not at all obsessive about buying pretty decorative boxes on sale because I know they'll be useful some day.

[Nancy]

I miss stockings so I'm thinking about stockings here for the two of us.
I know that H. likes magazines in his.