It’s that time of year, again!
No, not time to whine about raking the leaves. No, not time to start going to the mall. No, not even time to put your flannel sheets on the beds. (Well, if you live somewhere with winter, it IS time to do that. But that’s not what I’m talking about.)
It’s time to put together the shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. Yes, it’s time to buy all of that small crap from the Dollar Store and Christmas Tree Shops that your kids always want but you know will just end up underfoot and/or discarded; only now, you get to buy it for children who will actually appreciate it. (Or as a friend of mine was kind enough to point out–as I picked up some travel Chinese Checkers games–“Those marbles are all gonna end up in your carpet.” I reminded her that they were for shoeboxes, and she corrected herself to “Those marbles are all gonna end up in someone’s dirt floor.”)
Yep, it’s that time of year, and my inner child runneth over.
When I blogged about doing the shoeboxes last year, I’d found a variety of novel little toys which the kids are I were very excited to include in our boxes. This year, we’re strictly back to basics. Jump ropes. Jacks. Playing cards. Superballs! Super! Balls! EVERYWHERE! (It’s just not the same if you don’t allow the kids to help you pack the boxes.) Yo-yos. Play-doh (they can use it to pick up the marbles from the Chinese Checkers….). Markers and crayons and little notebooks and pencils and erasers and sharpeners. Flashlights. Radios. Watches. Dolls. Little dinosaurs. Puzzles. Soap and toothpaste and folding brushes and washcloths and toothbrushes and floss.
Floss! It’s a party in a box!
Anyway, I think it’s clear from this little exercise that I am entitled to at least 2 pairs of fabulous boots every year. Do you think all that crap fits into a standard shoebox? Um, no. We prepare 2 shoeboxes each year, therefore I deserve 2 pairs of boots for the completely altruistic necessity of packing up our Christmas boxes.
Let’s get started on saving up for this, right away. My first strategy was to look up the Hot Toys of 2005 and make sure that I wasn’t planning to buy any of them for my kids. Hot toys tend to be expensive. We can’t be having that.
Oh, did I mention that I finished my Christmas shopping this weekend? My kids will each be getting a cardboard box and candy cane and then they’ll be splitting a pair of socks.
Okay, I kid. They’ll get more than that. Most of what they’re getting was purchased throughout the year on clearance. I finished up this weekend by spending… let’s see… an additional $20. Woo! I think they’ll be happy on Christmas morning. There’ll be a few presents under the tree. And Santa may be filling their stockings with superballs. Just a hunch I have.
The other way I’m going to save up is by running a few eBay auctions. I got the idea from Jenny in the post below. I’ll be auctioning off the quadraboob top as well as a few other things. I have a rare book I bought for someone but never gave, on account of I became rather consumed with creating a voodoo doll of them, instead. I have a gift I bought for an ex-boyfriend that would’ve immediately elevated me to Super Cool Girlfriend status, except that he opted for Super Slime Ex-Boyfriend status before I had a chance to give it to him. Oh well. (It actually beats the time the guy took the expensive gift and THEN broke up with me. Heh.)
Anyway, the way I see it, between buying my kids crappy, passe gifts, and auctioning off the various carnival of horrors and remnants of failed relationships around here, I should be wearing these in no time.
Sailed by in a boat from Coffee Soup. Oooo, new shoes! I’d be buying in Melange then I could purchase new jeans to match. Buy them… you deserve them. Besides, you’ll need the boxes for next year’s shoebox run.
Hey, did you ever finish that voodoo doll? Because I’m thinking that dressing it in a quadraboob shirt might be some pretty exacting revenge.
And then you can sell them BOTH on ebay.
I’m just sayin’.
I can’t decide if your desired footwear remind me of: a rejected rattan chair seat; or the veneer from a dollhouse parquet floor.
They certainly are eye-catching.
But then again, I’m not exactly a fashion maven, so I could be wrong and these are the hottest thing going. I’ll send you a bottle of Formby’s best furniture oil.
A measly 5% off! Cool boots, but what the heck kind of sale is that? We want DEEP discounts dog gone it!
And I so hate you that you are done. ;) I plan to start mine Wednesday, and I hope to be done Wednesday. Pray for me.
Please, PLEASE do not buy those boots, methinks you will be selling them on ebay next year…
See, I really like the boots. Buy the boots Mir. And think of how jealous I will be when you wear them.
And? Superballs!!! The best toy ever! Until, of course, it crashes into one of my Lladros and then I get to yell at someone. So, it’s a win/win!
One can never have enough boooooots!
You’re finished with your Christmas shopping. *crickets*
I have to go make a voodoo doll of you now.
I agree with Bob…although since I’m in the shoe selling business I can assure him, they are not the hottest thing out there right now.
Don’t buy the boots, me thinks Gretchen is right.
Do know you are a much better woman than I am though, being done with your Christmas shopping *mumble mumble, snort*. I’ve got one gift purchased…and does it count that I know what everyone else will be getting?
Our MOPS group will be filling up 100 boxes this weekend. Nice to see other people doing it too!
My daughter’s Brownie pack are collecting items for Operation Christmas Child. We had such fun on Saturday, choosing stuff for her to take in. A very satisfying way to give….though I don’t get to buy new shoes as the Brownies are supplying the boxes.
A stocking full of superballs? Sounds like a lot of fun!
I read about the Operation Christmas Child on another blog a few weeks ago. Thanks for reminding me about this opportunity. I plan to seize the day and create my own shoeboxes for kiddies in need.
Very cool. Thanks.
Mir, you’re pretty.
Those boots are….uh….well….
Have you ever thought of going with something a little more, um, sleek? or say, versitile and could endure more than one fashion season? Like maybe brown leather with a four inch heel? There is unique and there is UNIQUE. Not that the boots aren’t really eye catching, but so is a pair of neon green snakeskin pleather pants with big purple cabbage roses scatter about (I actually KNEW someone who owned a pair – I don’t make this stuff up!)
If, say, I was going to spend all of my spousal support on a pair of boots, I’d want some more like the one’s on the cover of Joshylin’s De Boekerij bv in Amsterdam.
I just saying.
A friend and I did a couple shoeboxes this weekend :) It was great. We went all stereotypical and he did the boy box (mini tools, a whoopie cushion, matchbox cars) and I did the girl box (stamps, a notebook, colored pencils, and some silk flowers, because they made me smile). We totally rocked the dollar store…it was great.
I think those boots are GORGEOUS!
I think the dirt floor comment was totally rude. I would have given my friend a raised eyebrow at that one.