As the holiday season gears up (can you believe next week is Thanksgiving?!), we’re making a conscious effort to talk with the girls about how much we have and because of that, how much of a responsibility we have to share with others.
So when our church passed out Christmas stockings to fill for some neighbors that might not have a lot this Christmas season, we jumped at the chance to head to Hallmark Gold Crown store and fill them with goodies for other kids.
The girls had fun picking out things they would like to have in their stockings and then giving them away to others. Okay, Ellie had fun. Harper did cry a little at the store when she realized she wasn’t getting something. But Santa took note of how much both girls loved the Itty Bittys (a whoooole lot) and I’m sure a few will show up in their stockings too.
The hardest part of shopping to fill the stockings was narrowing it down. There were well over 20 different Itty Bittys to choose from and it took Ellie forever to decide on a Frozen theme for her stocking.
For my tomboy Harper, she loved the Spider-Man Itty Bitty so we decided to go for a boy theme with her stocking. We found a set of four Star Wars The Force Awakens Cubeez which are perfect for filling with little toys or candy and then hiding in a stocking.
Stopping by Hallmark Gold Crown to fill our stockings was easy and convenient. But if you can’t get out, it’s nice to know they have all their products listed on Hallmark.com and can ship directly to your house.
It seems simple to fill a stocking and give it to someone else, but you’d be surprised at how many kids have never had a stocking before. At my old school, we’d do a Christmas party every year for four to six kids on our team that we knew were struggling financially and wouldn’t be seeing a lot under the tree that year. I’ll never forget the girl who exclaimed as she saw her stocking that she had never had one before–and she was twelve years old. It knocked me on my butt to think that this was a reality for so many kids.
So the Grahams filled stockings for our neighbors because it’s easy, simple, and what we’re called to do. And thanks for Hallmark Gold Crown, we found everything we needed to bring a smile to a couple kids’ faces.
What exactly did we fill our stockings with? Good question! Check out this video for all the exciting details.
I love this post and the ideas! It brought to mind one Christmas when my own children were just a bit older than yours. An administrator of the church we were a part of then called and asked me if I could go Christmas shopping for a mom and two children if they provided $100. My daughter who was about 11 at the time wanted to be a part of the project and we had a great time looking for special things to purchase and wrap. The idea of a gift for the mom was ours since it had not been listed, but we wanted to bless her as well. We shopped for all the best bargains to try to get as much as we could, imagining their delight on Christmas morning. She is now a mom of her own and has four children and she still often remarks that was one of the best memories of Christmas when she was growing up.
Thanks, Mary!
Pam
I’m so glad that she still remembers that experience and it’s one of her best Christmas memories. I hope and pray that my children can grow up remembering their service to others around the holidays and not just some toy they received. Thanks for the encouragement, Pam. 🙂
Love this! Hallmark has always been my favorite for finding decorations and gifts. Looks like you guys picked up some great things!
I had never shopped their for Christmas stuff before–I’m not sure why not, but now I’m hooked! 🙂