Table of Content
- Shops▼▲
- Items NOT to put in your Operation Christmas Child shoebox:
- Shoebox gifts
- You are visiting the Samaritan’s Purse website for Operation Christmas Child Canada.
- thought on “15 Gifts and Tips for Your Operation Christmas Child Shoebox”
- vintage 80er 90er Born in the USA A Long Long Time Ago T-Shirt lustige Humor Gag Geschenk Schuhbox Männer Frauen Unisex XL
- Top 10 Personal Hygiene Gift Ideas for a 10–14 Girl
- What gifts would you pack for a 10-14 Boy?
It was recommended to us that when sending soap, send Ivory soap because it will float when dropped in the river and they can find it whereas other brands tend to sink and then their soap is gone. This is a really cool project and thoughtful. Nice of you to think of what the older children might need and what would make them happy. The Dark Side of EducationMillions of children have no access to electricity, leaving them to study by the dim light of kerosene lamps or garbage fires that threaten their health and safety. For more ideas and tips, readHow to Wrap Awkward Gifts.
First, we gathered up all our pop cans, wine bottles (mine, not my Little Sister’s), tetra juice packs (my Little’s, not mine), and beer bottles (my neighbor’s), and took them to the bottle depot. That’s a lot of bottle money – we’ve been saving all our bottles so we can buy scrapbooking supplies. Walmart Mainstays 18 Pack Washcloth Collection $4. Great price to include with soap in Operation Christmas Child box.
Shops▼▲
A Pink Dancing Ballerina Pendant Necklace is a pretty, unique gift for a girl in a third world country. Never underestimate the powerful gift of hope and beauty, grace and love. When you’re shopping for gifts for your Operation Christmas Child Shoebox, remember that kids in other countries have the same dreams, feelings, and ideas as kids in your country. We’re all the same; we need encouragement, beauty, light, life, encouragement and hope. We need practical ideas and support…but we also need glimpses of glory.

Just as important as what you should include in your shoebox is what you absolutely should NOT pack. Increasingly strict customs regulations make it difficult for some things to cross international borders even though they may have previously been allowed by Operation Christmas Child. This is the best part of sending an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. Both my Little Sister and I wrote a card to include in the shoebox, and we included pictures of us and our dogs. It was sort of like writing a letter to a pen pal, and we believe our letters will brighten up a child’s day.
Items NOT to put in your Operation Christmas Child shoebox:
As a member of iHomeschool Network’s Samaritan’s Purse Blogger Team, I write about the ministry on a volunteer basis. All posts are my own thoughts and do not necessarily reflect the views of Samaritan’s Purse. I am not an employee, agent, or contractor of Samaritan’s Purse. Even learnt something, I never knew you could buy reusable cloth menstrual pads, it brings back memories of when I first start my periods in early 1950's before tampax type came into use. I love Operation Christmas Child and what they do for children.
Watercolor sets, glue sticks, markers, store-bought creative dough, and non-medicated, stick-style lip balm can all be included! Squirt guns that don’t look like real guns are also a real hit with shoebox recipients, as are marbles, plastic mirrors, and non-liquid make-up. Wet wipes are also a great idea—just make sure they’re not the antibacterial or medicated kind.
Shoebox gifts
I encourage anyone who can to participate, it is worth it. Some of the simplest and most practical ideas seem to escape us. A girl happily opening her shoebox at an OCC distribution event in Paraguay. A detailed look at the menstruation-related challenges young women in Fiji face at school and the impact they have on girls’ education.
Choose items made from organic, non-toxic, sustainable and/or biodegradable materials like cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo, cork and natural rubber. If something in your shoebox must be bagged , choose a reusable silicone storage bag. Plastic shoeboxes will inevitably end up in a landfill, local waterway or the ocean. Cardboard boxes, on the other hand, break down naturally when no longer needed. Local shoe stores are an excellent source of cardboard shoeboxes if you don't already have one at home. I don’t know about the US, but in Canada, we’re not allowed to send any toothpaste or lip balm or soft candy because of customs regulations.
She lives and works outside Nashville, TN, with her husband Don and their five sons, three of whom were adopted from Haiti. Also living nearby is their daughter Kelsey, inspirational actress and wife of Christian recording artist Kyle Kupecky. Tools are a wonderful idea, but I’m really not sure if I’d try sending a hammer because of weight and because they could be consider it a weapon? If I find out for sure one way or another, I’ll let you know. About crayons melting, I am not sure they melt like they used to when I was a kid.

Before my Little Sister and I bought gifts for our Operation Christmas Child Shoebox, we had to earn money for presents. So we gathered up all our pop cans, wine bottles (mine, not my Little Sister’s), tetra juice packs (my Little’s, not mine), and beer bottles (my neighbor’s), and took them to the bottle depot. It took less than an hour, and we earned $35. We had money left over – even after buying good gifts for our Operation Christmas Child Shoebox. I read several OCC blogs where this ideas was listed for the older boys.
But a girl between the ages of 10 and 14 is still a child, and the first thing she sees when she opens her shoebox should be something that brings joy. Due to that shortage, older boys often receive gifts intended for younger age groups — or even shoeboxes packed for girls. While those gifts are still joyfully received, every child deserves to open a shoebox that was packed especially for them.
The candy restrictions are due to customs regulations. Last year we bought a package of hard candies from the dollar store, individually wrapped. This year I’d buy better candy, such as Jolly Rancher or Life Savers. You can also build an Operation Christmas Child Shoebox online by going to the Samaritan’s Purse website and choosing gifts.
Our job is to put shoeboxes into shipping crates and send them on to one of the main Collection Centers. Samaritan’s Purse does not require you to just do Regular Shoe Boxes. I have always done plastic containers and We recommend it to others. The only thing they have suggested to use is use a standard ladies size shoebox or make sure your container is the same size as a standard ladies size shoebox. You can get the same amount of each in a shipping crate.

I'm not sure about the floss picks but given that they are generally single-use and made of plastic, I think regular floss is a more environmentally conscious idea. Cardboard/stiff paper boxes are better than the plastic tubs. While working at the sorting center, a large number of the plastic tubs came in broken and had to be repacked into cardboard shoe boxes. The good news is that eco-friendly alternatives for common shoebox gifts are becoming more affordable every day. After reading articles about the unique struggles faced by young women in developing countries, I realized the life-changing impact a shoebox could have when packed with thoughtful gifts.