"Operation Christmas Child" themed birthday party for a 4 year old...

[WaitPatientlyOnTheLord]

So, in our family the love and joy of Operation Christmas Child last all year round. We collect items all year for our shoeboxes and each year we send more and more boxes. My dad and his wife have year-round volunteer positions with OCC as well so OCC is a discussion almost every single time we go into a store and every time we get together with my dad or talk to him on the phone. We are all just sooooooo passionate about it! DD has caught the enthusiasm! She just loves looking around at stores for things she thinks the girls or boys will love.

Anyways, her birthday is in August and every year we try to say "no gifts please" and every year we still get gifts. So we are thinking about having an Operation Christmas Child themed party and suggesting guests bring items for the shoeboxes instead of birthday gifts.

So, here are the questions. Do we just collect the items and put them with our stash of stuff we pack in November? Or should we have actually packing the boxes be a part of the party festivities? Shoebox packing parties are an awful lot of fun BUT we will likely have more little kids than adults. Like off the top of my head I think we would have like 10-15 kids ages 2-12. I feel like packing the boxes could be too much and too overwhelming. I also saw the idea of using the shoebox as the invitation to the family and they can pack the box at home and bring it already packed to the party, but I dont want to be too presumptuous and expect people to contribute too much. This is truly just meant to be a fun alternative to bring a gift.

Im also thinking there could be a craft making opportunity. Specifically I think DD would enjoy making colorful wands. I was thinking each guest could make two, one to take home and one for a shoebox?

Oh the other thing is that I really like mellow, no-fuss birthday parties. Like I bring some food and a cake to a location (the park or a pick-your-own orchard) and the kids play while grown ups chill, we sing happy birthday and call it a day. That makes me think no to packing the boxes that day. I could be ok with an easy craft activity though.

I dont know, what do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? Other things suggestions for an OCC themed b-day bash??

[2sunshines]

Yea I wouldn't pack them. I'd just say instead of gifts bring an item that will be packed into the boxes with a list of suggestions for people who have no idea what to contribute.

I'm also a huge fan of simple.

[HuggaBuggaMommy]

I actually would pack them. That's part of the fun. (We do year round, too, and my kids are always spying things in the stores and saying, "This could go in our shoeboxes!") But I wouldn't worry about how the boxes were packed; I'd just redo them later.

[Aerynne]

Originally Posted by HuggaBuggaMommy

I actually would pack them. That's part of the fun. (We do year round, too, and my kids are always spying things in the stores and saying, "This could go in our shoeboxes!") But I wouldn't worry about how the boxes were packed; I'd just redo them later.

This is what I was going to say- just let each kid pack a box and go through them later. If a box is good, by all means leave it, but if it's, for instance, ten of the same toy and nothing else, then just repack it.

I also love the idea of making something simple to put into the box. Ribbon dancers would be a fun thing to make, too, and they are easy (just a simple ring that you tie ribbons to so kids can dance with it).

[Singingmom]

I think filling them would add to the fun for those who wanted to help. My dd and her Sunday School class packed lots of boxes a few years ago. They played games like relays to get the items into the boxes in categories (school/art supplies, toiletries, toys...) The kids could put the things they brought into the right category as they arrive, then work in teams later to fill the boxes. Each team could have an older child or parent? There might be a better way to keep things simple, but I think part of the joy of bringing things to give would be seeing them in the boxes. I love your year-round approach!

[Soliloquy]

I think having the boxes available would be great but I'd be flexible in case it gets too chaotic.

[WaitPatientlyOnTheLord]

Yeah, maybe a flexible approach would be good.

[MaySunflowers]

The smaller kids could decorate boxes rather than pack if they might be too tempted to keep the toys.

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[esperanza]

The kids could make pictures or notes to put in the boxes.

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[FlyingBlueKiwi]

Originally Posted by WaitPatientlyOnTheLord

So, in our family the love and joy of Operation Christmas Child last all year round. ... My dad and his wife have year-round volunteer positions with OCC as well so OCC is a discussion almost every single time we go into a store and every time we get together with my dad or talk to him on the phone. We are all just sooooooo passionate about it! DD has caught the enthusiasm! She just loves looking around at stores for things she thinks the girls or boys will love.

Anyways, her birthday is in August and every year we try to say "no gifts please" and every year we still get gifts. So we are thinking about having an Operation Christmas Child themed party and suggesting guests bring items for the shoeboxes instead of birthday gifts.

Congratulations on a great idea for a party this year!


One rabbit trail here. If you have not read the "Five Love Languages for Children" book, you might want to read it soon. Right now your DD is getting a lot of positive feedback for being involved with your family in OCC and "donating" her birthday presents.

If she does not have Gifts as a love language, you may be able to continue this as she gets older without issue.

If she does have Gifts as a love language, you will have a problem as she gets older, as she may interpret you doing a party where the gifts go to OCC as the family considering OCC to be more important than her, thus making her feel unloved and coming to dislike OCC.

Also, as she gets to older elementary and middle school, how she feels about it may at least partially depend on how tight your family budget is in terms of her having things common to friends her age. Even if she does not have Gifts as a love language, she may see her birthday as a time where she gets to ask for things her friends have, particularly if your budget is tight and she does not get a moderate allowance.

Just a thought.