Theatre Tokens, the Perfect Gift this Christmas

Photo by Gwen King on Unsplash

{This is a collaborative post}

I'm all about making memories; I'd much rather experience something and spend time with a friend or loved one than receive a physical gift. I probably won't remember the coat my husband bought me in ten years time but you can bet that I remember the trip to Starlight Express at the Apollo Victoria I took 31 years ago. That was my first taste of going to the theatre in London and I have never looked back; I absolutely adore it and I'd go every week if I could. 

Moving from Hertfordshire to East Sussex nine years ago scuppered my regular theatre trips a little as it takes a lot more planning when you are no longer 25 minutes from central London but my trips to the West End are one thing that has not stopped. Even after the Covid chaos of the last couple of years, I managed to see Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in August, The Prince of Egypt in September and Cinderella, The Musical in October.

Then Miss M and I are off to London for the weekend in early January and we are planning to see a show and this is why I have asked my family for a Theatre Tokens gift card for Christmas. This way we can go along to the TKTS booth in Leicester Square to secure on-the-day tickets at a cut-price, or if we won't be in London for when the booth opens at 11.30am we can even go online now and book for a show later that day and still secure the discounts available. That is such a great addition for those of us who live further out of London and are trying to use rail discount cards so can't travel too early. 

Out of interest, I just had a look today to see what I could secure if I was booking for a matinee or evening show today and I was thrilled to see there are great discounts available -

• & Juliet - best stall seats for £47.80 each (40% off)
• The Woman in Black - best stall seats for £31.55 (47% off)
• Life of Pi - in the stalls of Dress circle for £30 (66% off)
• Mary Poppins - in the best stall setas for £49.50 (46% off)
• Les Miserables - in the best stall seats for £49.50 (48%)

Christmas Gift Guide for Older Teen Girls

 {Many of the items in this post have been gifted to me in exchange for inclusion in my gift guide. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

If you've got a teenage girl (or two in my case) to buy for then you'll know it is a bit like walking a tightrope. If you have hundreds of pounds available to spend and you can treat them to high-end tech, designer trainers or a holiday with their mates then you're made! If, like me, you don't have that kind of money and need to find some smaller items to go alongside their main gift then read on and check out my recommendations of some of the items my teenage girls will be enjoying this year.

Bijoux De Mimi Ear Cuffs and Huggies - from £14.50

Earrings, ear cuffs and huggies from Bijoux De Mimi are all the rage right now. My teenage girls have been seeing their products on Tik Tok and are loving them. The brand is such a fabulous success story to come out of the pandemic.

Miss M choose a pair of Camilla cross dangle hoops with classic white sparkle gemstones. This retail for £20.50 and are 14ct gold plated. The hoops average at 1.5cm across. They have a pivot fastening, quite different to other earrings we have chosen before, so they look like a complete hoop through the ear. 

Miss E went for a Christina turquoise huggie hoop and cuff, as she'd love to have her helix done but I've said not until she is a bit older. This is a really good compromise as she can wear the design she likes but there is no permanent change. At first, she found the cuff a bit large as she has dainty ears but it was easy to squeeze the cuff and make it a better fit. It is £17.50 and 14ct gold plated with turquoise gemstones. There is a selection of colours that this style is available in - something to suit everyone.

Do check out their Instagram page for loads of great inspiration on how to wear your huggies and cuffs. 

Perfect Personalised Gifts for all Occasions from Wanapix

My son loves his Puss personalised blanket

{This is a collaborative post}

When you think of personalised gifts, especially photo gifts maybe your mind just heads to mugs with photos on, or a keyring or mousemat. The kind of items that schools photographers offer for far too much money. But if that is the case then let me tell you, you are seriously out of touch. The personalised gift market has exploded and there are now so many amazing gifts you can buy that are unique and personal to your friends or family. They also don't have to cost the earth and you can get a high-quality gift for an affordable price. 

For quite a number of years now I have been buying personalised photo gifts for my family and in the case of my mum, I think I'd have an uproar if I didn't get her a photo kitchen calendar each year. I truly love the whole process of sitting at my laptop and spending a while going through my photos to choose the perfect ones for whichever project I am working on. It gives me a different pace to my regular work and I'm able to daydream and relive the memories from when the images were captured.  

Then the software used by Wanapix makes it really easy to personalise your chosen item, be it with photos, text or both. The upload times for the photos was really quick (although of course, some of that is down to your internet) and the system was easy to navigate with an advanced edit mode making each item truly customisable. I have to be honest, it was far easier and more intuitive than another similar website I've used recently. I do love finding a new great supplier that I can order from!

Let me share with you some of my favourite picks from the Wanapix website, they have crazy amounts of items to choose from. You certainly will find something for every occasion or recipient.

For your Tween/ Teen - Personalised Blanket, from £21.12

My kids all love to have a good snuggle, whether it is on the bed, sofa, floor or even outside enjoying a smore. Personalised blankets are an amazing gift that lasts for years. In this time of throwaway gifts and things only lasting a short while it is great to invest in a gift that washes well and is timeless. Have a look at my daughter Miss M who I caught snuggled up the other day with her photo fleece. We made this back in 2016 and it was a Christmas gift for her. Here she is five years later still using that gift and it looks like new. 

Amazing Gifts for a Young Woman - Christmas Gift Guide

{This post contains samples given to me for review and also affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchase, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

Echor End of Day Aromatherapy Candle - £24.99

Echor is all about improving your wellbeing by helping you to get the best, most rested sleep experience that you can. They say their science-backed products will help you to have the kind of sleep you deserve, by creating a positive end-of-day experience. We spend around a third of our lives sleeping and it's important to have a good end-of-day routine to set you up well for the next day. 

I adore the look of this candle as it is very streamlined and I think stands out from the masses on the High Street. The wooden lid is a particularly nice touch.  The candle is a blend of Ylang Ylang, Lavender, Geranium & Sweet Orange essential oils, which have been shown to reduce stress hormones and lower blood pressure. As you'd imagine, it smells divine too.

The vegan soy wax is 100% natural for a clean burn and will last around 60 hours. So if you use it each night for an hour, it will last about two months, which is great. 

Buy directly from Echor. 

Christmas Gift Guide for Food Lovers

{This post contains samples given to me for review and also affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchase, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

With just 39 days to go until Christmas, I think it is prudent to start thinking about the gifts for those loved ones in your life. We all know someone who counts themselves as a foodie and the good news is that you don't have to spend hundreds on a superb meal experience for them, you can get them a present they'll love for a reasonable amount.

Check out my ideas below, I hope you'll find a good variety of fo things to suit people of all ages.

AnySharp Pro Knife Sharpener - £16.50

There is nothing worse than having blunt knives when you are preparing foods and it can get expensive to keep buying new knives but the AnySharp Pro knife sharpener is an excellent idea, as it will almost instantly sharpen any knife (including serrated ones). It is super safe as it has a strong suction cup at the bottom to ensure it stays in one place as you sharpen. It is also small and compact making it easy to store in even the most compact of kitchens. It comes in a variety of colours to suit your kitchen, or is tiny enough to store in a drawer and it has a 10-year warranty too.

Buy the {#ad} AnySharp Pro Knife Sharpener from Amazon. 

Christmas Gift Guide for Teen Girls - 10 Great Ideas

{This post contains samples given to me for review and also affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

Teen girls can be tricky to buy for; I have two of them and they really are chalk and cheese, so it is clear to me that no one solution suits all of them. The thing that they do have in common is that they are like magpies and are attracted to pretty, shiny things in beautiful wrapping. 

My girls still badger me to do them a stocking each and apparently it is the best part of the Christmas presents but I am finding it gets more and more expensive as they get older, so you have to become creative and make sure your stocking is a realistic size!

e.l.f Make-up sets - From £6

My girls are going to be thrilled to receive these elf cosmetics (#ad) sets. The prices are so reasonable with the pack of three lip balms and 3 eyeshadow duos both selling for just £6 each at Boots, and the Haute chocolate eyes shadow set is £12. Extra good is that they are all included in the Boots 3 for 2 gifting deal. The colours look really pigmented and totally on-trend. 

Personalised Notebook from Norma and Dorothy - £22
This is a really stunning notebook (#ad) that Miss E will love using as her artist's sketchpad as the pages are blank. It has a nice hardcover and is spiral-bound, so it is easy to use and firm to lean on. The personalisation is in real gold foil and makes the book unique and special. There are loads of gorgeous personalised gifts on Norma & Dorothy and they all come beautifully packaged.

Sharing your LIves with the Grandparents in Print, by Neveo

My three kids and my parents, they have such a wonderful relationship

My parents would love nothing better than to live on our doorstep. Well, OK, not actually that close but I know they'd love to have us in the same town, just a short walk or drive away and this has never been the case. It has meant that we have to be more intentional in our efforts to see each other regularly, which is a good thing but nothing beats just dropping in for a cuppa most days, without it having to be a big effort.

One of the reasons I started this blog a decade ago was so that my parents and other friends and family who lived away from us would be able to see and read about the kids regularly, so they didn't feel they were missing out, but over the years the kids have appeared less and less on here. Also, I find that people of my parents age tend to like a physical photo, rather than a digital one, so I have created some photo books over the years, but they do cost a bit and feel like a lot of effort if I'm honest.

Introducing Neveo
However, I want to share with you a better way and one that won't break the bank.  Even my husband's 94 year old Grandma can enjoy this way of sharing too, without a gadget in sight. Have you heard of the app Neveo? No, well I hadn't either until recently but we've been missing out.

Neveo is a brilliant app you can download (iOS or Android) for free or use directly on your laptop and it makes creating a monthly photo journal super easy. For £9.99 per month (including postage - anywhere in the world) you can upload 50 photos a month and caption them or even write a small essay with each and then on the first day of the next calendar month, your photos and personalised captions will be made into a beautiful photo journal for your loved ones, specifically in our case, the grandparents, to enjoy.

Right now, it sounds a lot like other photo book sites, doesn't it?  But it isn't. The beauty of Neveo is that you have the whole month to add your photos and it takes literally minutes. So each time you take a photo you like, you can instantly upload it direct from your phone to the app and it is super quick, I found no lag time at all and I live in an area with rubbish Internet speed, as I'm in the middle of nowhere.

18 Great Ideas for your Teen Girl this Christmas | Gift Guide

On the one hand teen girls are so easy to buy for, there is so much she wants, but then on the other, boy are they fussy! Depending on your girl, and maybe her age, will dictate whether you can pick up bargain items from Poundland as stocking fillers or whether she'd just rather one great gift, like some tech, a pair of Adidas trainers or an Abercrombie & Fitch hoodie. 

I've put together some gift ideas for teen girls (probably the younger end of teen) with a range of price points from £1 to over £50.

Gifts for under £5

False Nails - £1

Poundland do a great line in false nails, all sorts of styles, colours and both glue and adhesive sticker application. These are a real quick win and an easy way for your teen to be able to change her look, even when she had a fatal nail break!

5 Pack of Lip Glosses - £2
This pack was such a bargain, again from Poundland. There are five great colours, so something to suit all skin tones and cheap enough that it doesn't matter if she loses it the first time she takes it out with her.

Stocking Fillers & Gift Ideas for Tween Girls this Christmas | Gift Guide

{As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

There's only 37 days left before Christmas day arrives, so actually now really is the time to start seeking out what Christmas gifts you wish to purchase for those you love. 

If you have a tween girl (aged around 8 - 12 years) in your life, I've put together some ideas for gifts that I think she'll really like. These go from stocking fillers for just £1 through to £59.99. I tend to pick bits up for Christmas throughout the year so I can spread the cost and it means you can cash in on the sales and discounts when they happen.

Stocking Fillers and Gifts for under £5

Bananas - from £3.99

These new scented collectables are sure to be a massive hit. You unpeel the banana and straight away are get hit with the sweet smell of bananas and then inside you have a number of small blind bags to open and you can enjoy stickers, gems, a Crushie character and two mini squeezable friends, as well as a hanging vine to display your Crushie. They are £3.99 for a single banana or £9.99 for a bunch of three. 

15 Great Gifts to buy a Teen Boy for Christmas - Gift Guide

Christmas is fast approaching and I do love to get ready nice and early so that I can spend most of December spending time with my family and enjoying Advent. I have to admit that I far prefer buying for women than men, probably because I'm a woman but it just seems so much easier.  I'm determined that my teenage son won't miss out on the fun though and I thought I'd share with you some suggestions of items to buy for a teenage boy this year.

If you ask my son what he'd like for Christmas or a birthday his stock answer is money, that's because he is always saving up for the next laptop, gaming headset, phone or other such gadget. I'm sure we will give him some money but he needs some gifts to open too and I've found in the past when I give him items that he doesn't even know he wants, he ends up having fun and it keeps him off his tech for an hour or two and that's a win in my book!

Gifts for under £5.00

Haribo Festive Treats - from £1

Who doesn't love Haribo (#ad) sweets? I don't think there is any age cap on them and I know all my kids will be pleased to receive a selection box, cracker or tree hanging gift this year. With prices starting from just £1 they are a delicious bargain and can be picked up at any supermarket.

Sudoku Cube Puzzle - £2.99

I love this 6cm x 6cm x 6cm cube, it is an amazing price and looks great quality too. Even better it will fit in JJ's stocking. Here is what they say on the Find Me A Gift site - "through the ungodly union of Sudoku and Rubik's cube, we bring you the Sudoku Cube! This fiendishly difficult little puzzle might look unassuming, but it's here to make you grit your teeth and swear under your breath in frustration." Just perfect for my smarty pants to keep him occupied for a few hours over Christmas, or in the car on a long journey.

Christmas Gift Guide: 5 Things Every Teen Girl needs for a Break Away

{As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

Every young woman loves to go away, whether that's with school, youth club, their family or perhaps a friends family. There is so much excitement in the preparations and getting ready for that special time.

Years back with our eldest we started to give experience gifts rather than money or physical gifts, as we found that the kids had everything they needed and frankly the thing they wanted most was one-on-one time with either my husband or I.

JJ and my husband have had so many great stays up in London, visiting museums, going to the cinema, exploring the Thames and of course eating too much. Once our twin girls Miss M and Miss E were old enough they wanted in on the action too and the first year I took them both away with my Mum for to a holiday park for some girlie fun . Then this year they choose to split up and Miss M went to London with my husband and Miss E and I headed to Surrey for a spa break.

Who knows where next year will take us but the girls have already said they want to go away as their Christmas gifts, so I suppose I ought to start scouring sites like Secret Escapes now to see what luxury hotels I can find for bargain prices.

Miss M, in particular, is a very girlie girl and loves the excitement of the holiday preparation and packing as much as she does the time away, so I'm thinking that for Christmas I might ask the family to get her some great gifts to make her time away really special. Here are five tops picks I think every teen (or even tween) girl will love -

1.   Alfa Italia Viaggio TRAVEL styler set
Miss M has just got into straightening her hair and she religiously washes and blow drys it a few times a week, so this travel style kit from Alfa Italia is just right. It is super stylish in black with gold accents and combines Italian design with premium quality professional hair styling tools. It retails for £39.95 and is exclusively available from the Chill Cabinet.

Christmas is Coming - Lets Get Crafting! 40 Fab Ideas

There's not too long now, I am officially OK with the Christmas music being on the radio and walking in to shops and seeing the decorations everywhere. In fact, come next weekend and our house might even be decorated too and I've just started the wrapping. Yay!

Don't fear though there is still long enough if you want to get your craft on and here I share 40 wonderful craft ideas to give you loads of crafting inspiration.

First up - how about 7 craft ideas for older children over on Cats Yellow Days? Which is a guest post from the fab Maggy of Red Ted Art. Maggy is Miss E's favourite YouTuber so I know she will love these star origami bowls.

Image thanks to Red Ted Art

Becky at Baby Budgeting shares the simple formula for making magic reindeer dust/ food, which seems to be a new idea over the last decade but I think it adds a lovely bit of magic to Christmas Eve.

I'm never very good at biscuit baking but the kids and I are definitely going to have a try at these hand-made and decorated Christmas Tree biscuits. They make super gifts for teachers or Guide group leaders, it is nice to give something handmade.

The Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide Linky - All the Best in One Place!

Christmas Decoration image from Shutterstock

Have you written a fabulous gift guide this year?  Of course you have, so many bloggers do, so lets put all that amazing knowledge and inspiration in one place so that we can all be inspired by each other.

No need for any of us to be scratching our heads wondering what to buy for our friends or a family member! I bet I can guarantee they'll be a guide for every eventuality!

Bloggers

*  Link up your gift guide and I'll be over to visit and comment

*  Tweet me a link on @michelletwinmum and I'll be happy to share and give you an RT

*  I'll pin your post to the Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide Board board

*  Leave me a comment with your Pinterest name and I'll add you as a collaborator on the Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide Board if you fancy.

The linky will be open right up until Christmas Day for any late shoppers!

Simples, right?

If you want to add my badge to your gift guide, that's cool as it means your readers will be able to find all the fab guides but no pressure, it's up to you!

<center> <a href="http://mummyfromtheheart.com"><img width="200" alt=" The Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide Linky at Mummy from the Heart" src=" https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPtA_nZ8TL9NpKwJKq-DCxjUesxxaX93hsBFe1bQi9R37LNYnOc06Jv7bs1waLqs6MyVPUX9TGjgn8itKyayhu-jgPKBFatB_IuG8TS61zgKehf251ur8QTA0zJelpvYJ3AvLOJB2lyQ/s320/Untitled+design.jpg" height="200" /></a></center>
Have a very Happy Christmas, Mich x

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Packing our Christmas Shoebox Gifts - Creating Wow!

OK I did it, I know many think it is a cardinal sin to mention Christmas in September but when the gifts are going abroad in November I need to get organised. This last weekend the girls and I sat down and made up 4 shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child. As a family, we have been making these gifts up since JJ was a baby and I do enjoy collecting throughout the year and then putting the boxes together knowing they will bring real joy to a child in another country.

Having travelled with Operation Christmas Child (OCC) to Belarus in December 2012 I saw that joy first hand. Children that were quiet and reserved living in children's homes with little to their name came alive when they got to open their simple shoebox and find what gifts had been chosen especially for them.

This year will be a quieter year for me OCC wise as I have a lot of other charity projects on but I still hope to be involved with the collection at the kid's school.

Making up our boxes
I was super pleased when I got out all the bits I have been squirrelling away this year to find that all I needed to purchase to make nice full boxes was toothpaste, boiled sweets, notepads and soap. So I spent the sum total of £7.35 to make the four boxes. Now obviously I've spent odd bits throughout the year but by buying smartly at sale times I've been able to get brand new cuddly toys for £1 each (The Entertainer), 4 pack of sponges for £1 (Asda), 25p pencil cases (Tesco), skipping ropes for 49p each (Sainsbury's), 6 pack of toothbrushes £1 (Poundland) and so many more things. It really does make all the difference.

I've also collected quite a number of things that have not directly cost me anything - wrapped McDonald happy meal toys, marbles from a jarbola at a fete, party bag toys that were not needed, duplicate birthday gifts the kids were given, promotional items that came with magazines and goodie bag items from blogging events.

Here are the contents of one of our boxes, they are all pretty similar as I have a formula that I use for packing -

• Something to wear - hat, gloves, scarf, sunglasses
• Something sporty - skipping rope, ball, mini bat & ball
• Boiled sweets to enjoy
• Stationary - a pencil case with pencil, biros, pencil sharpener, eraser and either coloured pencils, crayons or felt tips
• Note pad and small colouring pad or printed sheets
• Stickers
• Cuddly toy
• Toothbrush & paste, soap and flannel or sponge and hair comb or brush
• Something pretty for the girls - jewellery, hairclips etc
• Something to play with/ make - bead sets, crafty set, toy cars, musical instrument, brain teaser toy, girls doll
• Photo of my kids with their finished boxes
• Christmas card for their whole family
• Note to show we have made our distribution cost donation of £3 per box online

Having helped sort quite a number of boxes over the years I realise I pack mine quite full but that is my choice and even if you could only put 6 or 8 items in a shoebox it will still be really appreciated.

Creating Wow
The subtitle of this post was Creating Wow and I called it this because that is the sound you hear when you are in a room full of children opening their shoeboxes. It would be very easy to judge the shoebox gifts by our own privileged and western standards. I know that as much as I have tried to instil gratitude into my children they are still not great at it. If they were given a shoebox with a toothbrush and paste in they would probably turn their nose up. (I'm not proud of this but you know I like to be real with you) but from what I observed and learnt from veteran OCC staff it is very different for children in other countries.

They are happy for what they receive, I did not hear one moan of 'but their box is bigger than mine', 'I want that one' or 'I don't like it'. All I heard was wow and wow and even more wow and if you watch the short video below you'll see what I mean. Listen for the wow, it will warm your heart.

Might you fancy making a shoebox gift up this year?  
You can make one yourself (see my tutorial over here or another example of a box I made here ) or if you like the idea but you are short on time then you can use Shoebox world and choose your items and pay the price and then just leave it to someone else to pack it up and send it off on your behalf.

If you do make a box, don't forget to include an envelope with your £3 transportation donation or donate it online and this will create your tracking code so you can find out where your box is delivered to. Then drop it off at one of the thousands of collection points that are collecting between 1 - 18th November 2014.

Why not pin this post for later?

Operation Christmas Child - want to get involved?

You'll know by now that I love the Operation Christmas Child initiative from the Christian charity Samaritans Purse. Making up our boxes signifies the start of our Christmas season and it is a highlight of the year to be able to make simple Christmas shoebox gifts for children less fortunate than my own. Each year my children learn a valuable lesson as we talk and make these boxes together. People often muse where the true meaning of Christmas has gone and here it is! Giving a simple gift to the needy without any expectation of receiving anything back, just as Jesus would.

If you are feeling selfless and would like to get involved there are lots of ways and they do not all have to cost money or take up lots of time. I'll talk you through all the ways to help, choose one or choose all of them if you so desire!

1.   Make up a shoebox gift yourself and deliver it to one of the hundreds of collection points around the UK 

I have posted a making a shoebox tutorial post, so I'll direct you back there if you want to know what to do or check out the OCC webpages, they really are a fantastic resource. Personally, I can make a really good box up for about £10, in honesty, it might cost you more than that as I shop around for most of the year and collect bargains. But I think if you buy your kids one less present and spend £20 on this then that is money well spent on helping your children realise the world is bigger than them and we are the lucky ones.

2.  No time?  Then get OCC to make a shoebox for you and you just order it online with Shoebox World

I personally have not used this service as we like to make our boxes but I love this idea and have some friends using it. We have to be realistic and time only goes so far, so if you would like to help but time is your enemy then this is for you. Pre-packed boxes start from £13.89 including shipping or you can choose a more expensive box, or you can even build your own box online, right down to choosing the wrapping paper and you can get the kids to do it as it is easy, fun and visual.

3.  Are you a blogger & you fancy spreading the word?

Yes?  Then post away, feel free to nick any of my material, I have lots of OCC posts on here.  Failing that share any posts/ tweets etc that you see and just help the word to spread, please.

4.  Sign up for Give as you Live and nominate Samaritans Purse as your chosen Charity

This is great if you are an online shopper as you do your shopping as normal in all the branded shops that you love like John Lewis and Amazon and money is given to Samaritans Purse but it costs you nothing - perfect win:win situation!

5.  Are you a crafter and could make items for shoeboxes?

I realise it might be a bit late in the year for you to start crafting dozens of wonderful creations now for this year's shoeboxes but it is never too early to start for the 2013 collection. Take a look at this page on Pinterest and be inspired.  I love it, there are tutorials on there to make DVD colouring boxes, memory games, skipping ropes and dress-up dolls. I have to confess I have not yet put anything handmade into our shoeboxes, this is one for me to start.

Image Credit

6.  Have you got some time on your hands in November?

Then why don't you volunteer to help in one of the warehouses, checking boxes and helping to get organised for this massive job of moving over a million shoebox gifts? Just email the regional manager or head office and they will give you the contact details of the nearest co-ordinator.  I'm going to help out next Friday at our local one.

Loads of ideas!  Do you fancy joining in and doing just one of them? 

Remember never underestimate your impact.  By just RTing one of my posts that tweet might reach someone who has lots of time of their hands or who can afford or donate dozens of shoeboxes, you just never know what might happen, so be bold and join in!

Oh and if you have heard any negative stories/ press about OCC then have a read of their latest response, it will put your mind at rest.

Have a blessed festive season, thanks for joining in.  Mich x

Why not pin this post for later?

Disclosure:  I'll be travelling with OCC in December to Belarus to collect stories from the children who receive shoeboxes. I have been making shoeboxes and organising the local school collection for years, I have a genuine love of this charity and I am not posting for any other reason.