The holidays are always a time of reflection. Whether it’s lifestyle, career, or family, I think back to what I’m proud of…what I’ve accomplished…and what I need to work on in the year to come. While I’ve always strived to give back, this year I made it a point to regularly donate items to charitable organizations as well as give to friends, family members, and neighbors. In doing so, I’ve also tried to teach my children about how important it is to think of others, particularly those who may be struggling in our uncertain economy.
Because we’re right in the midst of the Christmas season, I decided we would take the $50 gift card Walmart gave us to shop for toys that we would then donate to Toys for Tots. Here are the items we purchased, which would then be donated to a 5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl:
Boy
Hot Wheels Monster Jam Truck $10.97
Red Scooter: $15.00
Girl
Baby Alexis doll: $10
Fisher-Price Little People Open & Close SUV $12.88
The total price for all of the items above was $48.85 plus tax. Rather than seeing how much I could get for the $50, I opted to buy quality and even name-brand toys that I would have purchased for own children. We then headed to our local Toys for Tots donation center and together, we put each of the unwrapped toys in the box. There were two women at the location who were incredibly thankful for the toys we donated.
Despite the fact that we give back regularly, my son didn’t quite understand the concept of shopping for toys to donate to children he doesn’t know. But this was a very important life lesson, and one I am thankful to have been able to help him begin to grasp. As you may have seen in the video, by the end he was ok with donating those toys to children in need. This is the first year we’ve donated to Toys for Tots and my husband and I have decided to make it a tradition.
To locate a local Toys for Tots donation center, visit their website.
Disclosure: I participate in the Walmart Moms program and am compensated for my time and honest opinions.
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