To deliberately infuriate and annoy mumsnetters with this statement.

[bubbleOseven]

I am sending a Christmas Shoe Box this year.

So fuck you.

And the horse you rode in on.

Why does it have to be one or the other?
This child was taken to hospital so clearly had access to a degree of healthcare. There is no way of knowing whether this was adequate or not.

You spend -how much? on tat for that shoebox. A scarf and gloves (made in sweatshops in india). SOmecheap plastic toys (made in Taiwan and shipped to UK). Some crayons and a colouring book (made in china and shipped to UK.) And some UK sweets. But its OK,because you sent a toothbrush too.....

So all in all, you spend about £15-£20 on "stuff" that may be sold in a market by a desperate parent.

Why not consider one of the many charities in the UK that help some of our most vulnerable - the homeless, the elderly.....of course they are not nearly as fun to buy for, plus they dont look so cute in bobble hats....

Give the money to Help the Aged. To Salvation Army. To Oxfam. Package up a gift for the local hospital for those tiony children who will be at deaths door at Christmas. (we have a donated giraffe from a wellwisher from when DS2 was in hospital. We treasure it, because it meant someone, probably another parent who had been where we were, had thought tosend their support through a simple gift)

Or buy some toys for a local womens shelter,so that one of the many many abused women this Christmas season,who arrives with the clothes on her back, a broken wrist and 4 kids in tow, actually has something to give her children on Christmas morning. Or maybe a shoebox of gifts for that same desperate mum - a new lippy, some hand cream, a sim card with £10 on it.

There are so many ways to spread Christian Love without strings attached. The message gets through just the same.

I don't want my child or me contributing to someone's conversion to Christianity MollysChamber. I have a huge issue with organised religion and think it does more harm than good.

If you're a happy clappy evangelist and want to have conversion of X souls added to your list of good deeds when you enter the afterlife, that's great but that's your choice.

It's the fact that their goals are not remotely overt that I find contemptible because I suspect a lot of schools and parents wouldn't want to contribute to an organisation that is proselytising.

Like I said, I will be reviewing who my gift goes to. It may well end up in one of the places you suggested. I have no problem cutting the SP off if all people have said here is true. It's not that that I am objecting to.

And FWIW the hat and scarf are knitted by me. And not out of lentils either :)

I love the idea that a DC who wouldn't get Christmas presents can have a real surprise and have put a lot of thought into them. To stop a DCs joy for the sake of principles seems sad to me.I'm sure that the DC doesn't care!

Here's another quote before I do bathtime:
"Traditional religions and occult practices are common in this part of Africa, but many people in Mimbulu have been delivered from spiritual darkness as a result of this evangelistic outreach. Three girls, all under the age of 10, confessed to being involved in witchcraft, repented of their sins, and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. "

I'm not making it up

LadyBiscuit - No I'm not a happy clappy evangelist. I'm an atheist as it goes. However I have spent a lot of time in the company of very committed Christians. Never caused me to change my views. Just given me a bit of insight and, it would appear, made me a bit more tolerant than some. You should try it.

Also think that a lot of people here have a chip on their shoulders regarding Christians in general.

I would agree cupcakes. Not just on this thread either. I find it a bit odd tbh. Not to mention ignorant.

If I was a child who had never received a present in my life, I would be upset to know that there were families in affluent countries who showered their own DCs with presents but wouldn't think of others because of principles. I would wish that I could afford principles!
By all means don't do it, but arrange something else of your own. You can 'adopt' a DC through organisations like PLAN UK (not religious) and send small presents but really your money benefits the whole community.
I would like to know what the refusers and moaners are doing instead?

I don't have a chip on my shoulder at all - what an odd thing to say!

I don't like evangelism and don't like the fact that SPI is a covert evangelist mission. I'm surprised any atheists do to be honest. I think there are ways of making real differences to children's lives without having religious conversion as a goal. If you look on the original thread MC, you will see a whole host of suggestions of how children can help other children with less than themselves without supporting evangelism.

I'm wondering if people are so cross because they didn't know what SPI's goals are? Otherwise I don't get the anger and animosity at all. If you aren't an evangelist, why wouldn't you find another way of giving to children who need stuff? That's the bit I don't get.

Look, most of the people getting their undies in a bundle about how horrid all of us have been to the rightwing con artists Samaritan's PUrse are either understandably furious that their own good intentions have been so thoroughly exploited by this organisation - but are hitting out at the wrong people simply because no one likes to be made a fool of and sometimes it feels better to go Lalala can't hear you, you're just being meeeeeeaaaaan - or they are buckethead Christians themselves who think that anything promoting superstition must be a Good Thing as opposed to the bullshit it actually is.

I didn´t think they needed mosquito nets in Romania...

'Seriously, you want a list of my charitable donations?

No-not at all. I want to know in what way you are going to give a DC, who has never had a present, a present?
If you are not doing anything then don't knock those who do. Do you really think that a 5yr old cares whare it comes from? I am sure the sheer joy , and knowing that someone is thinking of them, outdoes anything else.
If you don't like it start your own.

Pisces - if you look on the original thread (rather than this petty one), there are lots of suggestions of alternative charities. I give to KidsOut but I'm going to add mary's meals to the list too. The Rotary Club also do shoeboxes with no evangelism attached. It really isn't SPI or nothing :)

I haven't seen any other threads-this one just caught my eye. If there are other charities then it seems sensible to give to them. I just feel sad that it is the DCs who miss out, where it must bring such joy. I would suggest that you just drop a note in school saying that you are supporting the Rotary Club (or other) instead.

If you give to PLAN UK it goes to the family and whole community. You can give small presents (very small so that others are not jealous)but I don't. I think that regular letters, postcards and pictures make the DC feel special but the money goes to things that are really necessary. At the moment I can send a Christmas Card (Christian child)but generally they are not Christian so I don't do festivals.

I think that they appreciate the personal touch.