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.

"I did a cultural exchange trip to an African country a few years ago. Well meaning - I brought with me some toys and games. The kids in my host family loved it - of course they did, but the mum didn't. She told me she would rather have had money to pay her doctor's bill."

Ungrateful bitch.

That sounds rank

Oh it's probably nice with chicken. Just "peanut soup" sounds like warmed up, watered down peanut butter.

Nice.

It so depends on where you go

. When I went to Peru, pencils, paper and other school equipment was hugely valued. And I took tasteful toys but to be honest the kids would have appreciated plastic crap more because you can't buy it there. They weren't starving though, they just struggled to provide their children with the things they need to be able participate in school.

We have sent the boxes with Blythswood the last couple of years, are they similar to Samaritans Purse?

That's why I try and put practical but nice things into mine. I don't think that anyone could complain about pencils and paper/knitted by my own fair hands hats, could they?

Of course, the gram of crack I stash inside the hat always goes down a treat, I would imagine.

My friend works in India a lot and he says he always takes a few multi-packs of Biros with him. Apparently the Indian kids love their biros!

You can make one up for soldiers in Afghanistan too but I can't remember who collects them,I think it was Asda and Tesco or something like that.

I took them with me nafm. These were children living waaaay up in the Andes where road transport is very expensive so pens and paper are real luxuries. Half my bag was pens and paper!

I know what you mean about plastic tat but the children looked slightly disappointed at my handcrafted toys when their mothers are the world's greatest knitters :o Still the ones I gave out were made out of sheep wool. You don't get sheep in the Andes :o

I didn't have children then - if I went travelling anywhere remote now, I'd take very different toys

Of course they want to be safe, but I think it helps to know that someone is thinking of them as a unique human being and not just a statistic.

Well we do the shoeboxes every year. We do the ones that go to the former Eastern Bloc countries. We started off with the DDs chosing a category each to do but it's kind of snowballed in our house and now we do one for a boy and a girl in each category. We love doing it and it has definitely made the DDs more aware of what other children do and don't have.

The DDs are 14 and 17 and yes we are STILL doing them. It's become part of our Christmas tradition and we look for gifts to go in the boxes all year. We always include things like the gloves and socks that fit anyone, pens, coloured pencils, toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap etc and deodorant for the older ones. Sometimeswe included pocket dictionaries for the older ones and rolled up colouring books for the younger. Whatever we put in we try and make sure that it is small and desirable but not too desirable IYSWIM. I don't want their gifts stolen from them.

They are children not idiots. If they don't want to read the patronising leaflet included in the box they won't, and personally I think a leaflet is a small thing to put up with if you are living on the poverty line in a backwards country with not much of a chance of anything else for Christmas.

Where else does Christmas boxes? I did a Samaritan's purse one once and then realised about the conversion thing and wasn't comfortable with it. Although I have heard the families go along with it without much conviction so the kids get the excitement. But my kids LOVED doing ti and imagining who would get it. IT was putting the little treasures together they adored - got really enthusiastic. SO would love to do something along those lines but for a more balanced group.

Before anyone says, we do other things - supporting elderly, collecting for RNLI, I'm collating a recipe book to sell for a local baby with rare brain condition, giving blood etc I gave loads of clothes to a Ghanaian friend setting upa shop that would fund a village building project in Ghana, the children write to kids in local hospital with pics to decorate the ward. ETC but none as much fun as filling that exciting little box. So any suggestions?

PS I'm not a member of any particular faith although not enough conviction to be an atheist. Whatever gets you through the night...

This link is to the Samaritan's Purse US site, with videos showing distribution. The one entitled 'The Greatest Journey' bears a viewing. At various points the children can be seen all reading the same book that they got from/with their box - presumably the 'leaflet' that some thought children likely to discard.

I'm sure the makes regard this video as inspiring, but personally i felt a little chilled by it.

Kitty - there are a number of links on this thread and the original one (called Samaritans Purse) which give you alternative suggestions :)

Thanks - should have read back further. Will get on with it now!

Hope the OP isn't sending an Horse Box. That would be pricey.