12/11/07 Angels

Every year, my team at work buys for a few angels off of the angel tree. We started off just doing one each year, but we kept buying so much that we increased it to two angels, and then three angels. This year, we have three siblings who need a little help for Christmas. We have a 4 year old girl who likes Bratz things and coloring books, an 8 year old boy who likes sports and to draw, and a 14 year old boy who only requested art supplies. They also all need coats and clothes and stuff. It was the art supplies and coloring books that really got to me though, since that's the kind of stuff that I liked as a kid.

I don't know the first thing about kids. (As a matter of fact, I had to ask the cashier at the store if 4 year olds could read before deciding on whether or not to get the Giant Activity Book for the little girl). I generally don't like shopping. But I DO like shopping for little kids. Don't ask me why. I guess because I remember all the joy I got out of opening my art supplies on Christmas morning. So I went shopping last night. For the little girl, I bought markers, crayons, colored pencils, sparkle stickers, a fairy coloring book, and (my coup de grace) a Bratz coloring book all about a "shopping adventure". (Call me an old fuddy-duddy, but these Bratz girls seem to be horribly shallow and fatally materialistic. Not to mention the poster children for lip injections gone horribly awry. But if the little girl likes them, then who am I to argue?) For the younger boy, I also bought colored pencils and markers, felt color-your-own stickers, Pirates of the Caribbean school pencils, and a canister of foam sea creature stickers (I don't know if he's too old for stickers, but I thought they were cool). I had to watch my budget on the little kids...it would be too easy to buy up the entire store for them. But the oldest boy posed the biggest temptation. I figured that he was old enough for serious art supplies, so he got real artist colored pencils for shading, a case of oil pastels, graphite and charcoal pencils, a gum eraser and pencil sharpener, and a sketch pad. I wanted to do a watercolor kit and a learn-to-draw book too, but it would have seriously exceeded my budget. (As it was, I went $4 over, but that's not toooo bad, and I-I mean HE, really really wants those oil pastels).

If you don't already do the angel tree, I highly recommend it. You'd be amazed at what fun things you can pick up at the dollar store, and buying toys for a child really makes the season exciting. I won't get to meet these kids. I'll never get to watch them open their presents. But it's enough for me to know that they'll enjoy what I found for them...almost as much as I enjoyed finding it.


PS- If you're worried that I bypassed the coats and clothes for coloring books and stickers, don't be. These kids won't freeze. The rest of the team is handling clothes and hats and gloves and coats. I just asked to be in charge of fun stuff, because no kid wants JUST clothes for Christmas, no matter how much they need them.