Holiday Giving: Toys for Tots

Most of my friends are finalizing their holiday gift buying lists and checking out Black Friday sales flyers as they come out, preparing to hit the stores and finish their holiday shopping as quickly and inexpensively as possible. Budgets are tighter than usual for many families right now, so a lot of the families I know, ours included, are scaling back their holiday buying this year. If you have just a little bit extra in your gift-buying budget to pick up another new toy for Toys for Tots while you're out fighting crowds on Black Friday, though, it could make another child's Christmas so much more joyful.

Toys for Tots collects new, unwrapped toys for kids of all ages and distributes them to children who otherwise might not have a gift to open on Christmas morning. You can find toy drop-off locations on the Toys for Tots website. If you can't purchase a toy or can't get to a toy drop-off location and still want to help, Toys for Tots can take credit card donations via their website.

One of the things I hear a lot of parents say this time of year (and I've spoken the words myself recently) is, "my child already has so much stuff!" This year, I'm taking my daughter shopping with me so that she can pick out toys for the kids served by Toys for Tots, and I'm cutting back on the gifts I might normally purchase for her. If this idea works as I hope it will, we'll have fewer toys around our house, we'll be helping others and my daughter will be learning to think of other people around the holidays. If you're looking for a family-friendly way to give this holiday season, take a look at Toys for Tots. A gift for a child on Christmas day is a simple thing, but can make such a difference.