Help Father Frost! The Christmas Stocking Project 2018
Our deadline will be last posting on Monday 22nd October. Address for sending will be Teddington.
Our wonderful friends at the Mid Suffolk Chernobyl Children’s Life line run a fantastic Christmas project and in addition to sending them our summer blankets, we would love to help this group to help even more children. This is a fabulous idea which very much appeals to us, we hope it will do you too!
In the run up to Christmas, they personally take filled stockings to Belarus, to very sick children in hospitals and also to the homes of very disadvantaged children. Their aim is to give the children a real Christmas present and those they give to have most likely never received a Christmas present before. It is very important to note this is absolutely not one of those shoe box appeals, so these stockings do not include functional toothpaste/brush type items, and there are no strings attached. It is just a wonderful thing to be able to do for some of the most disavanted and sick children.
Would you like to help us?!!
We are looking for home made ( knit, crochet or sewn) stockings, OR shop bought stockings, we found some today (June) on Ebay and Amazon but PLEASE as close to the size below as possible. These can be sent full, all guidance below, or empty for them to fill. We need both. You can also just contribute little gifts/sweets if you prefer. There are very specific guidelines for these Christmas stockings, you will appreciate lovely Elizabeth Parker and her group have to get them over to Belarus in their own luggage, so please make sure you read carefully.
Here’s how to help…
- Whether it is home made or shop bought, stockings need to be as close to 18cm by 40cm (approx 7” x 16) which seems to be average standard size of shop bought ones.
- Empty stockings are very useful, but if you would like to fill one please read on…
- The stockings can contain anything that would be considered a Christmas present but for this project, no utility items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste
- A list of suggested items is below but these are by no means the only items to be included, feel free to add anything you want!
- The gifts inside the stockings should not be wrapped in Christmas paper as this makes it easier if they are stopped at customs.
- They aim to take stockings for children from birth to 16 years . Most people want to give to young children so some for older teenagers would be appreciated, but whichever age range you go for they are very grateful. Aim for one of these… 0-2, 2-4, 4-6, 6-8. 8-10, 10-12, 12-14, 14-16, and decide boy or girl.
- VERY IMPORTANT – Completed stockings should weigh no more than 650 grams please and need to be able to lie as flat as possible for travelling purposes.
- Just decide your age group and make sure it all fits in the weight.
- Reiterating the 650g weight limit!
What to put in to a stocking…The items listed are only some suggestions, please feel free to add your own items
- Liquids may not be sent neither should toy guns, knives or other weapons etc be sent to boys as some parents might object to these.
- A small soft toy
- Small ornaments (all children love dogs and cats)
- A “Barbie” or Action Man type Doll
- temporary tattoos
- lip balm
- flavoured chapsticks
- Magic Gloves
- Hair slides, bobble, elastics etc for girls, colourful, sparkly items are really liked.
- Girls love all things pink and “blingy” !
- Wrist bands for boys
- Fridge Magnets are a big favourite
- Small logic puzzles, i.e. the ones we use to get where you had to roll a few small balls around and get
them in the right place. - Spinner toys
- Bracelets and necklaces for girls
- Balsa wood models
- Polystyrene plane kits
- Small cars or other models
- Small windup toys
- Marbles – quite heavy but a few would be ok and the children really love them
- Stickers – all the children seem to collect these
- Yo yo
- Harmonica
- Funny socks and slipper socks are liked very much, particularly if they are “Character “ones.
- Warm tights for girls – they like bright colors
- Small notebook – pretty ones for girls
- Pens, pencils – biros should be blue not black please
- colouring pencils
- Small coin purses
- Pretty notebooks
- Pencil case
- Any toys with LED lights – particularly the stretchy/squishy ones
- Small packets of sweets
- Folding shopping bags (older girls)
- Keyrings
- Slipper socks
We will have quite a bit of admin this end, so please send any filled stockings to us wrapped in a carrier bag with a list of the contents jotted down on a bit of paper and the weight in grammes We need to fill in a spreadsheet which helps with customs and this will mean we wont have to empty each one! We will add a numbered sticker to your bag which will help as the group try to get a photo of each stocking with their recipient where possible. Buy in your tissues in readiness!
Deadline…
- Deadline will be last posting on Monday 22nd October. Address forsending will be Teddington. Thank you so much for even reading this far!
If you have any questions please do message us! Thank you so much
Our first collection, leaving with the advance party in August!
