It's a powerful process to watch- seeing young kids "pick" out their Angel. They usually go for the same sex as themselves, pick one out that is close to their age and then we always get the less fortunate child their "needs" and their "wish." Their needs are simple: underwear, socks, shirts, jeans, pj's, etc. And their wishes are a symbol of what is important to them right now in their lives. Although we don't see the young children open their gifts, we know they will be excited come Cmas day when they get to open a special gift that was selected just for them by someone their own age, their Angel.
So after the gift buying it's on to baking. We make sugar cookies with holiday cookie cutters with icing and sprinkles. We've learned a lot from the past 5 years. The first year, you couldn't tell if the cookies were made at the table or the floor- there was so much mess on the floor. We now cover our table with paper to protect it from all the cookie cutters and place a sheet under the table for all the mess- really did you know that cookie dough dried up gets stuck in your tile grout? It does! Since we don't want to limit how the kids make their cookies, we can limit how much mess goes onto the floor.
Logan was sick this year, so we made him cookies. And after the baking, the kids painted a special ornament to be placed on their tree this year (again, learning......it's washable paint). It's a great tradition and we're excited that the kids look forward to it each year - a fun time for them while also helping those in need. Looking forward to next year......
Needs and wishes fulfilled from the "Angels"
