A Christmas gift for a child we will never know

We’ve just bought a Christmas gift for a child we will never know. £10 of winter clothes to keep a child warm and alive this winter in a country where temperatures can drop below -40C. Not much, is it, to help save a life?

We bought our gift through the Save the Children Christmas gifts wishlist, which myself and other parent bloggers are supporting this year through posts, tweets and donations. Gifts start from as little as £5 for an art set to help a child coping with the aftermath of disaster. You can choose to get a Christmas card and feel-good magnet in return for your donation, or not. It’s your choice.

For me, this kind of scheme is the perfect alternative to Operation Christmas Child and the shoebox appeal. It’s no secret that I’m deeply opposed to OCC and Samaritan’s Purse, the organisation which runs it, on every level, because of their distribution of evangelical comic-style leaflets promoting the concept of original sin. To children living in poverty, or orphanages, to children who may not even be Christians; to tell those children that they are somehow guilty of ‘sin’ while giving them a shoebox full of presents… to me that’s not just twisted, it’s cruel. I object strongly to schools and other organisations continued unquestioning support of OCC. We haven’t done the shoebox appeal for years, preferring to support charities that give aid without strings attached instead.

So that’s why we’re supporting Save the Children this Christmas. If you want to join in with our campaign, we’re using the hashtag #Christmasgifts on twitter. No strings attached.