This Sunday marks the first week of Advent for the Catholic church. Advent consists of the first four weeks before Christmas Day and are normally used as a period of reflection and understanding of the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ. I decided that this year for Advent, each week I would try to do something positive, either for myself, or for other people, in hopes that I will spiritually prepare myself for Jesus’ birthday.

In week 1 of Advent, I decided to participate in my college’s angel tree project. The angel tree project is where underprivileged families, usually with young children, ask their communities for donations of toys and clothing to enjoy on Christmas morning. Growing up as a child, my mother would always participate in our church’s angel tree project and liked to make sure that every child had something to open on Christmas morning. This idea has translated into my adult life and, for the past three years of college, I have participated in Keuka College’s angel tree project to help children in Penn Yan have a positive Christmas experience.

Often times for the angel tree you only have to buy one toy for your chosen child, but I like to spoil them a bit, because like my mother taught me, no child should go without on Christmas morning. I remember having Christmas mornings with multiple presents, candy, and watching the parade on television with my family in our fuzzy pajamas. I can’t imagine having a Christmas without those traditions, so it is important to me now that children have at least one thing to open on Christmas morning to remind them that Jesus is always watching over them.

Each year I select one boy and one girl from the tree to buy Christmas gifts for. I usually like to choose younger children, under thirteen years of age, mostly because they are more fun (for me) to buy for and I want to make sure that the younger children definitely have a good Christmas. My little girl was undefined in age, but had asked for My Little Pony and Shopkinz stuff so I assume that she is around 6-8 years old. The little boy is 6 years old and had asked for Buffalo Bills stuff and some board games. With this in mind, I high-tailed my way to the store to get some awesome presents!

For my little girl, I found a soft stuffed animal of a My Little Pony. Since I have an affinity for unicorns, I HAD to pick the one that was a unicorn, so I hope she enjoys unicorns as much as I do. I also bought her some Shopkinz stickers and a fuzzy blanket that has a hood on it to make her look like a cute little cat and stay warm in the coming weeks.

For my little boy I found so many Buffalo Bills items and settled on a pair of gloves, which may be a bit too big for him now, but hopefully he can grow into, and a toy basketball hoop that he can set up and play with. I also bought him a box of games that allows him to play multiple games on one board, so hopefully that should keep him pretty busy.

I would love to have bought so much more for these children, but I am still a college student and don’t have a ton of money to spend. I hope that the tiny donation of a few toys will brighten these children’s days, even for a little bit.

Along with buying gifts for these children I will be keeping them in my prayers to ensure that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit take extra care of them during this holiday season.

I encourage anyone who has a few extra dollars this holiday season to participate in an angel tree project. Most churches participate as well as some stores and schools in each community, so you should be able to find at least one.

And even if you don’t have the ability to participate, keep these children in your prayers and hope that this holiday season brings nothing but happiness for them and their families.