Toys For Tots

Many of you know that Sean has a lot of Marines in his family, and as a result, the Toys For Tots campaign is always close to his heart. We didn't get it together in time last year, but this year, we were determined for Hayden to participate. She obviously doesn't know a lot about the mission, but Sean told her that when Santa doesn't know where kids live, the Marines bring presents instead.

So a few weekends ago, Sean took Hayden to the toy store where she picked out two toys to donate. One was a stuffed dog and the other was a Melissa and Doug ice cream set. Never once did she misunderstand and think the gifts were for her.

This morning, instead of dropping the toys off at a random location, Sean used his connections to arrange for an in-person drop off at the Oceanside Recruiting Station. Hayden was a little shy of course, but these Marines really did the Corps proud. They dressed in uniform, showed off pictures of their own kids and knelt to take a picture - all for Hayden.

We're planning to do this every year in an effort to teach Hayden that Christmas is as much about giving as it is getting.  She's probably a little young to truly grasp the concept right now, but we figure it's a good tradition to start.