THE WISHING TREE

 

 A couple of year’s back I volunteered at a Salvation Army Christmas lunch in Surry Hills. I remember it being uncomfortably hot, in the air-conditioned drop in centre. What I also remember from that day was a room filled with kids toys, as if the contents of a toy store were in one small organised room. Even as a 21 year old I pocked my head around the doorway in awe and excitement. After lunch, as I was leaving the children were allowed to go into the toy filled room and choose whatever they wanted!

To my understanding these gifts came from donations. They were toys collected from under the Kmart wishing trees. As a kid I use to buy things for the wishing tree, wondering where my gift would end up, a good deed I seemed to have unfortunately grown out of. Maybe as a kid you take more notice of the wishing tree and of presents and Christmas shopping is not such a chore.

 Luckily the wishing tree is still getting noticed by christmas shoppers. Last year the wishing tree raised over 461,000 gifts. It’s a great appeal, an avenue to get presents to kids that aren’t as fortunate as my niece and nephew.

 

The Salvos do some amazing work for our communities, and runnging every December for the last 25 years, The Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal, is one of them.  

WRAPPING UP DECEMBER

 

This December I recycled my Marie Claire as rapping paper, it was easy, creative and looked great!