The Catholic Church I attend has a unique Christmas gift program. The parish gifts shoes for Christmas due to the generosity of school families and parishioners. Children grow out of shoes very quickly so such a gift is helpful to families who are struggling financially.
School Children and Shoes
The program coordinators ask children in the church’s school to help around the house to earn money to purchase the shoes. The prices are reasonable: $15 for one pair and $22 for two.The shoes are in their original boxes and numbered. The number is important since it corresponds to a long list that includes sizes of shoes and whether a boy or girl might wear them. Several public schools receive the shoes.
Shoes Plus
Those who buy the shoes through the school or parish then take them and build a larger gift. Some add practical items such as gloves and toothbrushes and others add toys. Some add both. The school encourages parents to purchase shoes that are the size of their children’s feet. I imagine that this enables parents to pick reasonable sizes for any clothing items they include and gives them some ideas for the types of things that might interest a boy or girl.
Most families use a gift bag for the shoes and the added items. I think that the school and parish likely bought out all the gift bags in the city!
Shoe Liturgy
The school holds a Mass on the Friday before the Second Sunday of Advent called the “Shoe Liturgy.” Then the gifts stay on the altar through the weekend and parishioners then add to those already collected.
When we first began attending the parish, I found it odd to have so many gifts on the altar, but I am used to it. I see the items as signs of generosity and gratitude. Since Eucharist means thanksgiving, I think that having these gifts on the altar with the gifts of the bread and wine is significant.
St. Nicholas of Myra’s feast day fell on the Wednesday of this past week. Gifting shoes with additional items certainly resembles the tradition of putting shoes out to be filled with candy, fruit and gifts.
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