Kid Shoppers
Like shoe-tying, whistling, and all the other vital life-skills, the the ability to be generous takes practice, and it pays to start young if we’re ever to get it right. So it makes sense to start including children in the preparations for holiday gift-giving as early as possible.
While there are plenty of gifts children can give that don’t require a special shopping trip — such as artwork, “coupons” offering to do extra chores, original stories and poems — the chance to choose gifts from a shop is fun for kids, and provides the opportunity for a mini lesson in money management.
Here are a couple of suggestions for ways to involve your children in the holiday shopping without breaking their pint-size budgets:
• St. Paul’s Community Church is holding its Children’s Christmas Shopping Day on Saturday, December 13, from 1-3 PM at the church on the corner of West 45th and Franklin. Kids are invited to come to the gym, where St. Paul’s Shopping Elves will assist them in choosing gifts for family and friends, then help them wrap up their selections. Shoppers pay $1, and have 20 minutes to choose 3 gifts. Once everyone has shopped, they can take another turn for another dollar.
• Ten Thousand Villages will hold a special Kids’ Holiday Shoppe on Saturday and Sunday, December 13 and 14, from 10 AM-2:30 PM at their new downtown store at Trinity Commons (2254 Euclid Ave.). Volunteers will help children purchase gifts for parents and friends.
• You never know exactly what will be in stock at Malachi Mart, a tiny shop selling new items at reduced prices, with proceeds benefiting the programs of St. Malachi Center. But there are are always plenty of small gifts at prices the kids can afford. The center, which is located at 1303 Washington Avenue (look for the green door), is now open Monday thru Saturday, 10 AM-6 PM and Sunday, 10 AM-2 PM. For more information, call (216) 621-1988.