This year, I’m excited to be bringing a new tradition to Pipsticks. During the months of November and December, we are giving a sticker pack to a child in need for each Kids Club sticker subscription or Kids Club Gift subscription we sell.
We are working with Compass Family Services in San Francisco, an organization that provides a range of crucial services to families facing homelessness. These children will have very little to look forward to this holiday, so we intend to shower them with sticker love in the hopes that they’ll feel the virtual love behind it.
At Pipsticks we believe that little things can make a big difference. That stickers can nurture creativity, and inspire the simple feeling of joy. Join us in sharing this with a community beyond your friends and families and delight two children instead of one!
I am especially excited about this project, as it’s similar to something I’ve been doing in my own life for years. We have a tradition which usually trumps all other holiday events in terms of giving the season meaning and taking the time to slow down and feel all the holiday feels.
After college, I moved to San Francisco. I loved it there, and was living the dream as a 22 year old on the town (and I was totally rocking the scarf in every season look). I was a waitress in the bar of a steakhouse, looking for a design job, and spent my free time with a gaggle of creative, fun people.
The first December I was in San Francisco, I was shopping for gifts to take home to Seattle for my family and passed the massive Christmas Tree next to The Body Shop in the middle of the mall. The lower half was covered with oversized gift tags. Each tag contained the name of a child and something that he or she would like for Christmas.
Feeling exceptionally adult, and excited to have any money at all in my newly independent life, I plucked a name from the tree. Cathy was the name on the gingerbread shaped tag, and she had asked for a new pink backpack, which I quickly found, wrapped, and returned to the collection spot.
Later that day (over a happy hour beer) I mentioned this to a friend. She said that her mom had always done that when they went Christmas shopping at the mall growing up. A couple hours later, we had spent more than we should have on a couple more beers and some overpriced (but delicious) pizza, and it occurred to me that though we all felt broke and barely able to afford our rent, we could each penny up a bit to help kids in the area.
The next day, I called a local shelter and received information about a family that was in transition and trying to get on their feet. I got their holiday wish list – a mix of necessary things (sheets, socks, pjs) and fun things (a new skateboard). I organized a holiday party for friends and we each chose a member of the family to buy gifts for.
We all got together a few days before we each headed to our respective hometowns for Christmas. I promised holiday cocktails, chili, and wrapping supplies, and everyone arrived with armfuls of gifts and an appetite to party.
This tradition has continued year in and year out – something I’ve done in San Francisco, New York, and London. It’s grown depending on the location and number of years we have lived there (the last year we were in NYC we needed 4 SUV taxis for the gifts!).
It’s a tradition that has helped bring friends close together over something that really matters and it’s been an opportunity to connect with the communities that we so often take for granted.
I’m so excited to be able to invite you guys over for a virtual wrapping party, and work together to bring a small, simple joy, to kids who really need it.
Purchase a Kids Club subscription now or buy a pre-paid Kids Club Gift subscription!
Let’s do our best to keep perspective and stay and relaxed as we dive head first into the holidays 🙂
Mo xoxo
Ps. You can see our past sticker packs here!