I was blessed as a child in many ways, and while I’d like to think that I wasn’t completely spoiled rotten, I did have quite a large family filled with people who enjoyed nothing more than to put a smile on my face and that of my siblings.

Often times when I was very small, a grandparent or other family member would let me accompany them while shopping, and they would occasionally let me pick out a toy from the toy aisle. This task required immense concentration on my part, as I had to survey every toy available in order to weigh my options. Sometimes I returned home empty-handed after being unable to make a decision.

Now that I’m older, I almost feel a small pang of envy every time I pass by a toy aisle in a store. I miss my days of scouring the aisles in search of the perfect toy. Often times I will pass by a display with the latest dolls or playsets and remark to the person beside me, “I definitely would have wanted that if it existed when I was little.”

I also find myself reminiscing about the joy of waking up on Christmas morning to find gifts waiting to be opened, although I respect the fact that Santa Claus has deemed me too old to receive any toys.

If you are like me and find that you miss the wonder of picking out a toy in the store, you may find joy in reliving the memory by picking out Christmas toys for children in need this holiday season. There are many different programs in place that are asking for toy donations in order to give children both locally and across the globe a joyful Christmas, and it’s so fun to venture back into the toy aisles of yore in order to select a gift to donate. If you see an action figure on the shelf that you can’t help but think you would have enjoyed as a child, imagine a kid receiving that same action figure all thanks to your donation.

The magic that you may have experienced opening up presents on Christmas Day will be continued through the gifts that you donate to children today. Although the national collection week for Operation Christmas Child has passed, you can still log on to www.samaratinspurse.org in order to easily build a shoebox online. You can also make a donation of an unwrapped, unopened toy to your local Toys for Tots or Christmas Mother program. Remember that it’s not just small children but tweens and teens that need donations as well, and be thinking of the older children when you make your gift selections.

I dare you to venture to the toy aisle, relive that childhood memory of deliberating over what toy to get and relive the joy of Christmas morning knowing that you are contributing to a child’s happy holiday.

ALEXA MASSEY is a staff reporter for The Farmville Herald and Farmville Newsmedia LLC. Her email address is Alexa.Massey@FarmvilleHerald.com.