Here at Rue, there’s no shortage of really, REALLY great staff traditions. Freshly popped popcorn every day at 3PM, the hallowed Bagel Fridays, Craft Beer Thursdays in IT… the list goes on. One that stands apart from all the rest, though? Our annual Toy Drive (or, as we affectionately call it, “Mitten Gifts”).

Partnering with the Boston Department of Child Services, we’re able to provide over 200 underprivileged kids with gifts they may not have received otherwise. It works like this: Rue employees pick a mitten (well, a piece of construction paper cut into the shape of a mitten) which lists the gift wishes of a specific child. The gifts are then purchased, wrapped, and placed in our café to be delivered accordingly. And while participation is totally optional, let’s just say – the pile of presents this year, as a whole, weighed in at 400 pounds.

While, for me, it’s so easy to obsess over what I think I absolutely need (my many Pinboards can attest to that), it’s times like these – when people come together to make Christmas just a bit brighter for others – that truly puts the meaning of the holidays into much-needed perspective.

Would you like to make a donation of your own? Click here to learn more.

By Sarah Stanley, Staff Writer

For more on stylish acts of charity, check our In Good Fashion column every Thursday.

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