The Day We Took 1,000 Markers to the Special Children's Christmas Party

Some days at Handy Mandy aren't about orders at all.

Last Christmas, we packed up boxes of Mont Marte supplies — watercolour sets, brushes, markers, modelling clay, pouring paints, pads — and took them to the Special Children's Christmas Parties in Auckland, where we ran the art and craft tables for the day.

If you haven't heard of it, the Special Children's Christmas Parties is one of the loveliest events on the NZ calendar: a huge free party for children living with serious illness, disability, or difficult circumstances — bouncy castles, Santa, stormtroopers (yes, really), and hundreds of kids having the best day of their year.

Our corner was quieter than the bouncy castles — just trestle tables, paper, and every colour we could carry. And that's exactly why we love it. For some kids, the noise and lights of a big event are a lot; a chair, a blank page, and a fresh set of markers is where they settle in and shine. We watched masterpieces happen: elephants, unicorns, portraits, one very determined "Merry Christmas Levi" sign, and at least one budding artist who signed their work with our website address — unprompted, we promise.

Every child took their artwork home, and plenty took a new favourite hobby with them too.

Being a small Kiwi-owned craft store means we can't sponsor stadiums — but we can make sure a few hundred kids have unlimited art supplies on their special day, and honestly, that's the better deal. A huge mihi to the organisers and volunteers who make the event happen every year. We'll be back with even more colour next time.

Handy Mandy is a Kiwi-owned art and craft store in Morningside, Auckland. If your school or community group runs creative events for kids, we'd love to hear about it — email info@handymandy.co.nz.