TOMS Shoes & Charlize Theron

Every December, my parents and I have a similar conversation: They ask me what I want for Christmas, and I say nothing… I have everything I want… make a donation in my name. They say they want to give me a present that comes in a box, something that they can wrap up and place under the tree. I suggest they look at my book wishlist. And for the last two years (law school), my father tells me that I have enough books to keep me busy.

This year, my parents hit the gift-giving jackpot when they wrapped up a pair of TOMS shoes for me. Mom and Dad were with me the afternoon I noticed the shoes on display in a store just outside the movie theater. I instantly fell in love with TOMS canvas slip-ons, and I was delighted to find out that some of the styles were 100% veganware (careful — some have a suede insole). These shoes are perfect for casual jeans-and-a-tee-shirt days. So I now have a pair of the Earthwise slate — the shoes go with practically anything. I also love the Baobab classic, the result of a collaboration between TOMS and actress Charlize Theron to benefit the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project. A portion of each sale goes to helping at-risk youth in Africa. I’m waiting for TOMS to have more Baobabs available in my size so I can order a pair for myself!

What I especially love about TOMS is the company’s “One for One”  program: with every pair of shoes you purchase (any design), TOMS gives a pair of shoes to a child in need. So my parents and I both were satisfied with this Christmas gift: they got to wrap up something fabulous and put it under the tree for me and, at the same time, their gift resulted in a meaningful donation. I love my shoes, and somewhere out there is a child enjoying a new pair of shoes. And two pairs of happy feet are always better than one.

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