Children in former Soviet republics like Azerbaijan receive the gifts

The children wrap up a mixture of toys, pencils, paper and sweets as well as some toiletries or small items of clothing such as hats.

The boxes have to be handed in for collection by the middle of November.

The president of Samaritan's Purse, Franklin Graham says the scheme brings a lot of joy.

"I wish everyone could see the smiles of the millions of grateful children as their faces light up as they dig through their boxes," he said.

Operation Christmas Child began in 1990, after the fall of Romania's President Ceaucescu.

The first Christmas shoe boxes were sent to Romania.

Last year, 727,606 of the decorated boxes were sent out from the UK and the Irish Republic.

People in the USA are the biggest contributors to the scheme and last year packed about three million boxes.

There were six children and there was a box for each of them and the father said to me 'You are like angels visiting my children'

David Applin, Samaritan's Purse

The boxes are sent all over the world, to South America, African countries, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics.

Many go to orphanages or schools for children with disabilities as well as to poor families.

The executive director of Operation Christmas Child in the UK and Ireland, David Applin, has often travelled with some of the charity's volunteers when the boxes are distributed.

He says the boxes bring a lot of joy to needy children.

"There are children standing in Romania in the middle of winter with nothing on their feet, in thin summer dresses.

"I remember going to deliver some boxes to a farm in Romania.

"There were six children and there was a box for each of them and the father said to me 'You are like angels visiting my children'."

Afghanistan

This Christmas, Samaritan's Purse will send shoe boxes with relief aid to children in Afghanistan and the refugee camps around the country.

David Applin said: "Sending to areas like this, it is good if people include things like toothpaste, soap and even woollen hats in the shoe boxes."

The organisation says it is not only church schools which support the scheme, and that it receives a large number of contributions from non-denominational schools or from non-Christian faith schools.

Mr Applin said: "We do want to get the message over that God's greatest gift is his son, Jesus, but the people who receive the shoe boxes are not put under pressure to go to church."

He said those who receive the gifts are chosen by Samaritan's Purse partners in the countries involved - normally a church group.

The organisers believe the children who do the giving also get a lot out of the scheme.

"They learn to give rather than just receive and families can have the feeling that they have helped someone else."