December is a time for gift giving. It’s a time for remembering what is important and thanking those in our life that we value.

It is a unique time for Heart of Adoptions because we are coming straight out of National Adoption Month. And in November, we have already done so much to celebrate what we value.

Here are some examples of just a few things we do during November. We cover our building in hearts with the names of our adopted kiddos.

We share family photos on our Facebook page.

We were privileged to participate in three adoption day ceremonies in three local county courthouses.

We take time on Thanksgiving, to thank our cradle care families, adoptive families, and our amazing birth moms.

We promote our St. Frances fund and the children we sponsor, and we get out into the community with gifts for the nursing staff of many hospitals and community education.

With the gifting and celebrating of November, we roll right into the Holiday season. It starts with the hundreds of holiday cards that go out into the community. And then there are the dozens of cards that come into our office from our families. They are hung on our bulletin board and we get to watch our little ones grow up every year. On social media, we collect more holiday pictures from our families and try to cover our page with smiling little ones at holiday celebrations, in family photos, and on Santa’s lap.

Inside our offices, we exchange secret Santa Gifts. There is a company Holiday party where we can mingle and laugh outside the office, and we decorate our offices and doors for a little healthy competition.

We are also able to reach out into the community again. During the Holiday season, we take this opportunity to say thank you to the social workers that work side by side with us in the many hospitals and medical facilities we frequent.

This year we wanted to spread the comfort and joy with a soft blanket and a little cocoa. Different members of the staff will be crisscrossing the state to bring cheer to those that do so much for us all year round. They take care and nurture so many throughout the year that we wanted to remind them to take a few minutes to nurture themselves after all the hard efforts they put in to their jobs by keeping moms and babies safe.

These are only a few of the things that keep us busy during this season.

These two months are a joyful season for us, to give and thank and celebrate all that we love about the adoption triad, the adoption community, and the beauty of adoption itself.

We reflect on how adoption is love and all the ways it makes a family. We bask in the photos of families that would not be if not for the selfless courage of a birth mom, the tireless work of social services staff, and the open arms of an adoptive family. All these reminders are the sweetest gifts of the season. Our hearts are truly full.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, and have a blessed New Year!