Gift of Life Adoptions has a few different ways of celebrating the Holidays.
First, we covered the state. Our staff doubled as elves and brought Christmas cheer to the nurse’s stations and hospital social workers all over the area we serve. We have a great support system of social service professionals in our community. They have helped us advocate and provide counseling for many of our birth parents and adoptive couples. Around the Holidays, we like to give them a little gift, something sweet to enjoy, and a lot of gratitude.
We also have some fun office traditions around the holiday. Last year we had a holiday door decorating contest but this year we mixed it up a little bit and did something different. The office staff participated in a week long Secret Santa gift exchange. A few days before we had the final swap, people were darting in and out of each other’s offices leaving secret surprises on co workers desks when they had stepped away. Some people had taken the time to wrap the presents in such a way to look like it was given by someone else. It was such a nice feeling coming in each day to a fun little surprise sitting on our desks and really brought extra joy to everyone who participated.
When we actually got to the swapping party, just about everyone guessed wrong. The one that really fooled us all was our attorney. As the only guy in the swap, they thought it would be easy to pick him out among an office of gifting women. But with his thoughtful gifts and attention to detail, he blended right in. His Secret Santa recipient was confident that it was someone else, and shocked when she found out it was him. When all the swapping and revealing was done, everyone had a good laugh and was grateful for all the giving of the season.
Following in that giving spirit, Gift of Life has a holiday tradition of sending Christmas cheer to past clients whose stories really touch our hearts. This year, we were able to bless three different families with gifts cards so they could purchase gifts for their children and food to make a delicious holiday meal for their families.
During this season, Gift of Life has much to be grateful for so we love taking this time to spread a little good will. We love to share the season with the community of social service support without which we couldn’t effectively do what we do. We have great fun sharing the season with each other, the coworkers that encourage and lift us up all year as we strive to do our best in an emotionally taxing job. And most importantly, we are honored to share the season with some of our dear clients, whose sacrifice and courage inspire us every day!
We cherish all of our clients, families, and health professionals, and from all of us at Gift of Life, we hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a fantastic New Year!
