5 Ways to Incorporate the Adoption Process into Your Holiday Traditions
By Mitchell Kennis
The holidays, of course, bring with them many traditions to celebrate with the family. However, what if you are preparing to put your child up for adoption? If you are, you have another adoptive family who might enjoy being part of the celebration. There are limitless ways to enjoy the season and form lasting traditions. We’ve listed a 5 ways to incorporate the adoption process into your holiday traditions
Hope, Love, and Adoption for the Holidays in 5 Festive Flavors
As a birth mother who is still perhaps pregnant and considering adoption, the holidays can seem overwhelming to take on alone. The good news is that you don’t have to face the cheer alone because you have family. Not only your own but also your new adoptive family who might be struggling the same as you. It is never too late to make plans to celebrate, and an adoption agency in Denver is always around to facilitate communication. What follows are some of our suggested starter traditions that you can run with and change as needed.
As a note, not everyone celebrates Christmas or shares similar days of cheer, which is why we tried to be inclusive with our suggestions here.
1. Join Your Adoptive Family to Celebrate Adoption in Colorado
Sometimes the most straightforward approach is the simplest to take on. For example, try connecting with your adoptive family to see what their plans are for the holidays. Ask if you (and possibly your spouse) could fit into said plans or take a day of their time.
Once you have their permission, there are tons of ways to celebrate together. Maybe you can host a dinner or bring a dish to a potluck. If both families reside close to the adoption Colorado location, a sledding hill will likely open nearby. The important part is being together and enjoying all the warmth family brings.
2. Send a Holiday Greetings Card to Your Colorado Adoption Family
An oldie but still a goodie tradition: send a holiday card. There are actually many different types of cards you can send. One of the classics is sending a family portrait. This is a great option as a tradition as it provides a beautiful timeline of the adoption through the years. You can pick up a postcard from your yearly vacation to send. Making a tradition of sending cards from anywhere besides where you live is a fun game. And lastly, a “card” doesn’t need to be physical. An email or social media message will certainly be more convenient and quicker to send.
3. Host a Gift Exchange with the Adoptive Parents
Christmas has popularized the concept of “gift giving” during the holidays, which is a great option to make a tradition. There are many kinds of gift exchanges you could host, and maybe you switch yearly. For instance, a White Elephant exchange is more of a friendly game of gifting gag presents. You could put a monetary limit on spending, so no one comes out of the exchange feeling overwhelmed or disappointed. You can even make the adopted child the main focus where the families collab on making their Christmas morning special.
4. Bake up a Cookie Exchange for Adoption
For the sweet tooths and bakers, we recommend trying a cookie exchange. Short and sweet conventions are perfect for spreading holiday cheer to your adoptive family. A problem here can be perhaps your adoption Colorado family doesn’t live in proximity to you. Shipping a gift obviously works a bit better than sending gingerbread through the mail.
5. Your New Colorado Adoption Holiday Tradition
Last but certainly not least is the do-it-yourself tradition. There are so many fun and unique ways to celebrate the holidays, so why not make a tradition of your own? Perhaps the above suggestions were constraints on creativity, but they can also easily be springboards to something better. You could talk with your adoptive family about what they would like to see as a yearly tradition.
Also, if a tradition doesn’t seem to be sticking, change it. People can sometimes despise the family traditions that no one remembers starting anymore. There is nothing wrong with remaking the holiday to be more fun for everyone involved.
Support for Adoption, Joy for the Holidays
Adoption is a process that really connects two families together. This newly-formed family shares a child but can also share their traditions with one another. No one enjoys being alone during the festive season, so don’t be afraid to reach out. Adoption Choices of Colorado will always be here to help support families celebrating their first holidays together. We’ll also be able to help year-round for any highs and lows life throws at you.
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!