Holiday Survival Supports

Recommended Books & Articles

• NEWLY RELEASED - Holiday Guide for Foster and Adoptive Parents by Jessica Sinarski
• 5 Tips for Your First Holiday Season with An Older Adopted Child by Considering Adoption
• 10 Simple Reasons the Holidays Hurt by Rachel Lewis
• 13 Healthy Responses to Family Drama by ADDitude - regarding the holidays & ADHD
• 24 Tips for Traveling with Children by Child Mind Institute
• Balancing Traditions & Transitions by Cornerstone Care
• Celebrating the Holidays with Foster Youth: Do's & Don'ts by AFS
• Celebrations, Holidays & Other Special Occasions: an ORPARC Resource page
• Christmases Past, Present & Future: An FASD Story by FASD Learning with Hope
• Christmas Reinvented: The 12 Days of Connection by the Attachment & Trauma Network
• Christmas Sensory Activities by Beacon House - scroll down for some fun ideas!
• Foster Care & the Holidays and The Holidays & Foster Children: Times for Joy & Grief by Dr. John DeGarmo
• A Foster Kid's Holiday Survival Ideas by Aged Out
• Getting Through the Holidays: Tips & Tricks by Foster Club - for older youth!
• Gratitude Resources by Slumberkins - for kids!
• Happier Holidays by Jessica Sinarski for AdoptUSKids
• Helping Young People in Foster Care Through the Holidays by FosterClub
• Holiday Blues by Alice Magnusson, LMFT, PPSC for Foster Focus Magazine
• Holiday Lights in Space by Treehouse Health
• The Holidays in Foster Care: Top Five Tips and more by Foster Care & Adoptive Coalition
• The Holidays: An opportunity for loving healing by C.A.S.E.
• How to Survive this Holiday Season by Honestly Adoption
• How to Take the Stress Out of Holiday Gatherings by Child Mind Institute & en español
• Loneliness: How to Cope During the Holiday Season by Mental Health First Aid
• A Moffle Christmas Story - so cute, so fun, downloadable...and therapeutic!
• Navigating Holidays with Older Adopted Children by Brittany Bagiardi
• Our Mama Village
  • Connect with Your Child's Love Language Over the Holidays
  • Expert Tips for Holiday Meltdowns
  • When Kids Meltdown Over the Holidays (infographic)
• The Power of P.A.C.E. at Christmas Time by Beacon House
• Support During the Holidays by SAMHSA
• Special Needs Friendly Santa Tips for Parents by ImpactComplexKids
• Surviving Holidays as a Foster or Adoptive Family by Transfiguring Adoption
• Surviving the Holidays with a Food Hoarder by Honestly Adoption
• Trust Based Relational Intervention Around the Holidays by The Baby Fold
• Unwrapping Opportunities for Adoptive Families During the Holidays by the National Council for Adoption
• Visiting Santa Social Story by Autism Little Learners
• When Holidays Aren't All They're Cracked Up to Be by Honestly Adoption
• Why Adoptees & Foster Kids Dread the Holidays by Spare the Kids

Culturally specific

• Christmas Across Indian Country by Dennis W. Zotigh (Kiowa/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo/Isante Dakota Indian)
  • have you read/watched Native American Night Before Christmas?
• Crossing Over: Celebrating Holidays as Transracial Families by Brad Griffith
• Embracing Family Diversity During the Holidays by Kresta Stone, Fostering Families Today
• How to Appreciate Diversity During the Holidays by Simma Lieberman
• How to Celebrate Kwanzaa with Your Family by Alyssa Sybertz
• Observing the Holiday Celebrations of Your Foster Child by Camelot
• A Racial Justice Guide to the Holiday Season by Center for Racial Justice in Education - long list covering multiple topics, faiths & celebrations!
• A Thanksgiving Message from Seven Amazing Native Americans by Project 562 - book in ORPARC's library
• The Thanksgiving Tale We Tell is a Harmful Lie. As a Native American, I've Found a Better Way by Sean Sherman (Sioux)

Videos & Podcasts

• Christmas with Adopted Children by UK Adoption (video)
• Holiday Triggers for Foster & Adopted Kids by foster adoptee & parent Lauren Fosters (video)
• The Holidays with Kids Who've Been Exposed to Trauma by Creating a Family (podcast)
• Honestly Adoption Podcast
  • How to Create Structure During the Chaos of the Holidays
  • How to Handle Overstimulation During the Holidays
  • How to Help Your Child Regulate During the Holidays
  • How to Help Your Child Cope with Grief During the Holidays with Deboray Gray
  • How to Recognize Triggers During the Holidays
• How to Help Your Child Thrive During the Holidays with Robyn Gobbel on the Archibald Project Podcast
• More Connection and Less Stress for the Holidays by The Adoption Connection (podcast)
• Navigating the Holidays with Lesli A. Johnson, MFT by Adoptees On (podcast)
• Why Good Times Suddenly Go Bad by Robyn Gobbel (article + podcast)