Our 2026 Operation Christmas Spirit Family Adoptions 

Operation Christmas Spirit, going 23 years strong, is comprised of family "adoptions," single service member gifts, unit Christmas party support, volunteer opportunities, gift card drives to help families in crisis, and toy collections for children of service members. Hands down, the focus and most important piece of this project is our family "adoption" program.  Families are vetted through unit nominations and/or applications for Christmas assistance. Once a family is approved for the program, they fill out a family wish list.  These wish lists are shared only with the donor(s) we pair them with to make their Christmas wishes come true. ​

Want us to shop for you? Choose the donate online option below, and we will use your donation to shop for and support a family when needed most. 

Family Adoption Information

UPDATE 10/5/26
FAMILY ADOPTION INFORMATION WILL BE SENT OUT TO PRIOR ADOPTERS 10/6/26
OPEN REGISTRATION FOR FAMILY ADOPTIONS WILL BE POSTED HERE 10/13/26

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Important to know: 
  • Wish lists we provide "adopters" include gift ideas for each family member, needs, hobbies, sizes, and more.
 
  • Gifts are dropped or mailed to our volunteers who help organize and coordinate  private gift pick ups with families.
 
  • We do NOT arrange for personal drop offs to families to protect their privacy and yours.  Most families write cards and make contact with donors after Christmas in thanks, but with years of experience doing this, we know that the overwhelming majority of families prefer a private pick up. 
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  • We do NOT take requests to find families in areas outside of our hub areas.  We MAY end up having families in your area participate, but because families out of our hub areas apply for Christmas assistance, we go where the help is needed. 

2026 Timeline 

​​Wish Lists Distribution Goals
*Note that there may delays depending on number of sign ups-- this is just an estimate*
November 15-22 for those registered between October 16th and November 1st

November 22-November 25 for those registered by November 10th

November 28th-December 5th for those who register to help with our late season needs. 

Please note our volunteers will NOT be working over the Thanksgiving holiday November 26th-27th

December 1-5th, we will post specific family needs online for last minute "adoptions" and online donors support until all of our wait list families are taken care of for Christmas. 
​Deadlines for Mailed/ Direct -shipped Gifts
​Due to shipping and supply chain issues we anticipate this year, we are asking all donors mailing gifts to shoot for gifts to ARRIVE BY December 9th
Drop-off Dates
Dec 8-12th (depending on location of family)
8-10th in DC Metro area
9th-11th in SoCAL
Family Gift Pick up Dates
December 12-13th varies by location


​We are in the process of finalizing our hub locations for 2026. Last year's locations are listed below.
ALL GIFTS FOR ADOPTED FAMILIES ARE DUE BY DECEMBER 12TH. AFTER DECEMBER 14TH WE WILL USE ONLINE DONATIONS AND GIFT CARDS TO HELP FAMILIES RIGHT UP TO CHRISTMAS DAY.