Our 2023 Family Adoption Registration ​

 Operation Christmas Spirit, going 20 years strong this year, is comprised of family "adoptions," single service member gifts, unit Christmas party support, volunteer opportunities, 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. ​

Operation Christmas Spirit 2023
Family Adoptions

After Thanksgiving we will post specific family needs on this page and shift our focus to gift card collections, online donations and toy drives to serve families that step forward for help later in the season.
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If you want to help, please consider donating online here. We use online donations to purchase gifts/needs so we can guarantee needs will be met by Christmas. 
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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 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. 

This Year's Timeline

​​Wish Lists Distribution Goals
*Note that there may delays depending on number of sign ups-- this is just an estimate*
November 15-20 for donors registered by October 27th.

November 20-22 and 24 for those registered between October 28th and November 3rd

November 24-December 1st for those registered between November 4th and November 10th.

Please note our volunteers will NOT be working over the Thanksgiving holiday. 

After Thanksgiving, 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 10th
Drop-off Dates
Dec 13-14th (depending on location of family)
Family Gift Pick up Dates
December 15-16 varies by location

Please note: All Tampa, DC Metro, NC and San Antonio families have been adopted.