Home for the Holidays

Celebrating Christmas With Your Newly Adopted Child

By Heather V. Long

Christmas is a time of celebration and rejoicing with your family and loved ones. What can be more special than a first Christmas with a newly adopted child? How do you welcome them into your home, your heart and your family? What about the rituals, traditions and culture of an internationally adopted child? How do you take your blended family and bring them together for the holidays?

 

"What happens on the first Christmas depends on the age of the child and his past experiences," says Gloria Hochman, director of communications and marketing at the National Adoption Center. "Older children who have been in foster homes will remember the way Christmas was celebrated there, which may or may not have been a wonderful experience. For very young children, the celebration will probably be no different from what it would be for birth children. Whatever is comfortable or traditional in the family would probably be fine."

Hochman points out that it is important to transmit the joy of the holiday but not to overwhelm the child, particularly if his or her personality is subdued. "Include the child in the celebration in a way that is appropriate to his age," she says.

"It is important for older children to integrate their cultural identity," says Victor Groza, professor of social work at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. "Integrating an adopted child's traditions and cultures can be a great bonding experience for the family."

Cindy Champnella, an adoptive mom from Farmington Hills, Mich., and the author of The Waiting Child

Want to see more?

• Holiday Beginnings: New Traditions for the Families of Today
• The Art of Christmas Caroling
• Hanukkah: A History of Tradition
• Holiday Headquarters
• Talk about it!