Ask almost any family about the holidays, and they’ll tell you about their traditions.
Maybe it’s the same meal every Thanksgiving. A Christmas movie everyone can quote. Pajamas on Christmas Eve. Grandma’s cookies. A drive to look at Christmas lights.
Traditions have a way of reminding us who we are and what matters to us.
For many families across the Ozarks, Crosslines has become part of that tradition.
Every year, they choose a child to support from a Christmas wish list. They take their own children shopping for toys to donate. Their office collects food. Their Sunday school class “adopts” a family. They spend an afternoon volunteering together.
And somewhere along the way, serving someone else becomes as much a part of Christmas as decorating the tree.
A Different Kind of Christmas List
The holidays are one of the busiest seasons of the year at Crosslines, and there are so many ways to be part of them.
You can help provide Christmas gifts for children and youth in foster care through Ambassadors for Children Christmas.
You can purchase a new coat, or donate a gently used one through Coats for Kids.
You can donate new, unwrapped toys to stock the Crosslines Toy Store, where parents and caregivers experiencing financial hardship can choose gifts for their own children.
You can provide a turkey at Thanksgiving or a ham at Christmas so another family can gather around the table.
You can host a toy or food drive at your church, business or school.
Or you can simply show up and volunteer.
There is room for everyone.
Give Your Kids a Tradition They’ll Remember
Some of our favorite holiday traditions are the ones that teach the next generation something about the kind of people we hope they will become.
So this year, consider bringing your children or grandchildren into the giving.
Give them $25 and let them choose a toy for the Crosslines Toy Store.
Take them shopping for a child in foster care who is close to their age.
Let them pick out a warm coat for another child.
Or volunteer together.
They may not remember every present they receive this Christmas.
But they just might remember the Christmas when they discovered the blessing of generosity.
The Holidays Are Coming. We Need You.
Each year, thousands of our neighbors turn to Crosslines for a little help making the holidays possible. For families already stretching every dollar, Thanksgiving dinner, a warm coat or presents under the tree can simply be more than the budget will bear.
Our goal isn’t to create a perfect Christmas.
It’s to make sure our neighbors have the opportunity to celebrate with dignity, joy, and hope.
And we can’t do it without you.
Maybe you’ve been part of the Crosslines holidays for decades. Maybe this will be your very first year.
Either way, we’d love to have you.
Choose one thing. Invite someone you love to do it with you. And make compassion part of your holiday tradition.