Celebrations, Holidays & Other Special Occasions

Adoptee Remembrance Day - October 30

World Adoption Day - November 9

Recommended Books & Articles

Talking about adoption, foster care & other hard things Materials and Celebrations & holidays-related Materials in ORPARC's library

• 12 Families Share The Sweet Ways They Celebrate Adoption Anniversaries by Emily McCombs, adoptive parent
• 24 Tips for Traveling with Children by Child Mind Institute & en español
• Adoptee & Foster Voices - an ORPARC Resource page
• Adoptee & Foster Native Voices - an ORPARC Resource page
• Adoption & Awareness: 6 reasons NOT to celebrate adoption by Amanda Medina, adoptee
• Alternative Altars: Honoring the Loss in Adoption by Martha Rynberg, adoptive parent
• Being Groomed for Gotcha Day by Pamela Karanova, adoptee
• A Case Against ‘Gotcha Day’ by Austin & Cathy, adoptive parents - faith-inspired
• Celebrating Halloween with an Adopted or Foster Child by Hope Connections
• College Graduation: A Bittersweet Success for Foster Youth by Shay House, fosteree
• The Controversy of ‘Gotcha Day’ by Considering Adoption
• Easter & Adoption: What is the Connection? by Deidre Parker, adoptive parent
• Empowering Adoptees Through Holiday Traditions by Heart to Heart Adoptions
• Help Your Foster Kids Feel the Love this Valentine's Day by Agape
• Helping Children with Trauma at Halloween by Agape
• Holidays & Adoption: Complicated for All by Barbara Free, birth parent
• Holidays as Adoptees by I am Adoptee
• How to Love a Transracially Adopted Person by April Dinwoodie, adoptee
• I Found Out I Was Adopted At Age 45 On April Fool’s Day by LJ Herman, adoptee
• The Insensitivity of Adoption Day Celebrations by Mirah Riben, birth parent
• The Masks We Wear by Boston Post Adoption Resources
• A New Year, A New Opportunity to Reclaim the Calendar & Reclaiming the Calendar to Better Understand Adoption by April Dinwoodie, adoptee
• Reparenting yourself during the holidays looks like...by Self Love Rainbow
• Unwrapping Opportunities for Adoptive Families During the Holidays by Elise Lowe & Lindsey Reeves, adoptee

Birthday specific

• 5 Considerations for Your Foster or Adoptive Child's Birthday by Transfiguring Adoption
• An Adoptee Talks About Her Birthday by Betsy Crockett, adoptee
• Asked & Answered: Tips on Celebrating Birthdays by Fostering Families
• Birthday Blues by Adrian Jones, adoptee
• The Birthday Blues & Adopted Kids by Rainbow Kids
• Birthdays to an Adoptee by Emily Zerbe, adoptee
• Celebrating Birthdays by Foster Children Evaluation Services
• Celebrating Secrets & Sadness by Julietta, adoptee
• Happy Birthday? Not for Many of these Children by John DeGarmo, foster adopt parent
• How Adoptees Feel About Birthdays by Pamela Karanova, adoptee
• How Parents Can Help Adopted Children Navigate Birthdays (and Mother's Day) by Lesli Johnson, adoptee
• How to Honor an Adoptee on a Birthday by Emili Schurke, adoptee
• Nine Belated Birthdays by Rachael Moshman, adoptive parent
• Tips to Make Your Foster Child’s Birthday Special by Orange Grove Fostercare
• Transracial Adoption & Birthdays: A Complex Equation by April Dinwoodie, adoptee
• When Foster Care Milestones are Bittersweet by Kaite Dunlevy, foster parent
• Why Some Adoptees Have Mixed Feelings on Their Birthday by Kayla Kim Votapek, adoptee

Mother or Father's Day specific

• Adoptees & Mother's Day by Katie Reisor, adoptee
• Adoptees & Mother’s Day by Jennifer Griesbach, adoptee
• Confronting Loss Around Mother’s Day by New York Life Foundation
• Father's Day, Making Space by Avril McInally, adoptive parent
• How Do You Celebrate an Absent Birth Father on Father’s Day? by Considering Adoption
• How Foster & Adoptive Families Observe Mother’s Day by Sylvie McNamara
• Loving Multiple Moms: Adoptee Perspectives on Mother’s Day by Tony Hynes, adoptee - author in ORPARC's library
• Mother's Day from a Kinship Caregiver's Lens by Chiara Jones, kinship caregivers
• My Four Fathers by Keith Sciarillo, adoptee
• What Mother’s Day Means to Me as an Adoptee & What Father's Day Means by Diana Watts, adoptee
• When Mother's Day Hurts by Beth Tyson, kinship parent - author in ORPARC's library

Anniversary dates

• Foster Youth Need Aging Out Experiences Worth Celebrating by Janice Phillips, fosteree
• Trauma Time – The impact of a trauma anniversary in children by Shelly Brewer, parent of child with trauma
• Traumaversaries: How to Help a Child Impacted by Trauma by Hope Connections
• We will not ask our daughter to celebrate when she feels the pangs of grief... by Raquel McCloud, adoptive parent

Culturally specific

• 10 Ways to Celebrate Mawlid with Your Muslim Foster Child by ACS Faith in Fostering
• 14 Ways to Incorporate Birth Culture into Your Children’s Lives by kidworldcitizen
• An Indigenous Adoptee Reclaims Her Culture: Sandy White Hawk (Sicangu Lakota), adoptee by Nancy Marie Spears (Cherokee)
• Celebrate Lunar New Year with Your Adoptive Family! by Barker Adoption Foundation
• Celebrating Birth Culture: Age by Age by Adoptive Families
• Celebrating Diwali by Chelsea Butela, M.Ed.
• Celebrating Holi in the U.S. by America World Adoption families
• Diwali: Celebrating the Festival of Lights with Vasudha Narayanan by NPR (audio+transcript)
• Honoring Our Caretaking Traditions: A Forum on Custom Indigenous Adoptions by Siem Smu'neem Indigenous Child Wellbeing Network
• How Can I Help My Child Connect with Their Culture? by Jennifer Jones, adoptive parent
• How Do You Celebrate Your Child's Culture & Holidays? by Derek Williams, adoptive parent
• How Transracial Adoptees Celebrate Lunar New Year by Amanda Winters, adoptee
• Honoring Hispanic Heritage Within the Context of Foster Care by Koinonia
• Honoring Your Child’s Birth Culture: Cultural Art To Add to Your Home by Natalie Brenner, adoptive parent
• I Am Thankful to Have Been Adopted by Sarah Smith, adoptee
• I’m a Latinx Adoptee — Here Are 4 Ways I Reconnect to My Heritage by Kristen Garaffo, adoptee
• The Importance of Spirituality for Foster Youth by Sue Badeau, foster adoptive parent
• Juneteenth: Why It Matters to Your Black Adoptee; Why It Must Matter to You by Karin Norington-Reaves, adoptive parent
• The Struggles & Challenges of Muslim Foster Kids by Mozaic
• Transracial Parenting/Cultural Diversity - an ORPARC Resource page
• Tribal Resources - an ORPARC Resource Page Series
• An Unexpected Interfaith Family: Fostering a Christian Child by Rabbi James & Jen Greene, foster parents

LGBTQ+ specific

• Always Knew I Was Adopted; Just Found Out I’m Gay by Sarah Steingraber, adoptee
• Celebrating PRIDE & Raising Awareness: Creating an Affirming Home for Youth, An Interview with Grey Hilliard-Koshinsky, adoptee & fosteree by Adoption Network
• How To Support Our LGBTQIA+ Youth This Holiday Season by Myeshia Price
• Rainbow Adoptees: The Intersection of Queerness & Adoption - A Pride Month Conversation by Adoptees United

Winter Holidays

• Holiday Survival Supports - an ORPARC Resource page

Sensory-based

• The Dreaded Birthday Party by Sensory Mom
• Going to a Birthday Party Social Story by Autism Little Learners
• Going Trick or Treating Social Story by Autism Little Learners
• Sensory Friendly Birthday Party by Michelle Swan, advocate & person with autism
• Sensory Friendly Party Ideas by Child Mind Institute & en español
• Sensory Supports - an ORPARC Resource page
• Visiting the Easter Bunny Social Story by Autism Little Learners
• Watching Fireworks Social Story by Autism Little Learners

Videos & Podcasts

• Adoptee Remembrance Day by Adoptees On Podcast
• Birthday Considerations for Foster Parents by Foster Parent Partner (video)
• Celebrations with adoptee Pam Cordano, MFT by Adoptees On Podcast
• Foster Care 101: Foster Children & Birthdays by Dr. John DeGarmo, foster adoptive parent - author in ORPARC's library (video)
• Successful Vacation Planning for Adoptive Families by Adoption Wise Podcast, foster adoptees & foster adoptive parents - authors in ORPARC's library
• Surviving the Holidays with adoptee Lesli A. Johnson, MFT by Adoptees On Podcast
• Why Good Times Suddenly Go Bad by Robyn Gobbel - author in ORPARC's library (article + podcast)
• "Why I Hate Mother's Day" with Tori Hope Petersen, fosteree & Becca McKay by Empowered to Connect Podcast