12.25.2019

Reflecting on the Experience of Holiday Magic

By Brianna Franco, Marketing & Policy Intern

The Holiday Magic program is truly a magical experience this time of year for everyone at Treehouse. This season, we provided more than 5,000 meaningful gifts to the kids and young people in our state. Our youth and caregivers made special requests for items such as a movie ticket bundle, Incrediblocks and wireless headphones.

The stories below have been compiled by Treehouse staff this holiday season:

As a special request, we sent a jumbo dump truck to a 2-year-old with autism and mobility challenges that affect his grip. As the caregiver was looking at the item online, the child saw the picture and started making “vroom vroom” noises in excitement. After so much excitement about the picture, the caregiver couldn’t wait to see his joy when he gets to play with the truck on Christmas!

We heard from a caregiver who had just received the bike she requested for the 5-year-old girl in her care. She had assembled the bike the night they received it and just wanted to share how thrilled she is to teach the young girl to ride. The bike is the perfect size for her and came with training wheels to use as she learns.

This year, one of the gifts Treehouse provided was a Nail Art Kit for kids. A caregiver reached out to say how stoked they were to give this to a 9-year-old in their care. The child loves all things girly, and they had previously bonded over doing their nails together.

One of our special requests was from an 8-year-old boy living in a group home. He is afraid of the dark but loves stars, so the staff at the facility requested a night sky projector for his room. They are very excited to give him his gift knowing it will both entertain and give comfort.

One of our caregivers selected the Scientist Experiment set for her 5-year-old. After several emails back and forth about what the different holiday gifts were like, she decided she wanted her little girl to get excited about science! The gift arrived a week later and is now wrapped under their tree. She’s sure there will be big smiles on Christmas morning.

These moments would not be possible without donations from the community. Visit treehouseforkids.org/give to learn more about the most-needed clothing and goods in Treehouse’s free store for youth in foster care.

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About the Author

Brianna Franco is the Marketing & Policy Intern at Treehouse. She is a junior at Seattle Pacific University, where she is studying to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications.


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