25 Days of Thriving Through Christmas

An Advent Devotional for Adoptive and Foster Families

Watch this video first!


Welcome to your twenty-five day countdown and survival guide. Raising children from hard places is challenging. Surviving the holidays with a smile on your face while parenting is even more challenging, that’s whyI wrote this handy little Advent book. Don’t stress. It’s not a huge to-do, not more than a paragraph or two each day. Easy peasy and encouraging. So, take a minute each morning and read. This year, let’s not just survive the Christmas season, let’s thrive!

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Every year the calendar flips to December and we parents hit the ground with skis on and head down the slope to things to do and places to be before that magic goal day on the calendar, December 25th.

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We want to focus on the real meaning of Christmas, the birth of the Savior. We may have a depth of understanding of the season that our children do not see. They deal in the tangible of what they can see until the spiritual foundation is raised. Some of us are parenting hurt children who have come from hard places and have no foundation of celebration. Christmas activities may seem strange or act as triggers for their past. This thriving tip devotional is full of practical suggestions to help with some of the anxiety of the season and make it more joyful for children and parents alike.



"25 Days of Thriving Through Christmas, is a unique tool to help adoptive families throughout the busy and often hectic holiday season, especially as it focuses on specific needs that children impacted by trauma can experience. Adoptive families have unique challenges, which often become magnified during the holidays. Kathleen’s experience as an adoptive mother has enabled her to provide an insightful perspective that many other adoptive families can relate too. She does this in a way that also incorporates specific scripture that connects very well to the concept of adoption. This spiritual connection can help families reflect on the adoption story of Christ, as a way to help their family bond and form traditions through their own adoption stories. Parents will be able to read along on a day to day basis and reflect on their own experiences, while reading encouraging words from a fellow adoptive parent. The tips that Kathleen suggests offers comfort for adoptive families as they learn how to best navigate through the holiday season in ways that fit the specific needs of their child and their family as a whole."

Molly McCartney MSW, LICSW, CTT

Psychotherapist/Adoption Therapist and Adoptive Parent

Your Instructor


Kathleen Guire
Kathleen Guire

Hi, I’m Kathleen, and I want to help you become a trauma-informed parent!

I’m the mother of seven, four through adoption, former National Parent of the Year, author, teacher, and speaker. But more important than any of those things, I’m a parent just like you. I know what it’s like to raise kiddos who have experienced trauma and/or have a Capital Letter syndrome. I used to feel as if I was the only one struggling and because I felt that way, I isolated myself. I don’t want you to feel alone in your parenting journey.


Kathleen is an author, speaker, mother of 7 - four through adoption. Kathleen has written How to Have Peace When Your Kids Are In Chaos . Grab your free parenting guide here. Kathleen is an author, teacher, speaker, podcaster you can find her here - https://traumainformedparenting.com/




Course Curriculum


  25 Days of Thriving Through Christmas
Available in days
days after you enroll

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
This course is open from the end of November until the end of December. Although you may want to work through the course during the Advent season - but you're welcome to access it anytime.
How long do I have access to the course?
You have access to the course for as long as you like!

Every year is a fresh blank slate to fill with Christmas memories. This year was one of those. You may not feel like it right now, your house may be a mess. Christmas has worn you out. Right now, take a moment and breathe deeply. Ponder the season. Look back through the tips and count up how many you used. Guess what, even if you only did ten or five, you did more than you would have done if you hadn’t read this Advent Devotional. Go YOU!

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I hope the chapters each week deepened your faith and expanded your understanding of adoption. Not only are you chosen and loved, but so are your children, regardless of their past. Adoption makes kings out of carpenters. Adoptions transcends all bloodlines. Just as Joseph is really the father of Jesus, you are the parent of your adopted children. Adoption is for those children who need a home to flourish in so that they may fulfill their destiny. It’s a father like Joseph that children need. A man who follows the call and doesn’t look back.

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