Special Trees for Christmas

Samara’s Christmas Tree
by Katie Lewis
Noonday Collection played a huge role in helping bring Samara home. When we decided to adopt, I became a Noonday Collection ambassador to help cover adoption expenses. Noonday Collection, a fair-trade company that brings handmade goods from artisans around the world to American customers, actually started as an adoption fundraiser. Over the past ten years, many ambassadors have joined for the same reason — to help fund their adoption journeys. 

Throughout our adoption process, many of our friends and family hosted fundraisers through Noonday Collection to support us. Among the beautiful items in their winter line are holiday ornaments crafted by artisans in places like India, Thailand, Peru, Guatemala, and Mexico.
For Samara’s first Christmas, I decided to put a tree in her room and decorate it with these meaningful ornaments. This tree symbolizes the joy she brings to our family and the love shown to us by so many during our adoption journey. Recently, we added ornaments made by our friend Betty Kinchen, using fabric from Noonday jewelry bags left over from a quilt she made for us.

Each year, decorating this tree with Samara is a precious tradition, allowing us to share the story of its significance with her.

The Jesse Tree
by Charise Wilson

Each Christmas, during Advent, we read stories from The Storybook Bible, starting with creation and continuing to the birth of Christ. After each reading, we add an ornament to our Jesse Tree that corresponds to the day’s Bible story.