Second Chance Christmas Program

10/17/2026

🎄❤️ **THE HOLIDAY PROMISE — QUICK RUN-DOWN!** ❤️🎄

We know there are a lot of questions as we get closer to the holiday season, so here is a quick overview of what we know so far!

❤️ **WHO WE SERVE**

We are a Christmas program run on donations and volunteers. Our primary focus is teens who will be **12 by Christmas through graduating high school seniors in 2027**, as well as children experiencing homelessness in Thurston County.

🎁 **YOUNGER CHILDREN**

We will have a waitlist for children under 12. Families may be selected from the waitlist as space and resources allow. Being on the waitlist does not guarantee assistance.

🎯 **OUR GOAL**

Our goal this year is to provide Christmas for **1,000 kids!** We couldn't do this without our amazing community, donors, businesses, and volunteers. Every donation and every helping hand makes a difference!

📝 **SIGN-UPS**

Sign-ups for eligible teens and the younger-child waitlist will open **November 1st**. The exact opening time is still being determined, so keep an eye on this page for updates!

📅 **PICKUP DAY**

We are still finalizing our pickup date, but we anticipate it will be the last Sunday before Christmas. We will share the confirmed date, time, and location as soon as they are available.

🪪 **FAMILY IDENTIFICATION**

This year, families will not be assigned family numbers. Instead, you will identify yourselves with an ID during the pickup process. More details about identification requirements and pickup procedures will be shared before distribution.

❓ **NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!**

What questions do you have? What information would you like clarified before sign-ups open?

**NOW is the time to ask questions and get clarification!** ❤️ We want everyone to understand how the program will work this year and know what to expect.

Once sign-ups open, we will expect families to carefully read the posts and program information provided. Many questions will be answered in those posts, and we will direct people back to the posted information rather than repeatedly answering questions that have already been addressed.

Please take this opportunity to ask questions, clear up confusion, and make sure you understand the process before November 1st!

We are working hard behind the scenes to make Christmas happen for as many kids as possible. Thank you for your patience, your support, and for being part of **The Holiday Promise!** 🎄❤️

10/16/2026

**Did you know? 💡 Help with your PSE energy bill may be available!**

Low-income families may qualify for the **Puget Sound Energy (PSE) Home Energy Lifeline Program (HELP)**, which provides grants to help eligible households with their energy bills.

The program year runs from **October 1 through September 30**. Eligible customers can receive one grant per program year, with assistance ranging from **$250 to $1,000**, depending on eligibility.

Applications typically pause in September and reopen on October 1, so now is a great time to check your eligibility!

**How to apply:** Sign in to your existing account or create an account at **[www.pse.com](https://www.pse.com)** to get started.

Please share this information with anyone who might benefit. Every little bit of help can make a difference! ❤️

Welcome to Puget Sound Energy. Start, stop or transfer your power and electric service. If you are already a PSE customer, you can sign in to your PSE account to access billing information, payment options, conservation tips and much more. Get updated information about power outages as well.

10/16/2026

🎄 **Help Us Keep The Holiday Promise Running!** 🎄

Here’s a small list of supplies we need to help make our program run smoothly! Every donation, big or small, makes a difference and helps us get Christmas ready for the families and teens we serve. ❤️

🎅 **Fun fact:** Every year, we go through **OVER 2,000 GARBAGE BAGS!** 😲 Who knew Christmas magic required so many garbage bags?

If you’re able to donate supplies or help us check something off our list, we would be incredibly grateful! Every little bit helps us make the holidays brighter for our community. 🎁

Thank you for being part of The Holiday Promise and helping us spread a little extra Christmas magic! ❤️🎄

10/15/2026

🎃👻 A Sneak Peek at This Year’s Tags! 👻🎃

Here’s a little sneak peek at our tags for this year! We can’t wait to see the magic our amazing Santas, volunteers, and community partners help create. ❤️🎄

🖤 Have you visited The Infernal Annex yet? 📚🔥

📍 100 4th Avenue East, Olympia, WA 98501

They’re a new horror bookstore that opened just in time for spooky season! If you haven’t stopped by yet and need a little Halloween inspiration, make sure to check them out! 👻🕷️

They also have a fantastic lineup of book signings, so there’s even more reason to visit!

Let’s show some love to our local businesses and keep supporting the people who make our community so special. 🖤🎃
The Infernal Annex

A special shout out to Chelsi and Fatso’s for making all our tags!

10/14/2026

🎄❤️ **A SHOUT-OUT TO SOME OF OUR RETURNING FAVORITES!** ❤️🎄

We are so excited to welcome back some of the amazing local businesses that continue to make **The Holiday Promise** so special! 🎁✨

Each of these incredible businesses will be hosting a giving tree for us again this year, helping make Christmas a little brighter for the teens and families we serve. Their generosity, continued support, and belief in our mission mean more than words can say.

It takes a village to make Christmas magic happen, and we are so blessed to have these wonderful community partners in ours! ❤️🎄

Please join us in showing them some love and thanking them for being part of **The Holiday Promise family!** Every tree represents hope, kindness, and the promise that our community cares.

**Thank you for helping us keep the promise of Christmas!** 🎅🎁❤️



Well 80 Brewhouse
Lolli Llama Candy
Wild Nectar
Ebony and Ivory Coffee
KPFF Consulting Engineers - Lacey

10/10/2026

🎄 **THE HOLIDAY PROMISE: RAPID-FIRE BULLET POINTS!** 🎄

We’ve been getting a few questions, so here are some quick hits!

* **Sign-ups open November 1st!** This is for teens, and the waitlist for younger children also opens November 1st.

* **Pickup is December 20th!** The majority of families will pick up their gifts that day.

* **Please read the posts!** We know there is a lot of information, and our posts can be long. However, we will not be answering questions that have already been answered in the posts. The quickest way to get your answers is to read the information provided. ❤️

* **The waitlist is not a guarantee!** If your child is 12 or younger and you know you need Christmas assistance, please sign up for another program while you wait. We cannot guarantee spots will open.

* **The new group labeled volunteers is for Santas, volunteers, and businesses hosting Community Trees.** This is not the place to sign up for assistance or ask participant questions. Assistance information will be posted on our main page. The links to sign up will be posted on this page Nov 1st

* **Questions?** A couple of days before sign-ups open, I’ll create a post for any remaining questions or information I may have missed.

*** There will be family numbers this year but they will not be shared with families. They will only be used as an identification tool for volunteers. You will identify your gifts by giving your name and your ID this year.

Thank you for your patience as we get everything ready for another Christmas! We appreciate every one of you who helps make The Holiday Promise possible. 🎁❤️

10/09/2026

Edited to add: energy assistance appointments were full by 7:30 this morning. I will add more info if they open up more.

Energy Assistance Opens Tomorrow!

Thurston County energy assistance through Community Action Council opens tomorrow, October 9!

The easiest way to get an appointment is to book online after **7:00 AM.** You will need your household income information and your PSE account number to schedule.

Appointments fill up quickly, so make sure to get online early!

Please share to help spread the word to anyone who may need assistance with their energy bills.

https://www.liheapcalendar.com/CACLMT

10/08/2026

🌲 We’re excited to introduce you to some of our newest community partners!

Each of these wonderful partners will have a tree set up for us this season, and we couldn’t be more grateful for their support. ❤️

Please take a moment to check them out, show them some love, and support the amazing businesses and organizations that make our community so special!

We are glad you are part of our Holiday family!

The Infernal Annex
Lacey Accident and Injury Rehabilitation
Paradox Trading Post
Fujiyama Japanese Steak House in Olympia

10/07/2026

Waitlist: How It Works

Last year, we used a lottery whenever we had space to add children under the teen age group. While the lottery worked, it also had some challenges. Families were sometimes placed on the list multiple times, which could raise hopes and then lead to disappointment. It was also very time-consuming for us, and matching siblings was especially difficult.

One of our goals is to make sure siblings have as much equality as possible in the gifts they receive. When siblings are added at different times they have different family numbers and it is harder to ensure equality in sibling groups.

**This year, our waitlist is designed to address some of those challenges.**

The waitlist will open at the same time as our regular sign-up and will follow the same basic eligibility and program rules. However, there is one important difference:

# # # You ARE encouraged to sign up for another Christmas program while you are on our waitlist.

Being on the Holiday Promise waitlist does **not** guarantee that your child will be selected. We strongly encourage you to pursue other Christmas assistance programs so that your child has the best possible chance of receiving gifts.

If we have space and are able to add children from the waitlist, we will contact families directly.

When we reach your family, we will ask:

**“Have you joined another Christmas program?”**

If you have, you will be given a choice.

* **If you choose the other program:** We will thank you for letting us know and move on to the next family on our waitlist.
* **If you choose Holiday Promise:** You will be asked to agree to remove your child from the other Christmas program before being added to ours.

We will not provide gifts through Holiday Promise for a child who is also receiving gifts through another Christmas program.

# # # How to Join the Waitlist

When you sign up for the waitlist, you will be asked to send us **one message through this page telling us how many children you placed on the waitlist.**

Please message us **one time only.**

After you have confirmed the number of children you placed on the waitlist, **please do not continue messaging us to ask whether your child has been selected or when you will hear from us.**

If your child is selected, **we will contact you.**

Repeated messages will not move you higher on the waitlist and will not increase your chances of being selected.

# # # The Waitlist Is NOT First Come, First Served

This is very important.

**The waitlist will not be filled from top to bottom based on the date or time you signed up.**

When we have space, we will look at several factors when deciding which children or families to add. Those factors may change depending on what we need at the time.

One of our goals is to create balanced trees with a variety of ages and needs. For example, if we have several trees that need a particular age group, we may select children in that age range.

Other things we may consider include:

* How well you followed directions in previous years.
* How long your family has participated in the program.
* Whether you followed the sign-up directions this year.
* Whether your child's wish list appears realistic and **shoppable**.
* Whether the requests are appropriate for your child's age.
* Whether the wish list gives our Santas reasonable options for finding gifts.

# # # Please Think About Your Wish List

We understand that children can ask for things that are expensive, unusual, or simply unrealistic. We do not expect every wish list to be perfect.

However, we need lists that give our Santas reasonable options.

For example, a wish list for a newborn that primarily asks for items intended for older children—such as a PlayStation—does not give a Santa many age-appropriate options to shop for. If we are choosing between two children and one has a realistic, age-appropriate list while the other has requests we are unlikely to be able to fulfill, we may choose the child with the more workable list.

**Please keep this in mind when completing your waitlist sign-up.**

# # # Please Don't Stress About the Waitlist

We know waiting is hard, and we know families will be anxious to know whether they made it off the list. But repeatedly asking us whether your child will be selected will not change the outcome.

We will contact you if your child is chosen.

In the meantime, **please sign up for other Christmas assistance programs when you are able.** Being on our waitlist should not prevent you from seeking help elsewhere.

Our goal with this new system is to make the process more manageable for our volunteers, create better and more equal matches for siblings, and ultimately help as many children as we realistically can.

10/07/2026

Ebony & Ivory was our very first community tree, and they have continued to support us for **five years now!** ❤️

Their coffee shops are amazing, and each location is special in its own way. If you haven’t checked them out yet, you absolutely should! And if you already have, show them some love by voting for them. ☕❤️

Thank you, Ebony & Ivory, for believing in what we do and supporting our community for the past five years. We love you guys and are so grateful to have you as part of the Holiday Promise family! 🎄❤️
Ebony and Ivory Coffee