How to Apply
Thank you for your interest in Operation Holiday at Home®. All of our 2026 Adopt-A-Family spots, for at least 150 families, are now filled. But there is still a door open for you: sponsors have asked us to find more households, and you can apply for those opportunities right now.
An Important Change for All Applicants
Effective October 27, 2026, Operation Holiday® asks every applicant for the last 4 digits of the Social Security number (or ITIN) of each person in the household. We never ask for the full number.
We’re doing this to protect the families we serve and the sponsors who give so generously. The last 4 digits help us make sure each person appears on only one application, so every gift goes to the household it was meant for. They also help us stop anyone who tries to apply more than once or under different names.
An application missing the last 4 digits for anyone in the household can’t be completed. Every number is kept private and seen only by Operation Holiday.
Thank you for helping us keep Operation Holiday fair and trustworthy for everyone.
Un cambio importante para todos los solicitantes
A partir del 27 de octubre de 2026, Operation Holiday® pide a cada solicitante los últimos 4 dígitos del número de Seguro Social (o ITIN) de cada persona del hogar. Nunca pedimos el número completo.
Lo hacemos para proteger a las familias que servimos y a los patrocinadores que dan con tanta generosidad. Los últimos 4 dígitos nos ayudan a asegurar que cada persona aparezca en una sola solicitud, para que cada regalo llegue al hogar al que fue destinado. También nos ayudan a detener a cualquiera que intente presentar más de una solicitud o usar nombres diferentes.
Una solicitud a la que le falten los últimos 4 dígitos de alguna persona del hogar no se puede completar. Cada número se mantiene privado y solo lo ve Operation Holiday.
Gracias por ayudarnos a mantener Operation Holiday justo y confiable para todos.
Open right now
Now Accepting Applications
Read who can apply, find the one that fits your household, and apply.
Open now · 500 spots- Age 65 or older, living in New Jersey
- A household of 1 or 2. Another adult 65+ who shares the home may be included
- A photo ID with the same address
Open now · 500 spots- Veterans with an honorable discharge and those currently serving, living in New Jersey
- Their household members may be included
- A military ID or honorable discharge papers
Open now · 500 spots- Ages 18 to 24, enrolled in college
- Lives and goes to school in New Jersey
- A current student ID or enrollment papers
Each program stays open until all 500 spots are filled. One application per home.
A sponsor is looking for you
- SPONSOR-NJ-2026-0003 · Essex and Union Counties
Christmas for Two Families of Four
- You live in East Orange, Irvington, Livingston, Maplewood, Newark, South Orange, Elizabeth or Hillside
- Your family is 2 adults and 2 children, age 17 or younger
- A photo ID
- First-time applicants only. You are not already on our 2026 adoption portal
- SPONSOR-NJ-2026-0002 · Gloucester County
Honoring a Gloucester County Veteran
- You live in Clayton, Deptford, Glassboro, Monroe Township, Pitman, Swedesboro, Washington Township, Wenonah, West Deptford or Woodbury
- The head of household is a veteran with an honorable discharge, or is currently serving
- Up to 4 people, including the veteran
- A photo ID and a military ID or honorable discharge papers
- First-time applicants only. You are not already on our 2026 adoption portal
Full for 2026
Closed
These are full. Thank you, sponsors!
All 150 filledAdopt-A-Family
Every spot for 2026 is filled. Join the Waitlist to be considered if a spot opens.
Join the Waitlist- All 25 adopted
A Second Chance at Christmas
Dover and Morristown, Morris County. Every household has been adopted.
A different door is open
Apply for an Opportunity
Sometimes a sponsor asks us to find households in a certain town, or families facing a certain challenge. Each opportunity has its own application and its own list of who can apply. Read the open opportunities, and if your household fits, apply right away. Spots fill quickly.
Before you apply
What to have ready
The application takes up to an hour, and your Family ID is reserved while you are on the form, so there is no need to rush. If you leave the page before pressing Submit, your answers are not saved, so please gather everything below first.
You, the head of household
The person filling out the form
- Full name and date of birth
- Gender and race or ethnicity
- Email and mobile phone
- Relationship status
- Your clothing and shoe sizes
- Your wish list
- A government-issued photo ID (you will upload it)
- Proof of a New Jersey address, only if your ID does not show one
Your home
Where your gifts will go
- Mailing address, with apartment, floor or suite
- Type of residence
- Household size (you and everyone on the form)
- How you can receive gifts: shipped by USPS, FedEx or UPS, in person, or by Santa
Another adult in your home
If there is a spouse or partner, age 18 or older
- Full name and date of birth
- Gender and race or ethnicity
- Clothing and shoe sizes
- Their own wish list
Your children
Up to six children, age 17 or younger
- Each child’s full name and date of birth
- Gender and race or ethnicity
- Clothing and shoe sizes (your best estimate is fine)
- Each child’s own wish list, with item, size and color
Your family’s story
Required, and the most important part
Tell sponsors about your household, what you are facing right now, and what help would change for your family. A sponsor reads this when choosing who to adopt, so share the specifics in your own words. An application without a complete story is declined.
A few more questions
Quick to answer
- Household type and any health conditions in your home (select all that apply)
- How you heard about us
- Optional: work status, assistance, health insurance, and anything you need beyond the holidays. Optional answers never affect whether your family qualifies
- The acknowledgements and your signature
What to expect
Your journey, one step at a time
From the day you gather your papers to the morning your gifts arrive, this is how the Operation Holiday at Home® program works for your family.
- Before October 1
Get ready
Gather the items above: your photo ID, everyone’s names and birth dates, sizes, wish lists, and your story.
- October 1, 12:00 AM Eastern
Apply online
Plan on up to an hour. Your Family ID is reserved while you are on the form. If you leave before pressing Submit, nothing is saved.
- The moment you press Submit
Receive your Family ID
Your Family ID, like NJ-2026-0001, appears on the screen and arrives by email. Keep it and use it whenever you contact us.
- After you apply
We review every application
A random 20% of households are chosen for full verification, with documents for every person listed.
- By November 15, 2026
Hear back by email
Accepted families are confirmed by email. Being accepted means your family is listed. It does not guarantee adoption.
- Your family stays private
Your anonymous listing
Sponsors see your Family ID, city and county, your story (edited for clarity), household details and wish lists. Your name, address, phone and email are never posted.
- The sponsor’s choice
A sponsor chooses your family
Sponsors choose the families they adopt. Operation Holiday does not. Rarely, a sponsor cannot follow through, so wait for an email from Operation Holiday before treating an adoption as final.
- Just between us
A private match
Operation Holiday shares your family’s details privately with your sponsor so you can coordinate.
- Your delivery choice
Gifts on their way
Your sponsor buys the gifts and delivers them the way your family chose. About 95% are shipped by USPS, FedEx or UPS. Others are delivered in person or by Santa. Operation Holiday never touches the gifts.
- December
Christmas at home
The moment this whole journey is for.
“Christmas should reach you, wherever you are.”
It Works. Just Ask Them.
Thank-You Notes from Our Families
In their own words, straight from the heart
Every note is shared exactly as the family wrote it. Names are never shown.
Honesty matters
Operation Holiday at Home® runs on trust. Every name, age, gender, household relationship, address and other detail you give must be complete and truthful.
Twenty percent (20%) of households are chosen at random for verification. If yours is chosen, you will be asked for documents for every person listed: a photo ID for each adult, and a birth certificate, student ID or other accepted document for each child.
If any information is found to be false, or your household is chosen for verification and cannot provide the documents for every person listed, your application is disqualified. No questions asked.
Good to know
The rules, at a glance
If the application has closed
There is still a place for you
When Adopt-A-Family is full, look at our Opportunities page first. Sponsors ask us to find households in a certain town or facing a certain challenge, and each opportunity has its own application. You can also join the Waitlist, and we will contact you if a spot opens. Everyone can also look for free tickets to Every Day Is Christmas® in December. Tickets are available when we have them, and the date and venue are posted on the Event page.
Hope changes everything.
Questions? Read our FAQ page, email applicants@operationholiday.net, or call (908) 509-7699.