OPERATION
HOLIDAY®HOPE CHANGES EVERYTHING

Every Child. Every Family. A Brighter Tomorrow.

❄ This December · Statewide · Everything Is Free

Operation Holiday®Every Day Is Christmas®

One unforgettable day when New Jersey families walk into Christmas. Six thousand toys. Santa and Mrs. Claus. Face painting, ornament making, story time, photos, food and music. Dozens of partners offering real help, face to face. Every bit of it is free, because every family deserves a Christmas to remember.

Free tickets Be part of it
Families picking out toys at Every Day Is Christmas
  • 6,000toys to give away
  • 62kinds of free services
  • 1,500+guests from across New Jersey
  • 100%free, from start to finish

Inside the Event

From the moment you check in, the day is yours. Here is what is waiting for your family.

Santa and Mrs. Claus

Meet them in person in SantaLand, a world made for children and their families.

ToyLand

A volunteer elf walks each family through ToyLand to pick gifts, about three for every registered child.

Face Painting

Snowflakes, candy canes and reindeer. Little faces leave sparkling.

Ornament Making

Children craft their own Christmas ornament to take home and hang on the tree.

Story Time

Christmas stories read aloud, plus a place to write a “Dear Santa” note.

Photos with Santa

Professional photographers at Santa’s house, plus a 360 video booth.

Food and Drinks

Breakfast, lunch and drinks all day. Nobody leaves hungry.

DJ and Holiday Music

Christmas music that keeps the whole room smiling.

Children’s Games

Games and activity stations to keep kids busy and happy all day.

Diaper Den

Diapers and care for the littlest guests.

A Welcome Package

Every family receives a welcome package at reception.

Services on Site

Partners offer free services, from health screenings to benefits help, all under one roof.

See the Joy

Laughter, glitter, cocoa mustaches and wide-eyed wonder. This is Every Day Is Christmas®.

A volunteer elf helping a girl choose a doll in ToyLand
ToyLand
A family smiling with Santa
Photos with Santa
Children laughing over hot cocoa and Christmas cookies
Cocoa and cookies
A storyteller reading a Christmas book to children
Story time
A partner helping a senior at a services table
Services on site
A girl getting her face painted
Face painting
Children decorating Christmas ornaments
Ornament making

62 Services Under One Roof

Our partners bring real help to the event and offer it free, all day. Here are the kinds of services you can find.

Health and Wellness15

  • Addiction and recovery
  • Cancer screening
  • Chiropractor
  • Dental
  • Gambling counseling
  • Hearing services
  • HIV/AIDS services
  • Massage therapy
  • Maternal health
  • Medical screenings
  • Medication assistance
  • Meditation
  • Mental health
  • Optometry
  • Vaccines

Benefits and Money11

  • Banking
  • Credit and financial planning
  • Financial assistance
  • Healthcare coverage enrollment
  • Homeownership
  • Medicaid
  • Medicare and in-home care
  • Rent assistance
  • SNAP
  • Social services
  • Utility assistance

Housing and Basic Needs9

  • Clothing
  • Drop-in centers
  • Food pantries
  • Housing assistance
  • Hygiene services
  • NJ shelters
  • Street outreach
  • Thrift shop
  • Transportation

Family, Youth and Seniors8

  • Accessibility services
  • Childcare
  • Disability services
  • Domestic violence support
  • Family support
  • Pet therapy
  • Senior services
  • Youth services

Work, Learning and Legal11

  • Career training
  • DMV
  • Education
  • Entrepreneur services
  • ESL (English as a Second Language)
  • Immigration services
  • Job fairs
  • Legal services
  • Phones and tablets
  • Re-entry services
  • Veterans affairs

Community, Care and Fun8

  • Barber and stylist
  • Community outreach
  • End-of-life planning
  • Entertainment
  • LGBTQIA+ services
  • Makeup artist
  • Prayer and chaplains
  • Recreation and martial arts

Become a partner

Free Tickets

Every ticket is free, and your ticket holds your place. There are four kinds of tickets, set up like our Operation Holiday at Home® programs.

Family Ticket

FREE

For families with children.

Toys and services

Senior Ticket

FREE

For seniors 65 and older.

Services only

Veteran and Military Ticket

FREE

For veterans and active-duty military.

Services only

College Student Ticket

FREE

For college students who live and study in New Jersey.

Services only

Tickets are given out online only, and they go fast. They are in very high demand every December. When tickets become available, they will be live on our ticket page.

Go to the ticket page

Be Part of It

Organizations and businesses make this day possible. Tell us you are interested, and we will send you an official invitation and a link to register once the date is final.

Partners

Bring your organization’s services to families, free, at your own table.

Add me to your list. I’m interested.

Vendors

Share samples, demos, classes or a service, free for every guest that day.

Save me a seat

Event Sponsors

Put your company’s name on the day families remember all year.

Save me a seat

Tickets

Free tickets for families, seniors, veterans and college students.

Tickets

Want to lend a hand on event day? Join our Volunteer Registry. Every volunteer is fed, and service hour letters go out by January 31.

❄ Stay in the loop ❄

Join our mailing list to hear about everything Operation Holiday® is doing, all year long: events, programs, volunteer opportunities and community news. Our big Every Day Is Christmas® event is in December, and you will be among the first to hear the details.

Please note: this is our mailing list, not a ticket list. Joining it does not give you a ticket. Free tickets are given out only on our ticket page.

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