Teams across CHS are finding ways to spread Christmas cheer to the children and families we serve. Check out some of the holiday magic we created below!
Christmas at the Movies
She searched for classic Christmas movies and paired each age group with a song she knew they’d love to perform. Students sang numbers from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Home Alone,” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
“Across the board, I think each age group was excited about their special movie song,” said Kiah.
Wanting students to feel comfortable and confident onstage, Kiah opted for a cozy dress code. Fancy holiday outfits can feel restrictive, especially during performances, so Christmas sweaters felt like the perfect mix of comfort and fun.
“First of all, who doesn't love a Christmas sweater!?” she laughed. “I liked the idea of keeping the program really casual and comfortable. It seemed like a natural solution to that conundrum. And they can wear the sweater again in the future.”
Students began rehearsing on Halloween, which sparked some playful complaints at first. But once Kiah shared the theme, and each class’s song, and their enthusiasm took over. “They were all excited for it!”
As rehearsals continued, each grade level took ownership of their piece. “It was really cool to see them take pride in having something that was their own.”
That pride shone brightly, especially when the audience rose for a standing ovation. But Kiah didn’t look toward the crowd—she looked at her students. “I saw beaming smiles and a new light in a lot of the kids’ eyes. Seeing them be proud of themselves was my absolute favorite part. It brought tears to my eyes.”
For Kiah, the concert was about more than music and holiday cheer—it was about helping students build courage. Many shared that they felt nervous, and she encouraged them to find someone in the audience they could look to for reassurance. “That seemed to really ease a lot of their nerves.” Many children used the strategy, spotting a familiar face and offering a shy wave from the risers.
The morning held one more magical moment—one worthy of the big screen. When the doors opened and Santa himself stepped inside, the room erupted in a scene straight out of “Elf,” with children shouting, “Santa!”
One little girl from the crowd was so overjoyed she sprinted toward him the moment she saw him. Students lined up to share their Christmas wishes, each getting a chance to talk with St. Nick and take a photo to capture the moment.
What began as “Christmas at the Movies” ended like a scene from a classic holiday film—complete with the wonder only Santa can bring.
Decking the Halls
Deck the halls—or in our case, the Shelter—with festive Christmas décor! Our friends at Premier Bankcard put on their Santa hats and transformed Shelter for Family Safety into a holiday wonderland for clients to enjoy! They set up a sparkling Christmas tree in the dining room and decorated the front desk, HUB desk and other common areas, making the space look like something out of a Christmas catalog.
Once the decorating was complete, they organized a stocking activity. Clients decorated stockings and filled them with small stocking stuffer gifts. All that holiday fun worked up an appetite, so clients and staff enjoyed Honey Baked Ham lunch boxes.
After lunch, our Premier friends packed up their sleigh and headed to the Sioux Falls campus, where they turned the dining hall into a winter wonderland.
Georgetown Mall
Groups of kiddos made their way to the Georgetown Mall, a magical “mall” created right inside the Sioux Falls admin building.
The Georgetown Mall gives kids a chance to experience what the holiday season is truly about: opening our hearts and showing kindness to others.
Each child is paired with an adult and strolls through the mall to choose three thoughtful gifts for the people they appreciate most. Parents, siblings, CHS staff, Big Buddies—whoever means the world to them, they get to shop for.
Holiday Breakfast
For more than 20 years, CHS has opened the dining hall doors early to welcome Sioux Falls Child Protective Services (CPS) for an appreciation breakfast. What began as a simple introduction to CHS has grown into a meaningful tradition that gives our staff a chance to pause, offer thanks and strengthen relationships with one of our closest community partners in Sioux Falls.
Admission Coordinator Joan Sim helps organize the breakfast each year. She explained that relationship building has been the core of the event from the start.
“Sioux Falls Child Protective Services is one of our biggest community partners,” said Joan. “This breakfast started as an effort to introduce CHS to CPS, build relationships and get them on our campus.”
Today, the breakfast has evolved into an appreciation event—one that our staff love to host and CPS staff look forward to attending each year. Katelynn Beldin, Director of Residential Treatment, said the event offers a meaningful pause in a heavy season.
“I believe it’s important that we take a moment to pause in a very busy season to acknowledge the weight of the work and say: We see you, we hear you and thank you,” Katelynn said. “While the holidays are full of cheer and happiness, they can also be very heavy in our field as children and families continue to have challenging needs.”
“No one ever says thank you to them,” said Joan. “We love putting this breakfast on. They are always so grateful and say things like, ‘We love this breakfast, it’s the highlight of the week!’”
This year’s menu featured chocolate pancakes, Dutch and Belgian waffles, bacon and sausage prepared by the CHS dining hall team. Along with the delicious food, guests were also given a small gift they can hang on their Christmas tree—a cute handmade ornament that Joan and a few other team members created.
This year, Employee Growth and Development Specialist Courtney Sargent and Administrative Assistant Lynn Bauske helped Joan make the ornaments inspired by the books that Tom Roberts wrote, which were gifted to each of the 30 guests.
“It’s so important for us to say thank you and build these relationships,” Joan said. “I love that even some of the secretaries attend. I talk with them a lot on the phone, and it’s so nice to put a face with a name.”
Gingerbread Day
Baking and decorating cookies is a timeless holiday tradition, and one of the most festive treats to decorate is gingerbread!
For more than 16 years, BHCH kiddos have had the chance to decorate their own gingerbread houses thanks to one special volunteer, Suzanne Crandall. This year, Suzanne baked and assembled 40 houses and provided the cake boards as well.
Our dining hall crew provided plenty of frosting for the kids to use.
“The kids went bananas!” said Abby Sharp, Events and Volunteer Specialist. “Some kids had a theme for their houses, while others crammed as much candy as possible on their houses and cake boards.”
Abby added that each child was allowed to choose three pieces of candy to eat when the houses were complete.
“I saw a few kiddos sneak some candy while decorating, but everyone took it very seriously!”
Once everyone was done with their houses, children shopped at the Christmas Giving Store. Much like Georgetown, each child is paired with an adult and strolls through the store to choose three thoughtful gifts for the people they appreciate most. Parents, siblings, CHS staff, Big Buddies—whoever means the world to them, they get to shop for.
The Incredible Reindeer
An asteroid was hurtling towards the North Pole and Christmas hung in the balance!
That was the dramatic plot of last week’s BHCH Christmas program, which kept audiences on the edge of their seats as a superhero reindeer raced against time to save the North Pole before the asteroid collided with Earth.
This year’s program, “The Incredible Reindeer,” is a musical designed for young voices. Music Therapist Rachel Bonn explained that she chose this musical specifically for its engaging story and lively songs. Another key factor was the flexibility of the script, which could be adapted to fit the format of having all of the students perform together.
“I like to choose stories and songs that I think the children will enjoy,” said Rachel. “I also liked how this script could be adjusted to fit our format, which has all 50 students performing as one large group.”
Students from both Owen and Lincoln schools participated in the concert. Rachel said coordinating rehearsals across two campuses required extra planning.
“Traveling between two campuses was a challenge,” she said. “I did my best to mirror Owen School rehearsals with Lincoln and it seemed to work out fairly well.”
Students began learning some of the songs in late August. As time went on, scripts and short speaking parts were introduced. Rachel said students could choose to be a North Pole reindeer, an incredible reindeer or an elf.
“We had one student dressed as Rudolph,” Rachel explained. “North Pole reindeer had antlers and painted brown noses, while the incredible reindeer had special antlers and a superhero logo to help them stand out. Students could also wear elf hats and have rosy cheeks. The kids definitely showed excitement about being in character.”
Rachel shared that the students really enjoyed using their imagination as they went on their mission to save Christmas.
“One of my favorite moments was when the students pretended to faint after hearing the news about the asteroid headed toward the North Pole,” said Rachel. “We shared a lot of laughs during rehearsal. The older students also had a great time practicing their kazoo part!”
Beyond the fun moments, Rachel said the Christmas program gave students opportunities to be creative and grow.
“I think it’s so important for the students to have opportunities to be imaginative and express themselves creatively,” she said. “I’m just so proud of all of them! They worked hard, had fun and it showed in their performance.”
After the program, the children were treated to a surprise visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Everyone was excited to tell Santa their Christmas wish and get a picture with him—including some of our Board Members.
Gift Wrap Booth
The 26th Annual Gift Wrap Booth is in full swing at the Sioux Falls Empire Mall! Bring your unwrapped gifts to our booth—located in the Macy’s court—now through December 24. Shoppers can have their gifts wrapped by our volunteer Christmas elves in festive paper and bows.
CHS is also hosting a Hope for the Holidays Toy Drive in partnership with Results Townsquare Media. Ashley Neeley, Assistant Director of Development and Events, shared that community support has been amazing this year.
“We had a sleigh full of toys before the Gift Wrap Booth even opened on Black Friday,” said Ashley. “It was truly a wonderful way to kick off the 26th year of the Gift Wrap Booth!”
If you stopped by the booth last Wednesday, December 17, you may have noticed that a few of our Christmas elves looked a lot like some of our Board Members!