The holidays can be lonely when you’re older. Family may live far away, and a fixed income doesn’t leave much room for Christmas gifts.
Be a Santa to a Senior is a holiday program that helps older adults receive gifts from local volunteers. Instead of focusing on children, this program makes sure seniors who may be isolated or struggling financially are remembered during the holidays.
There’s one important thing to know: There isn’t one national application for seniors to sign up. Local organizations help identify people who need gifts, and the process varies by community.
Here’s how the program works and where to ask for help.
What Is Be a Santa to a Senior?
Be a Santa to a Senior is a Christmas gift program organized by Home Instead, a company that provides in-home care for older adults.
Local Home Instead offices work with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and community groups to collect gifts for seniors who might otherwise go without them.
In participating communities, the process usually works like this:
- Local organizations help identify seniors who could benefit from Christmas gifts.
- Home Instead and its partners create ornaments with each senior’s first name and gift requests.
- The ornaments are placed on Christmas trees at participating stores, businesses, or community locations.
- Shoppers select an ornament, purchase the requested gifts, and return them to the collection location.
- Volunteers collect, wrap, and deliver the gifts to seniors before Christmas.
Gifts are often practical items that make everyday life a little more comfortable.
Depending on the local program, seniors might receive blankets, slippers, warm socks, gloves, personal care items, calendars, puzzles, or other small gifts.
The exact gifts and number of recipients depend on donations and local participation.
Who Can Receive Christmas Gifts?
Be a Santa to a Senior focuses on older adults who may not otherwise receive gifts during the holidays.
This can include seniors who:
- Live alone or have limited contact with family.
- Are experiencing financial hardship.
- Have few people available to help them celebrate Christmas.
- Receive services from participating senior organizations or care programs.
You do not necessarily need to be a Home Instead customer to receive gifts. The program serves older adults in the wider community through partnerships with local organizations.
However, Home Instead does not publish one nationwide set of eligibility rules for recipients.
Each participating office works with its own community partners, so the selection process and availability can differ from one location to another.
How Do Seniors Get on the Gift List?
This is the most important part of the program.
Be a Santa to a Senior does not have one national application for gift recipients. Instead, local Home Instead offices typically work with nonprofit organizations and senior service providers to identify people who may need extra support during Christmas.
Some offices may accept referrals or inquiries directly, but you should not assume every location has an open sign-up process.
The best place to start is with organizations that already serve older adults in your community.
1. Ask Meals on Wheels
Some Home Instead offices partner with Meals on Wheels programs to identify seniors who could benefit from holiday gifts.
For example, Home Instead’s Birmingham-area holiday program has worked with United Way’s Jefferson County Meals on Wheels.
If you receive meal deliveries, ask your Meals on Wheels coordinator or program staff whether they participate in Be a Santa to a Senior or another holiday gift program.
Your local program may have its own Christmas assistance even if it doesn’t work with Home Instead.
2. Contact Your Senior Center or Area Agency on Aging
Senior centers, Councils on Aging, and Area Agencies on Aging often know about holiday programs for older adults.
Some may partner with Home Instead, while others organize their own gift collections or Angel Trees.
You can ask:
“Does your organization participate in Be a Santa to a Senior or know of any Christmas gift programs for older adults? If so, how can someone be referred?”
If you already work with a caseworker or senior services coordinator, ask whether they can help you find a participating program.
3. Ask Senior Housing or Care Facility Staff
Some Be a Santa to a Senior campaigns work with nursing homes, senior living communities, and other care organizations.
Staff members may help identify residents who have limited family support or might otherwise go without holiday gifts.
If you live in senior housing or a care facility, ask the activities director, resident services coordinator, or social worker whether a holiday gift program is available.
4. Contact Your Local Home Instead Office
You can also contact a nearby Home Instead office directly.
Ask whether it is participating in Be a Santa to a Senior this year and which organizations are helping identify gift recipients.
Home Instead has published an official list of offices that participated in its 2025 holiday program. The list includes locations by state and links to individual offices.
Because that list is from 2025, you’ll need to confirm whether the office is participating in 2026.
You can also use the Home Instead website to find an office in your area.
Not every office necessarily participates, and contacting an office does not guarantee a place on its gift list.
When Should You Ask About Christmas Gifts?
Be a Santa to a Senior is a seasonal program, and the schedule varies by location.
Many participating offices organize their gift trees during November and arrange deliveries in December.
For example, one Home Instead holiday campaign in New Braunfels, Texas, scheduled gift selection from late November into December, followed by wrapping and deliveries before Christmas.
Other offices may start earlier or use different dates.
If you’re hoping to receive help this Christmas, it’s worth asking your local senior center, Meals on Wheels program, or Home Instead office as early as possible.
There is no confirmed nationwide deadline for recipients, so don’t assume that a date used in another city applies to your community.
Are There Other Christmas Gift Programs for Seniors?
Yes. Be a Santa to a Senior isn’t the only holiday program that may help older adults.
Some senior centers and Councils on Aging organize their own Angel Trees or holiday gift drives. These programs may collect gifts for seniors who live alone, have limited incomes, or receive local aging services.
Some Meals on Wheels programs also coordinate holiday deliveries that include practical gifts such as blankets, toiletries, socks, or other donated items.
These are local initiatives, so availability depends on where you live.
The Salvation Army also operates Angel Tree programs, and some locations offer holiday assistance for older adults. Certain communities use names such as Silver Bells or Silver Angels for senior-focused gift programs.
Our guide to Angel Tree programs explains how these programs work and where to look for local opportunities.
If one organization doesn’t have a holiday gift program, ask whether it knows of another group accepting referrals.
Relief Recap
Be a Santa to a Senior helps older adults receive Christmas gifts through participating Home Instead offices and local community partners.
The program often serves seniors who are isolated, struggling financially, or unlikely to receive gifts otherwise. However, there is no single national application, and participation varies by location.
If you or an older loved one could use some holiday help, start by asking your local Meals on Wheels program, senior center, Area Agency on Aging, or Home Instead office about gift programs and referrals.
You can also explore our guide to free Christmas help for low-income families for additional holiday assistance options.
