'A Home For The Holidays': When to watch, how to live stream, stories and all you need to know about the annual CBS special
CBS has now announced the dates for the 22nd Annual 'A Home For The Holidays', which will be hosted by Gayle King. The one-hour long show will broadcast on Sunday, December 20, at 9.30 pm ET on CBS. The special features uplifting adoption stories from foster care and raises awareness on the important social issue.
The special night marks the adoption of those children whose lives have been changed after they got adopted or fostered. It is been more than two decades since the special night has limelight thousands of American children in foster care and has inspired ten thousand families to adopt a baby.
This year, viewers will witness virtual adoptions as three families adopt their children on air. There are more than 40,000 children who do not have their parents and hope to have a “forever home”. The lives of the foster children are not easy, as only half of these foster children graduate from high school, three percent graduate college and 25 percent end up homeless.
This special show gives a home and a chance to many children around the country, so they can thrive and go on to lead exemplary, even extraordinary, lives. The stories featured on this year’s special include:
Peters Family (Los Angeles)
After Sharis and Thomas Peters experienced infertility, they turned to foster care adoption. In 2010 they received a call about three-year-old Miles and his four-month-old sister, Jasmine. The children had lived on the street and were alone when social services found them. “Miles had the biggest smile, but it was difficult to communicate because no one had talked to him enough to learn language…that was hard. He soon came out of his shell, and the words just started coming,” says Thomas.
Ten months later, the children’s infant sister, Jade, was placed in foster care. “I felt my heart was full and I had everything I could have wished for…and then we got Jade!,” said Sharis. Today, the siblings are doing well in school, Thomas coaches his children in sports and Sharis is a Girl Scout leader for their daughters’ troop.
Salmeron-Meneses Family (Los Angeles)
In 2018, Gerry and Kristi Salmeron-Meneses were matched with 13-year-old Cierra and her eight-year-old brother, Anthony. They had been in foster care for almost five years, moving from home to home, from school to school, and were living in separate homes without each other. Last year, the couple was able to share Christmas with the kids but had to keep their presents and return the children to their separate foster homes later that day.
This year, the family will share their first Christmas as a forever family. “My family means everything to me. Never in a million years did I think we would be with this family, and now we’ll have more happiness to come,” said Cierra.
Marca Kapetanakos Family (Los Angeles)
Anna Kapetanakos and Matthew Marca married and had two daughters, Kiki and Athena. “We loved raising our girls. When they were older, my wife said we have more than enough to share with another child and asked me about adopting from foster care. I agreed,” says Matthew. Last year, the Marcas were matched with Alice, age seven, and her four-year-old sister, Amelia.
The girls had been in foster care a long time, moving from home to home. Amelia’s speech was hard to understand, and Alice was behind in school. Neither girl had ever had a book read to them. Today, Amelia has found her voice, and Alice has caught up in school. “Our older daughters truly love their little sisters,” says Anna. “I cannot imagine our family without them,” says oldest sister Kiki.
Watkins Family (Los Angeles)
Jason and Chad Watkins met 20 years ago and married in 2015. “That’s when we really began thinking about adopting a child from foster care,” says Jason. The couple said yes when they learned about two-year-old Nicholas who needed immediate placement.
“When Nicholas moved in with us, you could see in his eyes how grateful he was to have food in front of him,” says Jason. “He’s five now and learning so much. He can’t get enough books,” says Chad, a high school history teacher. “Nicholas has this sparkle in his eyes – that is what happy looks like,” says Jason.
When to watch
You can watch the broadcast on Sunday, December 20 at 9.30 pm ET.
Where to watch
You can watch the live telecast on the CBS channel.
How to live stream
You can live stream the night through CBS All Access.
Who will perform
Artistes who will be performing in the event include, Josh Groban, Miranda Lambert, Meghan Trainor, Leslie Odom Jr and Andrea Bocelli.