The perfect Christmas is what everyone who celebrates the holiday wants to have. The idea of the perfect Christmas varies from person to person. Some want to be home with their families and others want to travel for the holiday.

In the case of Kara Skinner, a single mother raising eight children, her idea of a perfect Christmas is one where everyone is together, knows how much they are loved, and feels fulfilled with where they’re at so they do not feel like anything is missing. 

Kara has been taking care of her niece and nephew who lost their father. She also is caring for two other children in a family that struggled with addiction. “I worry about the kids I am fostering as far as them missing out, or feeling like they’re missing out, because they are not with their siblings or with mom and dad,” she said.

Inflation, construction to their house, and taking care of eight children have made it really hard for Skinner to give her family the good Christmas that she would like. 

“Having this many kids, it’s really tight this year,” Kara said. “After I get paid, there’s very little left for extra.”

New Hope Services has been working with the family to help relieve some of the stress of having to take care of eight children. Healthy Families is a New Hope program to support parents that helps connect them with community resources.

*Abridged story & photo courtesy of News and Tribune