This is the day Christmas begins—not on our calendars, but in our hearts. Here at Compassion Canada, we’re preparing for the most wonderful time of year as we envision what awaits Compassion program participants around the world. We know how important it is for children and their sponsors to share in Christmas celebrations—even though we live so far apart.
Because true generosity is never reactive—it’s responsive to a heart moved with compassion—we want to help you understand how your early acts of love will create Christmas joy in the lives of children. Here are answers to your most important questions about Christmas at Compassion.
1. When do I need to send my card so it gets there in time for Christmas?
This is the day to send Christmas joy. Our standard letter delivery timeline is four to six weeks. However, with Christmas being a busier time for mail delivery, we recommend mailing your cards and letters by the end of October. When you move early, you’re giving the gift of certainty—ensuring the child you sponsor receives this important mail in time.
You are welcome to send a card of your own, or you can select from several options available in your My Compassion account. Sending a card online will also reduce the delivery time—because love can’t wait!
If you’re looking for ideas, check out these tips for writing a great Christmas card to the child you sponsor.
2. What can I send to the child I sponsor?
The guidelines for what to send at Christmas are the same as those for year-round gifts. Due to customs regulations and unpredictable mail services in other countries, we are limited to sending paper items—no larger than 8.5 by 11 inches.
Some items you may send are photos, greeting cards, stickers, bookmarks, postcards, colouring pages, booklets, small calendars, Scripture cards, decorative writing paper, paper dolls and paper planes. If you choose to send an item to the child you sponsor, please ensure you write your supporter number and the child number on each piece.
3. Does my donation to the Christmas Gift Fund go directly to my Compassion child?
Christmas is one of the most special times of the year for children. For many of them, Christmas may be the only time of year they receive a gift, so this is the day we ensure every child experiences the joy of receiving one. Compassion International pools Christmas Gift Fund donations from around the world and equally distributes them to our church partners. This ensures that every Compassion-assisted child receives a gift—including those who may not have a sponsor yet or those whose sponsors are unable to donate.
Your early generosity becomes a seed that grows into joy for children across the globe. When you give now, you’re not just purchasing a gift—you’re planting hope that will bloom by Christmas morning.
If you sponsor more than one child and have elected to have an automatic withdrawal for the Christmas Gift Fund, please note that we process one donation amount per sponsor (rather than one per child), as the fund benefits all children in Compassion’s program collectively.
4. When is the deadline to donate to the Christmas Gift Fund?
This is the day Christmas joy is planted—not December. While the technical deadline to donate to the Christmas Gift Fund is the end of December, true generosity doesn’t wait for deadlines. Compassion sends funds to our church partners well in advance of Christmas, allowing them sufficient time to purchase gifts for all the children.
Early givers like you unlock more impact and allow our frontline partners to prepare well in advance. We don’t wait for December to move with compassion—we act early, because love can’t wait. Compassion estimates how much will be raised, hoping that our sponsors’ generosity will meet or exceed that number. If the donations for a given year exceed the expected amount, we will put them towards next year’s Christmas Gift Fund.
5. What do the children receive as a gift?
The staff at each child development centre purchase age-appropriate gifts for each child. The exact gift varies by country and the context of each community and child. The Compassion centre staff will shop within their community—stimulating their local economy—to find tangible goods to bless the children they love and serve throughout the year.
Your gift, given now, will feed hope by Christmas. Whether it’s practical items like shoes, clothing, blankets or toiletries, or fun treats like colouring books, dolls, action figures and toys, each present carries the love of sponsors who chose to move first—who didn’t wait for the calendar to love boldly.
6. Can I still send the child I sponsor an individual gift?
Yes, you may still choose to send a gift to the child you sponsor (as a child gift or family gift), but we kindly request that you consider waiting until after Christmas to do so. We ask this to ensure all children feel equally valued and experience the same joy during the Christmas celebration. The Christmas Gift Fund ensures that every child receives a thoughtful present. Our hope is that by receiving similar gifts, all children will share a similar sense of Christmas joy during their celebrations.
Feel free to bless your child with a financial gift any other time of year, such as for their birthday or at the end of school.
7. How do Compassion centres celebrate Christmas?
Many of the families Compassion serves are unable to celebrate Christmas with decorations, meals or gifts. Often, parents have to work to provide a daily meal to their family, so the day passes like any other day of the year. But this is where your early generosity creates transformation—the Compassion centres do all they can to make Christmas special for the children.
Compassion staff invest a lot of time and attention in making children feel special and loved throughout the year—and even more so at Christmas! Each child development centre will host a party with a meal, gifts, songs, dances and, of course, a presentation of the Christmas story. Children—and often their siblings and parents—wait all year for this event. They are reminded of the love and joy found in Christ and feel the support of their church, the Compassion centre staff and you, their sponsors.
Your gift becomes their first taste of Christmas joy—evidence that someone across the world chose to love them before the world started celebrating.
We hope this helps you envision what the child you sponsor will experience at Christmas. This is the day we give not out of pressure, but out of purpose. Thank you for partnering with Compassion Canada to create lasting Christmas joy for children living in poverty!
This is the day Christmas begins with compassion.
Give to the Christmas Gift Fund
If you have any other questions, please contact our friendly Supporter Services team.
Originally written by Devon Cornelius, updated by Compassion Canada September 2025.
