Adam Gayter, 33, and husband Brandon Gayter, 26, have been fostering with Fosterplus since April this year and are getting in the festive spirit alongside their foster sons, who are brothers aged 5 and 6.
Adam said: “This will be our first Christmas together as a family and we really want to make it special for the boys. We've picked out a real Christmas tree and decorated it together and got matching pyjamas, Elf on the Shelf, the works.”
The new family is taking the opportunity to create special Christmas memories together. Before coming into care the boys had never had a Christmas tree and this is the first year they’ve been able to get properly involved.
Brandon said: “What our boys really deserve is a good family Christmas. Presents are great, and there will be plenty of them, but quality time together as a family is priceless.
“Christmas morning is going to be amazing. The boys are very energetic from the minute they wake up until they go to bed, but we’re quite energetic as well so we can keep up with them, which is one of the benefits we’ve found of fostering as a younger couple.”
The couple had some concerns about being a younger, same-sex couple before they started fostering, Adam said: “All of our worries were put to bed from day one. We were treated exactly the same as anyone else by the team at Fosterplus and have received so much support. There is a real community around fostering, plus all the events that go on, it’s like an extended family.”
Adam and Brandon’s foster sons are especially excited about celebrating the holiday together as a family and have been fully embracing the Christmas spirit, one of the boys said: “Christmas isn’t just a season, it’s a magical feeling.”
There are more than 500 children in care in Northamptonshire with the number of children in need of homes increasing across the East Midlands year on year.
Adam and Brandon are encouraging more people to consider fostering this Christmas, they said: “We’d encourage anyone thinking of becoming a foster parent to go for it. Fostering is an experience like no other. It’s challenging, exciting, and the most rewarding thing we’ve done together as a couple.
“We didn't realise what we were missing until we met our two boys. We want all of their Christmases to feel magical from here on out.”
For more information on fostering with Fosterplus, visit the website at www.fosterplus.co.uk or call 0800 369 8512.