I picked up this CD by Steven Curtis Chapman over the weekend. The songs are beautiful and joyful for the holidays, but song number four, “All I Really Want” is a touching song.

I’m not talking about the old song of wanting your two front teeth. This is far more poignant than missing teeth. The song is written as a child talking to Santa about the most important wish for Christmas – a family. You can listen to the song here. Have your tissues ready.

Here is the chorus:

All I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose
Shoulders to ride on if I win
There’s so much I could ask for
But there’s just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas is a family

You can ready the full lyrics here.

If you’re not familiar with Steven Curtis Chapman, he is a Christian musician. He and his wife are very familiar with adoption, having adopted three beautiful little girls from China. Their photos appear on the CD and they are adorable.

Steven and his wife, Mary Beth, have created a foundation called Shaohannah’s Hope named for their oldest adopted daughter. This foundation helps families in various ways. For those who need help financing and adoption, they have grants available to help defray the costs. There are links for “how to adopt” which gives some of the basic information to get started, you can donate money toward providing grants to families, information for your church to help the children and to help families and bring awareness to adoption, and so much more.

“Shaoey” is part of the CD, as she reads the story of the birth of Jesus on the first track on the CD and then singing “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” with her father on the last track.

If you are looking for a holiday gift that has some meaning, you can purchase Christmas ornaments, donate money to help build a foster home, and other meaningful ways of giving.

Their giving is not limited to families adopting from China. They promote adoption across the board.

One of the amazing things about this family is that adoption was not an option that Steven and Mary Beth had been considering. Their daughter, Emily, first mentioned it to them when she was eleven years old and had returned from a mission trip to Haiti. She is the one who asked her parents to adopt.

If you’re looking for something to warm your heart this holiday season, pick up this CD, and visit the website to help other parents, or apply for an adoption grant if you need it.

Photo credit - Steven Curtis Chapman album cover