It’s Christmas morning 2023, and Octavia and Justin Pickett’s crowded kitchen smells of cinnamon. Slipping on her Santa oven mitts, Octavia tells the children jostling around her to step back, then pulls a tray of hot buns from the oven. Two girls lean in to drizzle gooey white icing over the treats, while another squeezes in to scoop some sticky sweetness onto her finger for a taste. Most of them, including Octavia, are wearing matching pink pajamas decorated with snowflakes and Scottie dogs.

A pitcher of pink punch sits on the counter next to a big fruit bowl and a steaming dish of scrambled eggs and bacon. A rat-a-tat-tat echoes through the hallway. Justin is in his son’s bedroom, playing around on a brand-new drum set.

More children in pink jammies are in the living room, surveying the pile of presents under a glittering gold tree covered with pink ribbons and ornaments. Soon, the kids’ siblings will join them, and in no time at all, the tidy living room floor will be a mess of torn paper and bows. After the gifts have been distributed and unwrapped, this diverse family of 10 will return to the kitchen, join hands, and bow their heads in prayer. Octavia will offer thanks for the abundance of the day — and then the feasting will begin.

Legs, meet legs! From left: Elizabeth Huff, Octavia and Justin Pickett, Jacetyn Pickett (standing), Rikyjah Eubanks, Asya Brandon, Addisyn Pickett, and Jaycee Briggs. photograph by Alex Boerner

For the past five years, the Picketts have served as house parents at the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford. In addition to their two biological children — Jacetyn, 12, and Addy, 5 — they’re raising six girls: Rikyjah and Alexis, 13; Jaycee, 14; and Elizabeth, Shyanne, and Asya, all 15. Each holiday season, Octavia sets out in search of new sets of sleepwear for the whole crew. Seeing her family clad in the same patterns is part of what brings her happiness during the holidays. Christmas is a time for everyone to enjoy being home, to leave life’s challenges outside, to lounge around the house all day in matching pajamas.

Raising kids is not easy, Octavia says. A houseful of teenage girls can be challenging — so she relishes this day of abundance and belonging.

• • •

In an archival photograph from a hundred years ago, Oxford Orphanage Drive cuts a straight line through a vast, gated property toward an imposing brick building with a high steeple: the Oxford Orphan Asylum. In another old photo, children are lined up outside the building: two rows of small, shadowy figures, their faces barely visible. Everything in these photos — the sky, the children, the barren field — is a shade of gray, like a scene from a Charles Dickens novel.

But life is not black-and-white. Tragic stories can also be triumphant ones. And in reality, this campus — and those who live, work, give, and serve here — has always been full of vitality and color. The Masonic Home for Children is a lovingly maintained property of nearly 350 acres, where towering red, white, pin, and willow oaks spread dappled shade over sprawling lawns.

Dating back to 1911, the Masonic Home for Children began as the Oxford Orphan Asylum. Photography courtesy of SALLIE MAE LIGON MUSEUM & ARCHIVES & MASONIC HOME FOR CHILDREN AT OXFORD

Originally founded in 1858 by The Masons of North Carolina as St. Johns College, the institution was forced to close its doors during the Civil War. In 1873, to meet the needs of the many children across the state who were orphaned by that war, the Masons reopened the campus as an orphanage. Over the past 150 years, more than 11,000 North Carolina children have been raised at the Masonic Home — and many have gone on to become business owners, military leaders, police officers, nurses, teachers, and more.

During Christmastime, a white candle twinkles in every window of every brick building on Orphanage Road. Deeper into the campus, brick cottages on cul-de-sacs are covered with holiday decorations. Up to seven children live in these cottages with two house parents. Other cottages offer transitional housing for young adults seeking to achieve independence.

“These kids have been through a lot by the time they arrive here.”

Octavia and Justin never set out to do this kind of work, though they were dedicated to serving youth at their former church in Alabama— sometimes even offering kids a place to live. They discovered the Masonic Home when close friends of theirs who worked as house parents called on them. “Pray on it,” their friends told the couple. Octavia and Justin’s answer came quickly. “I firmly believe that children are the future,” Octavia says. This was the Picketts’ way to live their faith, to share their gifts, and to make the world better.

Octavia has learned not to read the children’s case files before she meets them — because, she says, they often struggle less, and thrive more, than their paperwork might suggest. “These kids have been through a lot by the time they arrive here,” she says with a sigh, exuding a wisdom and weariness particular to mothers. “I take pride in trying to create and manage an environment where they can feel at home.”

It comes down to the simple things, she says: comfortable temperatures, a clean space, tasty food, kind voices. Some kids get triggered by loud noises. Others have never sat down for a family meal. Meeting them where they are is no easy task with children of different ages and developmental capacities.

Today, the Masonic Home’s campus fosters an atmosphere of love and fellowship. photograph by Alex Boerner

Justin sits quietly beside his wife as she speaks, listening and nodding his agreement. Physically large, he speaks in a thoughtful, gentle voice. At the Masonic Home, he founded a gathering called CHAMPS, a campus mentoring group for African American boys. Authority, he says, is a sensitive issue for the kids. When new ones move in, Justin says, he gives them space. He tries to listen and observe more than speak. His goal is to create a mutually respectful relationship. A former drummer for his church and a lover of R&B, rap, and gospel, Justin sometimes finds common ground with kids through music.

The best part of the work, the Picketts agree, is watching a child finally let down their guard. Sometimes this happens at the dinner table, when everyone is invited to participate in a “feelings check.” The kids are asked to answer three questions: How are you feeling? What is your goal for the day? And who can help you achieve it? In the beginning, recent arrivals in the home often observe this ritual with silent skepticism. Then, one day, out of the blue, they’ll name an emotion. They’ll share a goal. Most rewarding is when a kid eventually asks for Octavia or Justin’s help in achieving it.

• • •

The Masonic Home is the only home that 15-year-old Elizabeth has ever known. She arrived here from Denton when she was just 18 months old, although she’s always stayed in touch with her family. Her three brothers also grew up here, in cottages close by so the siblings could stay connected. Two of her brothers are still neighbors; the third one moved back to their hometown after graduating high school.

With her long history at the Masonic Home, Elizabeth has a special place in staff members’ hearts. “I take my role in her life very seriously,” says Leigh Ann Adcock, the home’s in-kind donations coordinator. “And I’m not the only one. A lot of people here are really invested in her.”

From left: Rikyjah Eubanks, Jaycee Briggs, Addisyn Pickett, and Elizabeth Huff whip up a holiday brunch at the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford. photograph by Alex Boerner

Despite her official title, Adcock’s true contribution to the community can’t be captured in a job description. She runs the Resident Advisory Council, which means kids come to her directly with their requests. They know they can rely on her to be real with them; she doesn’t hesitate to advocate for them — or to set them straight when they misbehave. One thing she did advocate for were the shiny new street lights lining the roads, the result of a visit from some kids who told Adcock that they needed more light to feel safe during nighttime walks across campus.

Not surprisingly, the holidays are Adcock’s busiest time of year. When Elizabeth and the other girls at Master Mason Cottage dreamed of a pink Christmas to celebrate all the girls who live there, Adcock sprang into action. By mid-December, their living room window framed a gold-and-pink Christmas tree with pink snowflakes and pink felted balls, pink nutcrackers and pink garlands, snowmen in pink scarves and gingerbread men in pink shirts. In the cul-de-sac where Elizabeth and her friends live, decorating for Christmas is highly competitive. And this year, Master Mason Cottage is giving the neighbors a run for their money.

All the girls at Master Mason Cottage wanted for Christmas was a playful tree shimmering in pink and gold. photograph by Alex Boerner

Octavia and Justin, still in their pajamas, are sitting on the couch, watching Alexis open her last present. For these three, this is an especially magical Christmas: Octavia and Justin have begun the process of adopting Alexis. The idea came as a calling several months ago, after the Picketts discovered that the parental rights of Alexis’s biological mother and father would soon be terminated.

One day not long afterward, Octavia sat down beside the child and put an arm around her. After a moment of silence, Octavia gently asked, “If you had your way, what exactly would happen now?”

Alexis answered without hesitation: “I would become a part of your family.”

Three days later, Octavia and Justin initiated the adoption process. By the 2024 holiday season, Alexis was officially their daughter. Their hearts told them that this was the right decision, and that they should not wait. For Alexis and the Picketts, “home for the holidays” this year has a brand-new meaning.