Santa does not only bring presents. Sometimes, he gets them, too.

Fourteen years ago, a paramedic’s child asked him close to Christmas for a new sibling as a present in a few days, a biological impossibility.

Three weeks later, that same paramedic, who also dresses up like Santa, was on a 911 call when a mother gave birth to a baby she did not want. He brought the baby home, and that child is now a teenager. This story was related to the Washington Examiner by Santa himself.

He is not the only front-line worker who went beyond the 911 call to help those in need.

First responders have a track record of adopting babies left at Safe Haven Baby Boxes at fire stations or hospitals. Police officers have adopted babies born to women they were called to help or found in need.

This should come as no surprise. Those who dedicate their lives to helping the most vulnerable are also ready to protect the smallest humans.

This Christmas, it is worth celebrating those first responders and their spouses who said “yes,” often with minimal deliberation, to growing their family in an unconventional way. The mothers who chose life rather than abortion also deserve thanks. And so do the countless charities that help families facing difficult situations.

Marc Hadden, a Myrtle Beach firefighter, made the decision to adopt with his wife in 2011. Hadden was on call when he helped a woman in labor get to the hospital. She wanted the baby placed for adoption “immediately,” as reported by CBS News .

More recently, a firefighter and his wife adopted a baby left in a Safe Haven box.

“A gift from God” is how an Ocala, Florida, firefighter named Vincent described his daughter Zoey when interviewed by NBC News. He and his wife adopted the baby almost a year ago after she was left in the Safe Haven Baby Box at the fire station.

He brought the baby to the hospital for follow-up care and left a note sharing how he and his wife had tried for nearly a decade to start a family.

“We just wanted to be parents and be able to care for a child,” his wife Katy said.

Albuquerque Officer Ryan Holets and his wife Rebecca know about making bold decisions to support the neediest. The Holets adopted a baby girl after Ryan saw an eight-month-pregnant woman using heroin. They already had a 10-month-old and three other children.

“I was led by God to take the chance,” Ryan told CNN in 2017. “God brought us all together. I really don’t have any other way to explain it.”

The Holets have also helped the mother, Crystal Champ , go through drug rehab and get her life back together.

Beyond first responders, there are also the pregnancy resource centers that provide, often free, material and educational support to pregnant mothers, babies, and their families. The centers have been under attack for decades now, but legal attacks and physical violence have been especially heaped on them since May 2022, when the Supreme Court decision reversing Roe v. Wade was leaked .

A new report from a coalition of pro-life groups calculated that pregnancy resource centers annually provided nearly $360 million in services to families in need. This includes not only diapers, strollers, and pregnancy tests but also parenting classes and counseling. Approximately 7 in 10 pregnancy resource center workers are volunteers.

Firefighters, paramedics, officers, and pregnancy center volunteers — these are the people who quietly do what is right, day in and day out, to protect precious human life. They deserve thanks this Christmas.

Matt Lamb is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is an associate editor for The College Fix and has previously worked for Students for Life of America and Turning Point USA.