BTW, this is the episode:
Or orphanariums.
You beat me to it!
Something like what *Bewitched" showed apparently still happens
Orphan hosting provides children with an amazing opportunity to see life outside their orphanage, but more importantly, it allows children to be loved by a family and feel as though they are a part of a family.
Hosting an orphan is the perfect way for you to make a positive difference in the lives of these children.
Our hosting programs are for 4-5 weeks during the Summer (typically anywhere between late June and early August), and our special holiday program is 4-5 weeks during the Winter (typically mid-December to mid-January). Many orphans have never spent a holiday with a family or have not had the chance in many years.
What Bewitched showed seems rather like what people used to do for soldiers at nearby military bases far from their own homes - invite them to holiday dinners - which also still happens
yes, I’m not certain why D_G keeps bashing this. A seemingly nice thing to do for children in very unfortunate situations. And presumably something they volunteered for or at least wanted to do, not something they were forced to do.
My wife works (occasionally) as a translator for the agency that handles children “in care”.
Only the most difficult cases are in group homes. The vast majority are in foster care. And many (perhaps most) of the foster families are related to the children (most often grandparents).
She’s never heard of anything like the OP is describing.
How would you like it if you were taken in by a family for a couple of days, shown a (presumably happy) family life, then shipped right back to the orphanage for the other 363 days of the year? It seems like a profoundly shitty, manipulative treatment using the kids as a feel-good holiday prop to me.
Should I move this to In My Humble Opinion now?
We’re beyond Factual Questions now I think.
Sure.
I work in this business and have never heard of this.
Maybe it happened in the distant past or a different country than the US?
Honestly? I’m not sure. I suppose it is possible that doing so could make the child even more resentful and bitter than they might otherwise be
Why do you insist on ascribing negative motivations to the families that do this? Don’t you think it is at least possible that they want these children to experience something positive during the holidays?
So we should never do anything to try to make their lives even momentarily better, to ever give them temporary joy? Because it is not permanent, they should be deprived of anything that could ever give them happiness or hope that their life can be better? Their lives are crap and they should never experience anything beyond that crap for fear that they might feel even worse about their situation than they already do? Ugh, what a nihilistic viewpoint that is.
Over 30 years ago, I was dating a young woman who worked in Child Protective Services. On a Friday few days before Christmas, she had to take three kids into a temporary shelter, until they found a foster family. She was quite upset about this.
Our company had Nutcracker tickets for the Saturday that were going a-begging. I asked if she wanted to use them to give the kids a night out. She did and reported that they had a great time.
I now realize what a shitty thing that was to do.
I would think that they would love the treat. (This is in general and also to @Mighty_Mouse).
A musician friend of mine was playing a show on the day of Thanksgiving. I went to check it out without paying close attention to what the show was and it turned out it was the big free Thanksgiving meal that several local charities sponsored. Anyone could show up and eat for free but most of the attendees were unhoused and poor people and families. It was moving. They were all so happy and grateful for this rare treat. They were back to being unhoused or living in shelters or poverty that night but it never crossed my mind that it was unkind in any way.
Or children’s homes.
I was being sarcastic. Sorry.
Just reading through the thread, didn’t any of you ever see Annie? Daddy Warbucks wanted to rent an orphan for the holidays. Annie was the kid, and it turned out pretty well for her in the end.
I wasn’t aware that was a true story. Interesting. 
I can totally see a family willing to have someone who would otherwise be alone for the holidays to host them for a meal or even a few days. This includes orphans, college students, boarding school students, and service personnel.
I’ve been both a college student and a service member who spent the holidays alone, and would have appreciated a place to go other than my normal room/quarters.
In the case of an orphan, a family might feel they have the time, space, and/or money to host someone for the holidays while not being able to take someone in permanently.
I’m not ascribing negative motivations, I’m ascribing clueless ones. It seems like a firm of slactivism, like the people that think the homeless are only hungry two days of the year.
You want me to think their motives are selfless? Then how about they foster or adopt the kid instead of doing the bare minimum that makes them feel good?
Firm=form. (Can’t edit because of video link.)