Christmas goodness

CLOVIS — Even though the weather outside really was frightful, Clovis residents still felt the joy of the Christmas spirit on Saturday.

The Lighthouse Mission hosted a Christmas party for community members and families to receive goodies and gifts.

"It's for children that maybe aren't going to have a good Christmas," said Board President Sandra Smith. "It's a day the community feels the love of Jesus and from the community."

Estra Baltazar brought her 21-month old son Victor to the event for the first time.

"It's really nice," said Baltazar. "My son likes to sing karaoke. It's just a nice opportunity to get together because there's not much happening in Clovis, especially while it's snowing."

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is the favorite for Baltazar and her son.

"It's good for the kids," said attendee Karla Villanueva. "(I like) the community coming together. It brings all the kids together."

Adrianna Martinez attended the Christmas party for the second time this year.

She brought her three children — Isaac, 2, Ebony, 4 and Noe, 5 — to receive gifts, but there was something else unique about this year.

"I like the gifts, but this year was not as full as last year," said Martinez. "They have more people helping out and it's faster. Last year everybody was lined up outside."

Jonathan Carver began to sing about how joyful he was to come to the event.

"God bless this place, God bless the children," Carver said. "I brought my stepkids. It's just good stuff. The family aura you get from here, everybody is just family."

While the attendees loved the Lighthouse Mission's efforts, organizers said they can't take all the credit.

"It's all due to the community. We have a lot of organizations helping out and it's the community that helps out," said Lighthouse Mission Warehouse/Pickup Manager Carlos Gomez. "It's everybody putting their hands together. There's a joy at the Lighthouse. When you come here, you're treated with love. It's not for any gain, it's just for giving."

Bailey Weiss, 15, has volunteered with the organization for four years.

"It's just really cool to see the kids really hear about it... and how the mission touched them," said Weiss. "It's just a very loving place."