Santa helps brighten City Rescue Mission children's Christmas in Oklahoma City

Santa got the warmest of welcomes Monday at City Rescue Mission children’s Christmas party when a little boy ran across the room and jumped into his arms.

Four-year-old Keiser has been preoccupied with Santa for days, his mother, Kathleen Badgley, said. This is the first year he’s really been able to recognize Santa, so he’s been asking all about him, who he is and where he lives.

This is also the first year the Badgley family has spent without a home. Badgley lived in Fort Worth, Texas, until November and worked part time to support her disabled husband and four children. When their money ran out and the electricity was turned off, they moved on.

The family arrived at City Rescue Mission in the middle of the night and staff had to wake up the women’s dorm residents to get mats for them to sleep on. "But everybody was so gracious about it,” Badgley said, "Because they’ve all been there themselves.”

Christmas can be stressful, especially for a newly homeless family.

"Even though this moment in their journey may be low,” said the mission’s president, Tom Jones, "We want these children’s memories to be of the incredible Christmas they had here.”

The mission pulls out all the stops for the Christmas party, with cookie decorating, ornament making, a moon bounce and a visit from Santa.

"It’s amazing they do this much for the kids,” said Badgley. "They have blessed us over and over.”