Deployed Spouses And Their Families Celebrate Christmas Early

A beautifully decorated Christmas tree surrounded with gifts, giant stockings stuffed with goodies, a surprise visit from Santa Claus, food and fun combined created one spectacular evening at the on Wednesday.

Indeed, Christmas came early this year for many deployed spouses and their children and though the families are celebrating without that special someone, Travis Wednesday's Christmas celebration turned plenty of frowns upside down.

Travis Wednesdays is a weekly get together at the Hampton Inn and Suites where General Manager, Hartmut Ott and Renee Richardson of the Airman and Family Readiness Center, host an evening of food and fun for deployed spouses and their families.  All of the amenities and services are available to the families for the evening including complimentary massages for all of the spouses, said Richardson.

"We love these spouses. These women are amazing and we commend them for their strength," Richardson said. "We're all here to support them and let them know that we are here if they ever need anything."

Wednesday evening's Travis Wednesday was a very special night because of the Christmas theme, said Ott.

The idea of Travis Wednesdays is to provide spouses of deployed airmen with a supportive community for their families, said Ott.  Last year was the Year of the Airforce Family and after attending a Heart of Hearts presentation, Ott wanted to do more for military families.

After sharing his ideas with wife, Laura Ott, and partnering with Richardson and Lynne Golden, who offers complimentary massages every Travis Wednesday, Ott decided to host deployed spouses and their families with an enjoyable evening of fun and relaxation.

Being a fairly new idea, there was a lot of uncertainty of what Travis Wednesdays would entail such outcome and participation due to varying deployment dates, said Lynn Ott. Travis Wednesdays have hosted anywhere from 20-50 people and what started as an idea turned into a weekly gathering of family fun, said Ott.

"We get together and meet different spouses who are all experiencing the same stresses and it's just nice to chat and relax," said long-time attendee Missy Bursell. "Hartmut always tell us to make ourselves at home and it's just a really nice break. It's relief from the house."

Bonnie Harriman comes to Travis Wednesdays because she believes that it is essential for her son to be around other children who are experiencing a similar situation.

"I think it's very important for him to know that he isn't the only son who is without a daddy at a time like this," said Harriman. "Hartmut doesn't have to do any of this for any of us, but he does it because he wants too. There aren't very many businesses that will go out of their way and do things like this for us, but Hartmut does and he goes above and beyond."

The two hour evening was filled with food, fun, conversation, cookie decorating and a special visit from the big man himself. Santa Claus dropped in and passed out candy canes, took a seat in front of the Christmas tree where each child was allowed to sit on his lap and choose a gift. Seven-year-old, Geremiah Brown, chose a Hot Wheels Race Car and Track set because race cars are his favorite toys because they're fast, he said. Richardson partnered with various organizations who donated all of the gifts. The Vacaville Blue Star Moms also donated giant stockings filled with goodies.

"We want to just be able to give them a piece of Christmas and make them feel cheerful and not just with presents and food, but with hugs," said Richardson. "These spouses are what makes evenings like this successful. They are missing one of the most important people in their lives and they still manage to be strong and show support for other families."