Families celebrate Christmas in unlikely place
On Dec. 21, 2024, the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) turned the visiting room into a winter wonderland. Resident students of Prison Industry Authority Carpentry and the Community Resource Manager’s (CRM) decorating committee put together several stations with props that made Christmas come to life.
Nutcrackers stood by the doors, along with a huge Christmas tree with all the trimmings, snowmen, a gingerbread woman and man, and a gingerbread house that the kids could walk through.
There was a table with all the cookies and cupcakes you could imagine. There was even a picture booth for the families. Last, but not least, was a face painting station where the incarcerated women got to paint their children’s faces. One could see the residents’ family getting in on the action of painting faces as well.
Everyone was having a blast enjoying the company of their loved ones. A young lady walked away from the table with a painted butterfly wing on her face while a young man walked away with his whole face painted like a tiger. Crystal Mejia, chairperson of the CRM’s decorating committee, had her face painted as well, a painted gift box adorned the side of her face.
There were families from different walks of life interacting with each other outside, on the jungle gym, swinging, laughing, and having a great time. Every now and then you’d hear the hushed tones of “It’s cold,’’ yet, the winter weather hadn’t stopped the families from enjoying one another’s time.
After a while of everyone chatting and checking out the stations, Santa and his “little helpers” walked through the door to light up the room. His helpers came from the PUPS, Uplifting Prisoners Spirits Program, on B yard. As the dogs walked behind him in their little Christmas outfits donated by staff, each friendly puppy had its own swagger. One named Astrid was dressed up with a little Santa.
Then there was Jordan who had a Bambi outfit on while the others Annabelle, James, Scotty, Forrest, Caleb, Koda, Jason, and Billie had on their “ugly” Christmas sweaters. As they paraded around, the families gathered and surrounded them with love.
From young to old, everyone’s face lit up with glee as Santa and his helpers filled the room with joy. At that point, it crossed my mind how important it is to stay connected. We are incarcerated, true, but we are still mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, and friends.
I noticed a young lady off to the side, Sarah Montoya, a lifer from C-yard, who was delighted to be there.
“It gets hard to not have family around,” she told me. “I mean, I talk to them on the phone but it still makes me sad. This is the first time in five years I’ve seen my children.”
Gynna Williams, a young lady who is here serving a life sentence, was there with her grandparents and a younger brother. Her family stated that they enjoyed the experience especially after going through the whole visitors’ entrance procedure: parking, waiting, and standing in lines; but worst of all was the walking. Despite that, they were still happy to spend time with Williams.
Resident Kimberly Guzman and her family felt the same way about the waiting and walking but once they got to B-side visiting to meet up with their loved ones, they said it was worth it. Everyone looked very happy and upbeat.
Everyone appreciated all the donations from staff, the incarcerated population’s family, and the sponsors. Roxanne Nichols, who has been a sponsor for about a year, was wearing a Christmas “Baby Yoda” sweater that was so cute. She wished everyone a very merry Christmas.
As our time neared its end, the families enjoyed the last moments of their visits. For most it seemed a bittersweet feeling having to say to the goodbyes and see you later. It seemed that the joy they had made waiting for the next visit felt the way a child does waiting to open his or her gifts on Christmas morning.
I could hear “Until we meet again” echoing in the distance as families made their exits.
