Toys, brunch and Dick Van Dyke make for a festive Christmas at the Midnight Mission

The line outside the Midnight Mission in downtown Los Angeles began two days ago, as hundreds of men, women and their children waited patiently for a warm meal and a toy from Santa’s Village on Christmas morning.

Volunteers arrived early Sunday to greet them, handing out beanies, caps and jackets in the chilly hours before the mission’s Santa’s Village opened its doors at 8 a.m.

Cecelia Rosales bounced Troy, her 1-year-old son, on her hip as he waved to everyone and said “hi” and “thank you,” among the first few words he has learned. Rosales giggled with him as he welcomed the day’s sunshine and saw no difference between those who lived on the streets and those volunteers who came to skid row to spend the day with them.

Troy is her sixth child, said Rosales, 33. She said she struggled with drug addiction for years and her other children were taken away. Now sober for two years, she sees a bright future and another shot at motherhood with her baby boy. Rosales has enrolled in a community program that will help her read and write, get a job and find secure housing.

“I’m going to do the legwork and stop just wishing for what I want,” she said, looking at Troy with pride and determination. “For once in my life, I’m going to have my own apartment. I’m going to be a good mother.”

About 2,000 children were expected to spend Christmas at the mission, which was decorated with colorful wrapping paper and filled with donated toys and books. Dozens of volunteers greeted families, helped children select their toys and served them a festive brunch. Entertainer Dick Van Dyke, a longtime Christmas volunteer at the mission, donned a bright red sweater and sang carols with the Urban Voices Project, a choir of spirited singers who consider skid row home.

“He’s always been a part of what we do here. It’s wonderful,” Joey Weinert, the mission’s volunteer manager, said as he ushered in more families and directed enthusiastic volunteers to their positions in Santa’s Village. “It’s been super busy. It’s going great.”

Luis and Zarela Lopez smiled at the carolers and huddled around their toddler, Liesel Shanell, who just turned 1 this week. The couple woke up early, took a bus from their home in Koreatown to downtown Los Angeles and waited quietly for almost two hours in hopes of providing their daughter with a birthday and Christmas celebration. The couple work in a restaurant kitchen, but they have been out of work for a month because the owner could not afford to keep all his employees full time.

They said they expect to be back at work after the holidays, when business at the restaurant picks up again. Until then, they’re finding ways to take care of their daughter and just being “happy together,” Zarela Lopez said in Spanish. Walking slowly around the room full of toys, she picked a plastic training tricycle for toddlers and an interactive book that teaches children about shapes and colors.

She likes educational toys, Lopez said, as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.

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Across the L.A. area, Christmas morning brought numerous other communities together as well. At Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena, hundreds of volunteers gathered to share a meal with those with no place to go during the holidays. At Hollywood United Methodist Church, in an annual event co-hosted with Temple Israel of Hollywood, children gathered to take photos with Santa, and volunteers expect to provide food, blankets and toiletries to more than 1,000 people.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez said a 9 a.m. Christmas Mass for inmates gathered in the chapel at the Men’s Central Jail. The archbishop also said a 12:30 p.m. Christmas Mass in Spanish at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

For those flying on Christmas Day, Santa Claus appeared at Los Angeles International Airport, where he handed out stuffed animals, candy canes and ornaments. Airport police canines were also greeting children and weary passengers with tail wags and holiday cheer.

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UPDATES:

2:40 p.m.: This article was updated with interviews with people who attended Christmas brunch at the Midnight Mission.

This article was originally posted at 10:40 a.m.