Fort Bliss Families get set for holidays at Holiday Festival

By Stephen Baack, Fort BlissDecember 15, 2008

Fort Bliss families get set for holidays
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BLISS, Texas--More than 200 children and other military family members stopped by the Team Bliss Holiday Festival at Biggs Park Dec. 5, to play games, watch holiday movies, drink hot chocolate and meet Santa.

"It was just kind of a neat time," said Jim Brockman, an Army spouse who brought his son Eli. "We live right here. They just love doing this stuff - being around other kids, being away from a school environment and just to cut loose, especially when it's Friday."

Parents joined their children in coloring, arts and crafts, games of bean-bag toss and watching holiday music videos on an inflatable screen during the first hour. That is, until Santa surprised them with his presence - having hitched a ride on a fire truck. Members of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, who set up the event, took photos of each child with Santa.

Another popular attraction was a larger-than-life set of Jenga blocks that towered over most of the children at the festival.

"I don't think they've ever seen a Jenga set that big," Brockman said of the children, and added that the festival is helping his kids get ready for the holiday.

"They're getting ready," he said. "This kind of puts more steam on the engine. ... It's also all fun and it's free, because sometimes these types of events aren't free."