The mistletoe was up and the candles were glowing amid the splendor of high, beamed ceilings and a massive stone fireplace at Thunder Canyon Golf and Country Club in Washoe Valley Sunday, as a small group of Empire Elementary School third graders sang for their supper.
Accompanied by Mary Carlson on the guitar, the kids belted out a list of familiar old tunes: Jingle Bells and Silent Night along with many more, to a very receptive audience.
Decked out in their Christmas finest, there were some tense moments before the performance, but some took a moment to say a few words.
Eight-year-old Guillermo Alonzo had a few pre-performance jitters, but was excited about the prospect of singing in front of an audience.
"I haven't performed since the second grade," he said.
"It's very fancy here," Jessica Garnett, 8, said. "But I'm pretty nervous."
In return for the revelry, the folks at Thunder Canyon hosted moms, dads, brothers and sisters to a candle-light buffet.
"We just thought it might be nice," Thunder Canyon manager Vickie Suwe said. "My son attends Empire, and they do a great job."
