November 21, 2005 -- Santa Claus arrived a little early this year, pulling into Times Square on a firetruck, with Batman, Darth Vader and a marching band not far behind.
For a few hours yesterday, the Times Square Toys "R" Us store closed its doors to the public, giving about 1,300 widows and children of fallen FDNY firefighters the chance meet Santa and the costumed characters at the 51st Annual Uniformed Firefighters Association holiday party for widows and kids.
"It's bittersweet," said Naoemi Gullickson, 42, of Staten Island, who watched her daughters Amanda, 7, and Isabel, 5, get a teddy bear and Christmas tree painted on their cheeks.
Gullickson's husband, Joseph, died on 9/11 and her father perished just months later in the American Airlines crash in Rockaway, Queens.
"The kids of course are excited and happy, but the reality of why we are here is always sad."
For Mary Ann Day, the trip to Toys "R" Us is a regular part of the holidays, since her brother Kenneth Kerr died battling a blaze in 2000.
Day takes her brother's children
