JEFFERSON CITY -- For the Smith family in Jefferson City this Christmas is extra special.
They got an early Christmas surprise Friday night.
Clayton Smith has been in the army for five years and he hadn't seen his three kids since he'd been deployed to Afghanistan in September.
"I miss them dearly, I haven’t seen them at all,” Clayton said. “We get to talk on Skype every now and then but that's about it."
Over the past 5 years Clayton has rarely been home for Christmas.
"Sometimes he's not home for birthdays and other holidays when he's off serving the country but it's good that he's out there and he's protecting other people," his daughter Madison said.
Madison and the Smith's two other children thought the next time they'd see their dad was in may.
But Clayton and his wife, Jennifer, decided to give them an early surprise.
They hid Clayton in an empty refrigerator box and let the kids unwrap what Clayton and Jennifer called “an early Christmas present.”
"I wasn't expecting him to pop out of the box,” Madison said. “I’m happy that he's home for Christmas."
And it's not just the kids who are happy he's home.
"Happy and excited we get two weeks together, it's definitely exciting that he gets to be here," Jennifer said.
The smith family has a lot of catching up to do this Christmas.
"I’m going to take them out and show them the best time they've ever had," Clayton said.
The smith family plans to spend some quality time together and will be headed off for a family vacation in Kansas City during the 2 weeks Clayton is home.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKRCG