Rita Lock was vigorously applauding like a fan at her idol’s concert. Her exuberance was understandable. Her grandson, Ernesto Lopez, was performing on stage.

But Grandma Lock was not the only fan Tuesday night inside the spacious multi-purpose building at Golden West Elementary School where the 13th annual first Grade Christmas Concert was held. Everyone who was there – from babies in bonnets to proud parents and beaming grandparents – was in a happy, holiday mood.

“They worked very hard” preparing the songs they performed that evening, said Principal Rene Knapp during her welcome speech.

While the first graders sang their Christmas repertoire of favorite Christmas carols  a la karaoke-style – from “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer,” complete with cardboard antlers, to the perennially popular yuletide anthem, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas – parents-turned-paparazzi caught images of their young loved ones for posterity with digital cameras and videocams, some of them on tripods.

First-grade teachers Teri Laurora and Marie Freitas co-directed the concert while sitting on chairs in front of the stage.

The concert concluded as usual with Mrs. Santa (aka Sandy Holloway) and her elf helper (aka grand-niece Kaitlen Petra, a second grader at Sequoia Elementary, distributing candy cane to the children. Santa Claus was unable to make it to the concert because of another engagement and had to send Mrs. Claus in his stead, explained Holloway.

Holloway has played this role for many years at the annual concert and enjoys it tremendously, she said.

“Mrs. Freitas buys the candy cane for me and I made that bag,” she said of the matching red satchel filled with the treats for the children.