Christmas is here!!!

Christmas is tomorrow and I am now preparing all the toys and Teddy Bears given by friends and members of the Thursday "A Course In Miracles" group I teach to present to children at Tampa's Metropolitan Ministries. Each year members of my staff and me go to the charity and photograph families who find themselves living there temporarily because of a need during the holidays.

Doing the photos is one of the most fulfilling things we do at Pepito Masterpiece Portraits and even though we fore-go the traditional Christmas morning with our families, we get great satisfaction out of putting smiles on the faces of so many families during this giving season. I've got to be there at 7:15a.m. to set up the camera and lights to be ready to begin shooting at 8. We usually go on until early afternoon but the time spend is well worth it.

It's never too late to donate food of any kind to Metropolitan Ministries. They feed needy families year' round and are a wonderful and respected organization. We are so proud to help them serve the community.

Watch Us On WFLA-TV

Gayle Guyardo of WFLA NewsChannel Eight was at our studios last week and did a taping of me for a series of segments about those who give to the community during this Yuletide season. She interviewed me and her photographer taped a portrait session in progress. We were humbled to be selected for this honor.

Well folks, two segments will air separately between now and the end of the year. This morning's (Friday's) Tampa Tribune contained an ad that said one of the segments would be broadcast during the news this Monday at 4:30p.m. Normally, the Oprah Winfrey Show is on at that time and I seriously doubt they would preempt the great Oprah for a story about me. So either there has been a programming change or my segment will be on around 5:30p.m., a time when the news is normally on. Please check the newspaper listings and watch for me.

For more details about the upcoming television news feature, see my December 15, 2010 blog entry below.

All of us at Pepito Masterpiece Portraits extend to you the greatest wishes for a grand and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!