Families packed Saint Bernard's Catholic Church in Tracy on Christmas Eve, filling the pews and crowding into the lobby as the sanctuary reached capacity.

St. Bernard's hosted multiple mass times Wednesday evening – including an English, Spanish, and Bilingual mass along with a Christmas carols service.

Angeline Villarama is in town from Vancouver, Canada. She's visiting her best friend, Romina Macaranas, whom she's known since they lived in the Philippines.

"Reunification of being as one family and, yeah, celebration of our Jesus Christ," Villarama said.

Macaranas kids, Regina and Redg, and Villarama's daughter Eli joined them at church. 

"For me it's all about love, it's about Jesus Christ and family," Macaranas said.

Christian Alda would agree. He works at a skilled nursing facility nearby and wanted to stop by to pay his respects at church before heading to work.

"It's just love for everyone, especially like what's happening now," Alda said. "And there's just so much disagreements and negativity, just you got to go past that and just have Christ in your heart and give love."

For Filipinos, Christmas is a celebration that starts in September.

"We start doing all our festivities like around September already. My family's (in the Philippines) right now," Alda said. "So, they're doing the Karosa, where they're all on the little, like a parade."

Mountain House resident Eylin Bernard stopped by to pray before going to a Malayalam Catholic church with her family. She was getting nostalgic thinking about her parents and siblings in India and the memories made on Christmas Eve.

"We used to celebrate Christmas, cut the Christmas cake, go for night vigil to church," Bernard said. "Having a gathering with my whole family, my mom's side, my cousins."

Bernard said she prayed for all the happiness in the world.

"Jesus is my best friend," Bernard said. "Even in happiness, even in sorrow, I come to Him. Even if I get anything good, I first talk to Him. He's my God."

"Merry Christmas to everyone," Alda said. "Happy holidays." 

St. Bernard's will also be holding services on Christmas morning at 7 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.