Spaghetti and garlic bread, kids and Santa Claus.

The day couldn't get much better for the 150 clients of the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center who ate lunch, visited with Santa and partied at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Ward Warehouse yesterday.

As 2-year-old Logan dug into his spaghetti and meatballs, red sauce smeared on his cheeks, his grandfather, Gaylord Manoa, looked on and smiled sadly.

On Aug. 22, his daughter, Logan's mother, died of a rare form of cancer. Now Manoa and his wife are raising their daughter's three children, Logan; Sage, 9; and Autumn, 5.

"The doctors found her cancer after she had him," said Manoa, his voice cracking. "She stayed positive throughout the entire time. She always said he was her angel."

It wasn't the first time for Manoa. Ten years before, his son died of another rare form of cancer. Now his family of five children is down to three. Manoa views each day as a gift.

"You never think in your life that you'll outlive your children," Manoa said. "What are the odds that two of your children will die?

"It's the holidays that hurt. It's a blessing to be able to hold my grandchildren when I can't hold my daughter."

It's such grief, still apparent in Manoa and some of the other families, that the children's center attempts to help with family support, group services for children whose parents are missing — through death, drugs, jail or illness. At yesterday's event, the families came from the Ko'olau Poko Unit. They were treated to crafts, temporary tattoos, a balloon artist, a magic show and a trip to Santa's lap.

This is the first year the center held its holiday program at the restaurant. Normally, it's at the agency's office. Each year, the restaurant donates a meal to a different charity, said executive chef Sydney Abad. One year, it was the Ronald McDonald House; another year, it was the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Helping the children with the crafts were about 15 members from five high schools and a middle-school Honolulu Police Department Explorer program. Keisha Yim, a 17-year-old Castle High School junior, was enjoying herself doing the sand-art paper ornaments in the trolley at the restaurant.

"I wanted to help," Yim said. "Most of my friends today came out as a team. It's fun for me. I like arts and crafts, and it reminds me of when I was younger."

The garlic bread and the promise of a plateful of spaghetti and meatballs held twins Wrayson and Cambron Panoke in their seats, even though they wanted to check out the balloon artist's creations.

The 11-year-old Nanakuli residents were at the restaurant yesterday with their foster mother, Alexis Cummings, who cares for four boys. They had gone up to visit with Santa and came back with two shopping bags filled with wrapped Christmas presents.

The twin boys' father is sick and unable to care for them, Cummings said.

"It's awesome to come to a restaurant and not have to pay," Cummings said.