OMAHA, Neb (KMTV) — Christmas Eve brought emotional reunions and holiday homecomings to Eppley Airfield as travelers from across the country returned to Nebraska to spend the holidays with family.
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Faith Sutcliffe, who lives in Florida, hadn't been home to Papillion for Christmas in about eight years. Her stepdad, Lowell Paulson, was thrilled to see her return.
"We got her sister's family and her brother and mom and everybody's just like waitin' for her to get through the door," Paulson said. "It's like a whole new heartbeat going, you know, its just amazing."
Sutcliffe's husband Jesse is a Florida native experiencing his first Nebraska winter.
"For Faith she doesn't look forward to the snow, she can wait to get out of the cold, but I was looking forward to my first white Christmas," Jesse said, realizing that relatively warm temperatures are forecast for the holiday.
"We were gettin' the old ice fishing gear all warmed up but…" Paulson said to his son-in-law.
Not everyone wanted to leave warmer climates behind. Glenwood High School senior Ella Marvel had mixed feelings about returning from Florida.
"It was very sunny," Marvel said.
When asked if she was sad to be coming back, Marvel replied, "I'm majorly sad." However, the teen says she's excited to see her cats again.
Lincoln Southeast senior Zazil Reckling and her dog, Winnie, just returned from a family trip to South America. Still wearing shorts from her trip to the southern Hemisphere, Reckling said airports were busy but not chaotic.
"I think we've traveled on Christmas Eve before and its been pretty busy but it wasn't too bad this time," she said.
No one seemed happier than Lowell Paulson, who says his family is focused on experiences more than gifts this year.
"We got a little competition going on to bring out the fun and excitement. We got like 16 games planned," Paulson said.
There was a steady stream of travelers at the airport, but it didn't seem hectic, and neighbors were navigating around ongoing construction.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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