The holiday season is a busy time at Turlock’s MCE1 Amazon fulfillment center.

Just before the start of the holiday rush, five employees at the Fulkerth Road facility had the opportunity to bring their kids — seven in all — into the plant and give them a firsthand look at how their parents help Santa fulfill his yearly duties.

It was all part of the “Proud of My Amazon Parent” event held the week before Thanksgiving.

“We work hard at Amazon to take care of our customers and try to deliver smiles every day,” said MCE1 general manager Craig Norris. “This time of year, to our children, we’re an extension of Santa’s helpers. To be able to include our children in what we do at work is valuable for our associates, as well as for their kids.

“We had them here as an all-day event, for about seven hours, during which time the parents were able to give the kids a tour of their actual workspace. It was cool to see their faces light up when seeing the machinery.”

Norris was one of the parents who brought his child in to see what his workday is like.

"Something that I think my dad does is that he helps the operations inside the building work smoothly," said Taylor Norris, who hopes to become an historian or a teacher one day. “I think it's cool that he gets to work in a big, important job. He deserves it. He's worked hard for this job."

Araceli, who works as an on-site medical representative, was joined by her son Alex.

“The coolest thing about my mom's job is that she helps people and Santa,” said Alex.

Before they embarked their tour, brothers Quincy and Carter described what they were most excited to see during the visit with their mom, Sarah.

“I always see those garage doors, and I want to see how that works,” Carter said.

Added Quincy, “I want to see how fast my mom can pack the boxes because she always tells us she’s good at packing.”

The brothers admire their mom for how hard she works and the personal touches she brings to their family.

“I'm proud of my mom because she has a lot of courage, and she never gives up,” Carter said.

Xiomara guided her son, Marcos, through the fulfillment center, highlighting the journey each package takes before it can make its way to a customer’s doorstep. She explained what she and her coworkers are not solely available when Santa needs extra help, but throughout the year.

Vincent and Genevieve, children of Nathan, shared their thoughts on Amazon’s holiday frenzy.

“There's probably a lot more packages being shipped because it’s the holidays, and people need presents," Vincent said.

He's correct.

“We see about a 30 percent increase, give or take, depending on the week, during the holiday season,” said Norris. “But we provided customers with early sales — not just Black Friday and Cyber Monday — and take care of them that way.”

The siblings expressed delight at their dad's stories about the technology and packages he encounters daily.

Vincent hopes to become an engineer and seemed particularly interested in learning how Amazon uses machinery to ensure packages make their way across the globe.

“I’m proud that they notice all of the stories that I tell them,” said Nathan.

The Amazon parent-child event was held last year in the U.K. and this was the first year it was conducted in the U.S.

“I can’t highlight enough how proud we are of our building and our associates and what we’ve done this time of the year to take care of our customers in the local area,” said Norris. “I can’t tell you how proud we are of their contributions.”