Mellissa's smile does not fix her family's problems, but it helps keep its spirits up.
"She's half of what keeps us upbeat," said Glenn Nason, the 6-month-old's father. "Seeing her smile, it's hard not to smile."
Times are tough for the Nasons, who were evicted from their home at the end of October. The family of five, which includes two teenage girls and Mellissa, have been living in a motel, unable to find a permanent home.
Nason and his wife, Tricia Oakes-Nason, said their East Salinas apartment was red-tagged for having an illegal addition to their detached unit. The room in question existed when they moved into the unit about six months ago, which was when they came home from the hospital after Mellissa's birth.
They were not the only ones forced out of the apartment complex, Nason said. All eight units, including three occupied by relatives of the Nasons, were red-tagged. Because much of their extended family is dealing with similar circumstances, their options for help are limited.
"People who we would go to all lived there," Oakes-Nason said.
Nason was working for a concrete company. But after the eviction, he said, he was fired when he had a disagreement with his boss about taking time off to find a new home. Nason said he is having difficulty finding a job because he has bipolar disorder, which can discourage potential employers.
"Now, along with dealing without having a house, we're also dealing with not having a job at the time," Nason said. "We're in a few Catch-22s."
The family is struggling to find a new home, Oakes-Nason said, because of the family's lack of income.
"Because of our low income, it's so hard to even have anyone want to talk to me about getting into a place," she said. "It's been really hard just keeping the motel going." People have been helpful along the way, they said, including Oakes-Nason's mother, who has given them money. The motel's owner has allowed them extra time to come up with the rent. But his leniency has limitations, the Nasons said, and they understand that if they don't come up with more money, they must move out.
Oakes-Nelson handed over her wedding ring, along with other items, to the motel's owner as collateral until they can pay the rent.
Family members and Washington Middle School in Salinas - where their second daughter, Patricia, goes to school - helped provide food for Thanksgiving. But they are in need of more help as Christmas approaches, especially because they don't know where they will be staying.
"We really don't know yet until we cross that bridge," Nason said.
Oakes-Nason said officials offered to put her and the three girls in a shelter, but her husband would be on his own.
Splitting up the family is not an option, Nason said, especially during such a difficult time, "when you need your family the most."
Operation Christmas Cheer, an annual production of The Herald, the Salvation Army and the First National Bank of Central California, is meant to help local families that find themselves in need this time of year.
Now in its 22nd year, Operation Christmas Cheer has raised more than $2 million, which has been distributed to needy Monterey County families and individuals over the holidays.
The money helps families who have come to the Salvation Army for support. Applications are screened and contributions will go directly to assist Salvation Army clients on the Peninsula and in the Salinas Valley.
During the coming weeks, The Herald will profile families needing help this year.
A special feature of the Operation Christmas Cheer campaign is that contributors can have a brief personalized holiday message published in the newspaper by using a coupon printed each day in The Herald, or by printing it from The Herald's Web site, www.montereyherald.com.
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