VIDALIA &8212; David Sciara almost said no to the best Christmas present he and his wife Lynn have ever gotten.

Still a somewhat new employee at Stribling Equipment in Natchez, David&8217;s company offered him an all-expense paid trip to Disney World starting on Dec. 26, 1998.

But in early December when the trip was offered, David had only been married to Lynn for a year, their newly blended family of five children was headed different directions for Christmas and the couple&8217;s second wedding anniversary was approaching.

&8220;He turned it down,&8221; Lynn said. &8220;And he came home and told me, and I told him to call right back and say we wanted it.

&8220;We had Christmas plans here, but we called and said we aren&8217;t coming.&8221;

David did as he was told, and the family took a trip that never would have been possible for such a large family on a limited income, they said.

Stribling company owner Jerry Swanson put the family &8212; and 80 other people with company connections &8212; up in a private condo near the Florida theme park. They were given gas money to get there, meal money each day and tickets to all the best rides and events.

&8220;It was a pretty fantastic trip,&8221; David said. &8220;It was the last time all seven of us took a trip together. And it was totally unplanned.&8221;

Then the children were 9, 10, 15, 15 and 17. The teenagers were on their way out of the house for good.

And to top it off, David and Lynn&8217;s second wedding anniversary &8212; New Year&8217;s Eve &8212; was celebrated on board a Disney steamboat, surrounded by water, underneath fireworks coming from six directions.

&8220;It was absolutely incredible,&8221; Lynn said. &8220;Nothing compares.&8221;

Stribling sponsors a Disney World trip each year for about 80 employees and customers.