Christmas at Stooges Restaurant

Karen Cross, of Jackson, keeps an eye on the food during a Christmas lunch at Stooges Restaurant on Dec. 25, 2017, in Jackson. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)

Bob Collier of Pocahontas, Missouri, sings "White Christmas" on karaoke during a free Christmas lunch Dec. 25, 2017, at Stooges Restaurant in Jackson. Collier is a member of the band Southern Harmony. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)

In her third year of volunteering at the Stooges Restaurant Christmas lunch, Shorty Johnson, of Scopus, Missouri, carries a hot pan of gravy to the food line Dec. 25, 2017, at in Jackson. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)

Rowan Smithey, 1, plays patty cake with Janice Lumsden of Jackson, during a Christmas lunch Dec. 25, 2017, at Stooges Restaurant in Jackson. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)

Tom Redmond of Jackson is served a helping of gravy during a free Christmas lunch Dec. 25, 2017, at Stooges Restaurant in Jackson. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)

Cindy Job, left, helps Patricia Bell, of Patton, Missouri, select a dessert during a free Christmas lunch Dec. 25, 2017, at Stooges Restaurant in Jackson. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)

Shorty Johnson, of Scopus, Missouri, prepares ingredients for sweet potato topping during a free Christmas lunch Dec. 25, 2017, at Stooges Restaurant in Jackson. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)

Randall Johnson, of Scopus, Missouri, plays Christmas carols on guitar during a free lunch Dec. 25, 2017, at Stooges Restaurant in Jackson. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)

Alynda and Dustin Smithey pose for a photo with their daughter, Rowan, 1, during a Christmas lunch at Stooges Restaurant on Dec. 25, 2017, in Jackson. (Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian)