PHOENIX — For many families, the holidays don't really take off until everyone is there.
"I'm waiting for my daughter," says Frederick Heckel. "Coming from Toronto."
Amid the holiday hustle and bustle, Sky Harbor is filled with families reuniting.
"In high school I had this dream to drive down to Patagonia and I just completed that journey," says Joey Jordan. "The whole trip was like 14 months."
His mom and sister were there to greet him as he walked through the gate.
"Having that vision and going for it," his mother Janice said. "I’m just so proud of him."
There was another family who hasn't fully been together until now.
"So this is the first time she’s actually meeting her brother."
Soldier Sierra Vasquez last saw her mom when she was at boot camp. At the time, her mom was still pregnant. Little Aires was born while Sierra was away at training.
"I don’t even know what to feel," she says. "I’m so happy."
Her mother's heart melting - her babies face to face for the first time.
"Speechless," her mom says. "There’s no words."
Sometimes the best gift is just being present.