Christmas in March is just what Stewart Albert wanted while he's home on a two week leave from Iraq, while he's back in Lawrence to spend the time with wife Sarah and son Calvin. Calvin got to unwrap a present a helicopter on Thursday.

Even though there will be no snow or sleigh bells ringing in Lawrence, one soldier plans to celebrate Christmas on Saturday anyway.

And it will be extra special because he will get to witness his 1-year-old son Calvin’s first Christmas.

Stewart Albert, an attack helicopter pilot for the Missouri National Guard, returned to Lawrence last week from Iraq to celebrate the holiday. It was his first trip home since deployment in July.

“I wasn’t able to celebrate (Christmas) over there,” Albert said. “As a matter of fact, I worked that day.”

His wife, Sarah, postponed the family’s Christmas celebration so her husband wouldn’t miss another one of their son’s firsts. He didn’t get to see Calvin’s first step or hear his first words.

“In my mind, I was more concerned about all the firsts (Stewart) was going to miss,” she said. “So Christmas was something I could put on ice for him.”

Now their apartment is decked for the occasion. Three stockings hang from the mantel. Unopened presents are underneath a Christmas tree that was donated by the Strawberry Hill Christmas Tree Farm.

“For our job over there, December 25th didn’t mean much,” Stewart Albert said. “It wasn’t a spectacular day for anybody. I didn’t stop and think about it that much. It was the first time I was away from my family for anything spectacular.”

Stewart Albert has been able to watch his son grow while overseas. His wife sends e-mails, photos and DVDs of Calvin.

In return, Stewart Albert made videos of himself reading books for his son, “so he would remember what I looked like and what I sounded like,” he said.

Stewart Albert is stationed out of Balad, a town about 40 miles north of Baghdad. He has been in the military for 14 years, serving in places like Bosnia and Panama.

While in Iraq, his role is to fly helicopters that are used as escorts for other aircraft while crossing the country’s terrain.

“My job as a pilot is to make their job as easy as possible,” Stewart said. “If us flying overhead will deter someone from: taking potshots, I’ve done my job.”

His Christmas vacation will come to an end March 18 when he returns to duty. But his deployment is scheduled to end in July.