Natchez &8212; The Quintini family will not be home for Christmas.

Their Pass Christian home sits vacant, gutted to the studs and undergoing treatment for mold and mildew.

Only the contents of their attic survived the forces of Hurricane Katrina. One thing found safe and dry in the attic were their Christmas decorations.

Living in Natchez in a home they feel blessed to have, the family, father Jimmy, mother Nicki and their children, Shelby, 10, and Nicholas, 3, talked about the past three and a half months since the Aug. 29 hurricane devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast. &8220;We didn&8217;t expect it to be as bad as it was,&8221; Jimmy said. &8220;Our house is on pilings, and we thought water might get into the storehouse under the house, but it was up to the ceiling in the house. We had 19 feet of water.&8221;

The family feels lucky nonetheless. &8220;Nicki grabbed most of the photos,&8221; he said, pointing to a wall where wedding photos and other family pictures were hanging.

&8220;I collect autographs, and I grabbed those. And we each took a bag of clothes. We thought we&8217;d be gone three or four days.&8221;

Furniture company deliverymen were bringing a dining table and four chairs into the house as the family told their story.

&8220;We&8217;ve been eating at a card table. This is wonderful,&8221; Nicki, a Natchez native, said, dusting the table and putting placemats at the four places. &8220;We&8217;re starting over with everything.&8221;

Furniture is gone. Clothes are gone. &8220;We left with shorts and flip flops. It was August,&8221; Nicki said. &8220;I think of something different every day, my cookbooks, my recipe box.&8221; Shelby&8217;s doll collection and book collection are gone.

&8220;But we&8217;ll move on. We&8217;ll make new memories,&8221; Jimmy said.

Their Natchez house gives them reason to pause and wonder, the couple said.

&8220;It was my sister&8217;s house,&8221; Nicki said.

&8220;She died in an automobile accident two years ago. All this past summer we were up here painting and fixing it up to sell it. But it didn&8217;t sell. For some reason, it didn&8217;t sell. Who could ever have guessed we would live here.&8221;

Jimmy commutes to the coast, living in a FEMA trailer. He comes to Natchez on weekends.

His job as a liquor company representative is one thing the family did not lose. In the evenings during the week, he goes to the house to work.

The family attends St. Mary Basilica. Shelby and Nicholas are students at Cathedral School, where Nicki, who no longer has her job with a coast real estate attorney, has enjoyed volunteering occasionally.

&8220;The church has been great. The school has been great,&8221; Jimmy said.

&8220;They have provided school supplies and uniforms. The whole community of Natchez has been great. They have really made us feel welcome.&8221;

This Christmas will be more special than most, Jimmy said.

&8220;We&8217;re really blessed compared to the many who are still living in tents on the coast. I think we are more thankful for every day we have.&8221;