Tiffany Antonucci and her 8-year-old twin sons struggled this year.

Antonucci filed for bankruptcy and dealt with other personal issues all year. In November, her water got shut off, and the money she had saved for Christmas had to be used to have it turned back on.

But she and her boys still had a merry Christmas thanks to the Suffolk police officers from Precinct 1’s evening shift.

“It was a tremendous blessing for us,” Antonucci said. “I really didn’t know what I was going to be able to do for Christmas.”

The police officers brought up the idea during roll call. As they prepare to rotate to different shifts, they wanted to do something as a team to help a local family, Officer Antonio Diggs said.

The officers contacted Social Services, who hooked them up with the Antonuccis.

“She was real emotional; she was crying,” Diggs said of Tiffany Antonucci when they informed her they would be sponsoring her family. “She was relieved her boys were going to have a Christmas this year.”

Two officers took the family on Dec. 1 to Twinkle Trees Christmas Tree Farm in Chesapeake, where the business donated a tree to the family. The boys were able to cut the tree down themselves, and the officers brought it back to the house and put it up.

Antonucci got emotional recalling seeing her boys drinking apple cider and smiling at the tree farm.

“The boys were so happy, it brought tears to my eyes,” she said. “They had a blast.”

The fun didn’t stop there. The officers delivered gifts and food to the family’s home on Christmas Eve.

Officer Diggs recalled seeing the twins rip the presents open and play with them “like 8-year-old boys would do.”

“They provided a fantastic Christmas dinner,” Antonucci said, “as well as all the gifts for the boys. It’s been a tremendous blessing after the past year.”

Officer Diggs added he “couldn’t have done it” without Officers Koziana, Rosario and Moraczewski and Sgt. Heroux.