The Boy Scouts of Troop 4 in Napa have been bitten by the spirit of giving.

Instead of throwing themselves a Christmas party, the eight Scouts adopted a single mom and her two young children for the holiday.

"Instead of the party, the boys collected $250 among themselves and went shopping for the mother and her 5-year-old daughter and (8-year-old) son," said scoutmaster K.C. St. John. "They bought toys for the kids and all the groceries for a Christmas dinner."

The mother declined to be interviewed by the Register.

The troop, which has been going strong for about 90 years, is the oldest Boy Scout troop in the area.

Laura Saunders, who has three foster children, who are mentally disabled in the troop, opened her home for the boys to gather on Monday before heading over to the family's home in Napa.

The kitchen table was heaped with action figures, dolls, games, CDs and players and all the trimmings for a Christmas feast. The boys sipped hot chocolate while planning their strategy.

Scout Eric Elledge, 17, said the gift-giving gave him a good feeling.

"This is the time of year when we share with those who are not as fortunate as we are," he said. "There is no better feeling than helping a family in need."

Saunders' foster children, twins Tye and Randy McGrath, 17, are treated just like the other scouts, Saunders said.

Tye's favorite times with the troop is spent hiking and camping. "I love summer camp," he said.

Looking over the mountain of gifts, Randy grinned ear-to-ear, "It's a beautiful Christmas" he sang out.

Eagle Scout Kevin Foster, 17, said giving to others "is almost better than getting gifts yourself. It feels good to give back to the community. I can hardly wait to see the look on their faces when we take the gifts and food to their house," he said.

This isn't the first time Boy Scout Troop 4 has reached out to help others. In 1999, they sent $300 to the hurricane victims in Honduras.

This year's family was selected through Catholic Charities.