ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico’s Children Youth & Families Department put together its first-ever holiday celebration for foster families in Albuquerque.

Around 300 people were expected at the event Sunday. Longtime foster families hope this event starts a tradition to show children in-need that they are not alone during the holiday season.

“We’re looking for the children to have as much normalcy in their lives as possible,” James and Ramona Ruiz said. “This is a great event for the children. They enjoy coming to these themes and just the interaction with the other children, letting them know that they’re not alone and letting them also know that there’s foster parents out there that do a job for them. And we love them and we care for them as much as we can.”

The Ruiz family has been fostering for more than 15 years and have provided a home to at least 50 children.

Although we’ve had many children come getting out of their homes, it’s sad to see them go. We always accept the challenge of taking in new kids,” they said.

Challenges can take longer to overcome, especially when children have experienced trauma, like they said so many CYFD referrals have.

“When new children come into the home, they’re so scared, especially when they’re scared of adults,” they said.

CYFD is looking for additional foster families to meet those challenges and provide a quality foster home. If you’re interested, visit their website here.

A 16-year-old New Mexico boy was arrested Saturday morning after he allegedly gunned down his parents and teenage siblings and then drunkenly called 911 to confess to the quadruple homicide, police said.

Diego Leyva is facing first-degree murder charges in the horrific slaughter that happened around 3:30 a.m. before the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call from the murder suspect, New Mexico State Police said in a news release.

The teen allegedly said he killed his family over the phone to a dispatcher and then walked out with his hands in the air when deputies reached his home in the city of Belen, authorities said.

State police said Leyva was “extremely intoxicated” while he was taken into custody without incident.

A handgun was found on the kitchen table, according to police.

The suspect’s 42-year-old father Leonardo Leyva, 35-year-old mother Adriana Bencomo, 16-year-old sister Adrian Leyva, and 14-year-old brother Alexander Leyva were all found dead with gunshot wounds inside the home, according to law enforcement and KRQE.

The alleged killer was taken to a nearby hospital for detox and then booked into a juvenile justice center in Albuquerque early Sunday morning, officials said.

A former teacher was in disbelief that the teen boy could be responsible for the ruthless slaying.

“I would never have thought that something like this would happen and that Diego would be capable of doing something like this” educator Vanessa LaGrange told the Guardian. “Everyone’s in shock.”

The state police investigative bureau is still trying to determine what sparked the murderous rampage.

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A 16-year-old boy in the US state of New Mexico was in custody Sunday after an alleged quadruple homicide of his family members, police and officials said.

The Valencia County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 emergency call before dawn on Saturday from a male minor “who told the dispatcher he had killed his family,” New Mexico State Police said in a statement.