It was a joy that not even a visit from jolly old St. Nicholas could top.

He weighed seven pounds seven and a half ounces and became Bermuda's first and only Christmas baby in 1994.

Rae-ven Christopher White was born at 1.07 a.m. to Mr. and Mrs. Kim and Christine White of Camp Road, Warwick, after a Caesarean delivery that ended a taxing labour that began on Christmas Eve.

"I was sure it was going to be a girl,'' the delighted mum said.

"I had read a lot of books and had calculated my due date for Christmas Day but I wasn't sure that was correct until my doctor said that's when he was due.

"I wanted a baby girl but once he was born it didn't matter, I was just glad he was healthy.'' Mrs. White who has worked in the restaurant reservations department at Sonesta Beach Hotel for the past six years, said the timing of the baby's birth couldn't have been better because the hotel was closed for renovations.

And her husband of three years, a purchasing director at Sonesta, was on vacation.

Rae-ven's birth, Mrs. White said, was the culmination of a "good'' pregnancy devoid of morning sickness or major complications, although the labour and birth were very painful.

"I don't think I could do it again,'' she said. "This one is it.'' Mrs. White said she heard the name Rae-ven on a television show a few weeks ago and intended to give that name to her baby regardless of its sex.

Nonetheless, the Whites, who are in midst of finishing off their family home, which includes a nursery for their son, were aiming to have completed the project by the time Rae-ven was born.

There is still work to be done, although most of it is complete.

In the meantime, Mrs. White said, she and her husband were informing their friends and family of Rae-ven's birth and preparing to take him home on Friday.

Was her child's birth any more special because it was Christmas Day? "It definitely is a special day,'' she said with a smile. "Not just because it was on Christmas Day though. It was special just because he was born.''