Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and his family stuck with their Christmas tradition and served dinner Friday night to the homeless.

Neither recent shoulder surgery nor his recent posting as U.S. Ambassador to China deterred Huntsman from helping to serve more than 500 of Utah's homeless and hungry at the Salvation Army in downtown Salt Lake City on Friday night.

"Merry Christmas to you, my friend" he said as he greeted diners, patting them with his left hand since his right arm was in a sling. When a visitor asked about his new position, Huntsman described living and working in China as "exhilarating."

A popular Republican governor who left Utah in August to become ambassador, Huntsman, his wife Mary Kaye and their children have been serving Christmas dinner at the shelter for a decade, he said.

Homeless advocate Pamela Atkinson called the Huntsmans part of her "wonderful" volunteer team, and noted that the family members had voted to keep the tradition this year.

Also on hand were television personalities and Greg Miller, owner of the Utah Jazz.

Mikelle and Josiah Gonsalez and their 3-month-old son, Kelden, had stood shivering against the cold outside thinking how it really didn't seem much like Christmas. Unable to find work since spring, they have lived in the shelter since Kelden's birth.

They had bought spaghetti for dinner. Instead, they ate steak that was furnished by The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints and prepared by chefs at the Grand America Hotel. Scalloped potatoes, salad and a roll filled the rest of their plates. A piece of chocolate cream pie was served on the side.

"It's good," declared Mikelle.

Buck Gage, who cooks lunch at the Salvation Army Center for the Catholic Community Services, called the scene "awesome" as visitor after visitor streamed out the door into the cold night.

"Unless you have $10,000 in bills in your pocket," he said, "everybody's just two paychecks away from being in this line."