Members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives celebrated the holidays and feasted on Italian fare at their annual Christmas party (or should that be “holiday” party?) over the weekend.

House Speaker Gordon Fox and House Majority Leader Nicholas Mattiello hosted the shindig from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Camille’s, the venerable Federal Hill restaurant, spokesman Larry Berman told WPRI.com. The gathering was organized as an open house with a buffet for all 75 of the chamber’s lawmakers.

“It’s their annual get-together,” Berman said. Last year’s party was held at the Alpine Country Club in Cranston.

Fox and Mattiello paid for the Christmas party out of their campaign accounts, Berman said. The speaker’s campaign war chest totaled $157,531 as of Sept. 30 while the majority leader’s totaled $52,764, according to the R.I. Board of Elections.

Despite competition from the Patriots-Redskins matchup, nearly every member of the House showed up, according to Berman – though some arrived after the game’s conclusion. The party was exclusively for lawmakers and their spouses or guests, he said; staff members weren’t invited.

In an invitation that described the event as “the annual Rhode Island House of Representatives Holiday Celebration,” Fox and Mattiello said they were opting not to give gifts to their colleagues this year and instead would make a contribution to the Rhode Island National Guard Family Assistance Center.

Camille’s has been on the Hill since 1914, and Rhode Island lawmakers have been gathering there with some frequency of late: Senate Democrats held a much-discussed meeting at the eatery shortly before the pension vote.

(photo: Federal Hill Commerce Association)