Christmas, a time of joy and giving to others, is one of Juanita Ezell and her family’s favorite times of the year, as evidenced by the large display of decorations throughout their front yard and around the house.

Since the late 1970s, the Ezells, who are longtime residents of the small, but growing town of Day, have spruced up their property with a variety of decorations, lights and animinated figurines.

There is a live oak tree next to the house the Ezells have decorated since it was a sapling. Inside the house, several rooms are decorated wall to wall and from floor to ceiling with Christmas ornaments and lights. One of these rooms contains a Christmas tree that stands approximately 11 and a half feet tall, also decorated with ornaments.

What began as a small Christmas display, has now grown through the years into a large, winding maze of decorations that bring the joy of Christmas to passersby, both young and old.

Ezell says she enjoys decorating her property every year with the help of her family and seeing the smiles on the faces of children and adults who come to visit. She reflected on a time when a family was passing by her home and asked if they could walk around her yard. After talking with them, she invited them to stay awhile. As they looked at every decoration in the yard, Ezell watched their faces glow with smiles of joy.

One of the Christmas displays, Santa on his sleigh guided by eight reindeer, was a favorite decoration of a very close relative of the Ezells for a very long time, until passing away years ago. According to Ezell, whenever he saw the decoration on top of the barn, he said he knew Christmas was getting closer.

The Ezells begin decorating their home in October and take down the displays after New Year. They invite the public to stop by and view their decorative home.