A source of joy: Locals find joy in sharing the holiday spirit with others

WILLIAMSON COUNTY - The holiday season is a time of giving and for several Williamson County residents, it's the part of the season that gives them the most joy.

<h3 class="breakHead">Yost Family Lights</h3>

If you haven't made a trip southeast of Marion to visit the Yost Family Lights, it's a gift worth putting on your last-minute Christmas list.

Located at 7066 Cherry Valley Road in Marion, the display contains 119,000 lights.

According to Cody Yost, the third generation of the family to stage the annual holiday display, the family has staged the lights for about 30 years.

It began with Cody's grandparents, William and Betty Yost.

"When I was little, my grandma used to give my dad all kinds of grief about not decorating the outside of the house," said Cody with a grin.

He said the display began small but has grown each year.

Now, a fourth generation has joined with his son, 8-year-old Ethan joining Cody, his wife, Ashley, and Cody's parents, Debbie and Mike.

"All of it," said Ethan proudly, about his role in helping with the display.

"He even climbs on the roof with us," said Cody.

The family begins decorating during the last week of September in order to have the display ready by Thanksgiving.

Cody said it then takes about five days to take it all down and pack it away for next year.

<h3 class="breakHead">Fowler Bonan Foundation Clothes for Kids</h3>

For the DeMarco kids, Christmas came early last week following a hot meal at Heaven's Kitchen Marion.

Emily and her brothers Anthony and Justin each had two huge bags stuffed with new clothes, compliments of the Fowler Bonan Foundation's Clothes for Kids program.

All three were excited to open their gifts and could not stop smiling.

Emily planned to wear one of her new outfits for her classroom Christmas party on Friday.

According to Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg), he and several volunteers spent hours shopping last week to help outfit dozens of area children.

Alec Coulson - From one kid to others

He's only 19, yet Alec Coulson of Johnston City finds a special joy in brightening the lives of others with his Christmas display.

"I've been doing this since I was 4," he said last week, as he walked around making sure all connections were secure in the display that packs the yard of his family's home on the east edge of Johnston City, just two blocks from the Arrowhead Lake campground.

A steady stream of cars drove slowly by last Friday, including one driven by Kaylee Wece of Pittsburg.

Wece pulled over and stopped so her two boys, Carsen, 5, and Kase, 3, could get a good luck at the display.

The boys were excitedly jabbering to one another, pointing out the various characters lit up, some flashing to the sounds of Christmas carols playing.

"We've been through at least four times just today," said Wece, as she leaned back watching the smiles of amazement on her boys' faces.

"That's why I do it," said Coulson, "putting all the smiles on the kids' faces. They love it. It doesn't get any better than that."