Christmas in the Country
Story by Paul South
Photos by Susan Wall
This time of year, thousands of electric lights welcome visitors at Dry Creek Farms. Barns, fences, even a waving wire Santa behind the wheel of a wire tractor, pass on Yuletide greetings with a gentle glow that grows brighter as darkness falls.
It’s all part of the joy the St. John family has shared now for three years on their working cattle farm, where even at Christmas, white-faced Hereford cattle trump red-nosed reindeer. On the weekend of Dec. 7-9, Dry Creek will host its third annual “Christmas on the Farm,” a gift to the people of Pell City and surrounding areas.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on hand to meet the children and hear who’s been naughty or nice, as well as Christmas wishes. Gallons of hot chocolate and plates full of goodies will be served. And farm animals – a bottle-fed calf, bunnies, chickens and a horse – will give children a taste of life on the farm.
Photos with Santa are available for $10 each. And kids will also be able to write and send letters to Santa at a small post office in the barn.
But for Joyce St. John, paternal grandmother of this farm family, the lights, tinsel, trees and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus who come to Dry Creek, dim in comparison to the lights gleaming in the eyes of children and in the Christmas story she loves to share. Dressed in red velvet as Mrs. Kris Kringle, Mrs. St. John reads Clement Moore’s classic, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. But her true joy – and to her and many others “the reason for the season” – the telling of the birth of Jesus, born in a Bethlehem barn more than 2,000 years ago. For Joyce, the event is more Nativity than North Pole.
“A lot of children who don’t get to experience the things of the manger and all because they’re not involved in church, this is a way of being a witness to them that Christmas is not about Santa Claus, it’s about the birth of Jesus,” Mrs. St. John says. “You’d be surprised at how many children will start asking questions once I start telling the story of Jesus and how He was born in a stable and His bed was a trough that the cattle ate out of. They start asking questions and then you can start sharing about Jesus, and they’re so surprised. Then you have children who can tell you the story of Jesus, and it’s amazing how excited they get being able to tell you stuff about Jesus.”
Grandson Carter St. John runs the day-to-day operation at Dry Creek, which along with raising and selling show cattle, serves as a popular celebration venue. He hopes the event will spark an interest in a generation of kids more familiar with Fortnite than farming. The St. John show cattle compete in events statewide and around and across the country in fairs and other agricultural events.
“We want (youngsters) to come in here and actually get to know livestock,” Carter says. “That’s how we were raised, and we want other people to see that . . . Maybe it will help their future, maybe they’ll love livestock and not do bad things on the street and make this a hobby for them, loving animals. It kept me out of trouble because it kept me busy.”
He added, “It gives them different options, because they didn’t know farming was out there . . . It’s just like playing baseball or football. It’s a hobby for them. We want more kids involved in farming.”
Six stalls offer different activities for children and their parents. Refreshments, the letters to Santa, spots to visit Santa and his bride and more. At big box retailers, holiday festivities may be best remembered for long lines and long waits. But at Dry Creek, it’s joyous “organized chaos,” Joyce St. John says with a laugh.
Some kids steer classic, pedal-powered metal toy tractors. Others run to Santa. Still others cuddle furry baby bunnies or pet pigs. Sometimes the barn is as quiet as a Christmas Eve mouse, but more often it’s a blizzard of activity. About 150 kids, with parents in tow, flocked to last year’s event.
“Sometimes the barn would be full,” she says. “Sometimes there would be little breaks, but it seemed like someone was in there all the time.”
Joyce St. John has a gentle, welcoming voice that overflows with kindness. The kindness remains when she takes on the role of Mrs. Claus. But, she says, her personality changes when she dons the red velvet dress and hat.
“I just love how excited the children get to sit in Mrs. Santa’s lap. I also do the story, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, and so many of them have heard the story about Santa. You do kind of change your character. My character changes while telling the story of Jesus’ birth compared to ’Twas the Night Before Christmas.
She senses a transformation when she tells the story of the baby born in the Bethlehem barn. Her already happy heart overflows with joy while telling the Gospel story. Sometimes, she says, children return to hear the story again and again and again.
“Telling the story of Jesus, it puts you almost like you’re almost there in the barn witnessing it and being a part of it. I get excited talking about Jesus. There’s a big difference talking about Santa Claus and talking about Jesus.”
The St. Johns string lights, hang tinsel and decorate trees weeks before the Dec. 7-9 event. But for Joyce St. John, only one beacon matters – the Light of the World. She sees Christmas at the Farm as “a ministry,” countering the commercialization of Christmas.
“Several children . . . just to see their eyes light up when you told them the story about Jesus, especially those who really didn’t know about Him.” You knew that this may be the only time during the year that anything is really said about Jesus.
Doing this Christmas on the farm . . . It’s about the true meaning of Christmas. If it touches one person’s life, and they come to know Jesus, it will have been worth it.”
For more information about Dry Creek Farms, visit www.drycreekfarmscattle.com.