Story and photos by JEFFREY POWELL
The DeFuniak Herald/ Beach Breeze is proud to announce the Myricks of Freeport as the 2016 Walton County Christmas Family of the year. The Myrick family is made up of father Mike, mother Patsy and children Collin and Mary Kate (along with a few furry friends that rule the back yard).
Mike is a University of Southern Mississippi graduate and is currently the head girls basketball coach and a science teacher at Freeport High School. Patsy is a registered nurse and received her education at Gulf Coast Community College. She is currently the Assistant Director of nursing at Chautauqua Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in DeFuniak Springs. Collin is a 2016 graduate of Auburn University and is currently in his first year of dentistry school at the University of Texas. Mary Kate is in her second year at Auburn and is pursuing her degree in Biomedical science. She also has aspirations of attending dental school upon graduation. Both Collin and Mary-kate graduated from Freeport High School and were valedictorians of their respective classes.
Upon learning of their selection as the 2016 Christmas family Patsy was both proud and a bit humbled at the news.
“We are humbled to have been selected as the Christmas family and proud that someone would think that we deserve this honor,” said Patsy. “We enjoy being active in the community and do it as a way of life not for any outside recognition. Having the children home for Christmas has taken on a new meaning for us as they are both away at college. We are proud of our children and our family unit. Like most people we have our strengths and weaknesses but together we have it all. Christmas is also very special because we are celebrating Jesus’ birthday.”
As part of their Christmas tradition the Myrick family attends the Destiny Worship Center candle lighting ceremony on Christmas Eve. After the ceremony they rush home and the kids open their first gift of the season which they know will be a matching pair of pajamas. The rest of the evening is spent baking cookies and playing board games around the dining room table. They also enjoy spending time with grandparents and other extended family members. Patsy also enjoys decorating a special tree with ornaments made by the children while in grade school.
“Being home at Christmas is like a blast from the past,” said Collin. “As a family we always spent time at Christmas together. Thankfully both my mom and dad were able to get off work at Christmas time. It was a time to spend together before basketball tipped-off again. Church has always been very important to us also. As a family we always enjoyed the advent season.”
To this day Collin and Mary Kate enjoy adopting from the angel tree and buying special gifts to make Christmas a little brighter for someone else.
“Our children are a reflection of the way we live our life,” said Patsy “We are a tight knit group.”