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For more than 100 years, Christmas has been celebrated through the generations of the family of Lacy Gray (L.G.) Horn and Bertha Lillian Caughman Horn. It’s not just a holiday—it’s a legacy.
In the early days, Christmas was celebrated in Magee, at the very house I now live in. My Aunt Grace Everett had one firm rule: the children had to exchange $1 gifts. And let me tell you, that was no small feat before Dollar Tree existed! Still, that tradition lives on with the children today.
There were years we celebrated in Vicksburg while my grandmother was in long-term care. Her son, Dr. L. G. “Gebe” Horn, was on staff at Mercy Hospital, and “Mother”—as my sister and I called her—was truly the queen of the hospital. After that season, we returned to Magee for a short while. Then, once the Knox Ross barn was completed in Pelahatchie, the barn became the gathering place. And there we remain, still celebrating.
All five of the Horn children have now passed on. Our oldest attendee is my Aunt Cynthia Horn Virden of Greenville. She was married to the youngest Horn child, Paul. My Aunt Jean passed away two years ago, but not without leaving a beautiful legacy that continues through the next generation.
The children who carried this cherished tradition forward were Mary Ruth Horn Dickey, L. G. “Gebe” Horn, Jean Horn Ross, Willie Grace Horn, and Paul Caughman Horn.
Now, the tradition rests in our hands. Knox and Jamie Ross stand as the backbone of its continuation, making sure that Horn Christmas lives on—just as it always has.
(We were missing 10 little children. The Stone family had the flu!)
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