J.C. Davis, 79, of Scottdale, known for his grand holiday displays

By Rick Badie

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For years J.C. Davis strung up thousands of holiday lights and displays to decorate his home in Scottdale.

His Christmas display grew bigger and grander as time went on. Santa and his reindeer straddled the roof. A religious scene showcased the three crosses of Calvary.

Mr. Davis started the holiday tradition in 1985 when he decided to “put up a few lights for the grandbabies,” he said in a 1994 story that appeared in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He didn’t use fancy holders and attachments to secure the lights and prop up the figures. He relied on ingenuity, dictated by whatever he had around his small-frame abode on Murphey Street.

On Thanksgiving Day, he’d flip the switches and leave the display aglow till New Year’s Day. Cars lined up for a look-see. Santa Claus might appear to wave and mingle. Played by Davis, of course.

“Neighbors loved it,” said his daughter Sandra Davis of Scottdale. “He’d talk about how little kids could ask for the strangest things. I’ve seen him cry when kids have told him that they wanted their mommy or daddy home.”

J.C. Davis, 79, of Scottdale died Sunday of congestive heart failure at DeKalb Medical Center. The funeral will be 3 p.m. Tuesday in the chapel of A.S. Turner & Sons.

Born in Roanoke, Ala., he was 16 when he moved to the Scottdale community, located off East Ponce de Leon Avenue, with his parents. Like many, he, too, toiled in the textile mill as a machine operator. He also worked for 25 years as a glass mechanic for Lowe Glass Co. in Chamblee, among other glass specialists.

No matter the job, Mr. Davis was still a country boy.

“He loved to hunt and fish,” his daughter said, “and that’s how he fed his family sometimes. If you could see the walls of the house. They are lined with deer heads. He grew a garden, too. He was a good ’ole country boy with a heart of gold.”

Every season, Mr. Davis’ holiday display became a must-see attraction. He’d start stringing lights on Oct. 15, his birthday. It took three weeks. In recent years, poor health had prevented him from playing Santa. That duty was relegated to others, including his son Barry Davis of Scottdale.

“I made the mistake one Christmas Day night of dressing up and standing on the street,” Mr. Davis said. ‘Dad said, ‘What are you doing?’ Those kids killed me out there — ‘I didn’t get this. I didn’t get that.’ I came back in the house after a while.”

In his truck visor, Mr. Davis kept a copy of the AJC story that featured him. In that article, he talked about having to add breakers, extra wiring and a switch box to handle the load. In the 1990s, the display would double his electric bill, from about $100 to $200.

“... I just love to do it,” he said in the story. “And I like to meet people.”

Additional survivors include his wife, Frances Davis; another son, William Chester Davis of Scottdale; another daughter, Delores Allred of Germany; a sister, Lucrete Pilgrim of Scottdale; a brother, Fred Davis of Social Circle; eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.