Christmas is a unique day in the calendar when the country grows quiet for a day as families gather together to indulge in traditions wrapped in tinsel. A few well-known La Jollan leaders divulge their holiday memories, and Rabbi Ezagui of Chabad La Jolla offers a closing word to the holiday season. Dennis G. Wills, owner of D.G. Wills Books at 7461 Girard Ave., recalls holiday seasons spent in the military. “One of my more interesting holidays, as with anyone in the military, was tracking Soviet military aircraft on Christmas day in the Air Force in Germany years ago; just another day at work, like others in the military on deployment around the world,” he said. “Otherwise, for the past 30 years in the book business, this time of year means seeing the same folks about once a year who come back here to visit their parents or other relatives; folks from other states and other countries. There are two Liverpudlians (from Liverpool) whom I see each year, for example, as well as a Sanskrit professor from Connecticut. “The late Robert Hunter, father of former Congressman Duncan Hunter, would come in around Christmas and always buy Ernest Thompson Seton books for his grandchildren. We also see former high school students who have since gone off to college, married and have come back as well to visit their parents. They, too, check in with the old stomping grounds here. In this sense, as we have seen a couple generations of La Jollans grow up, it sometimes feels like James Hilton’s Mr. Chips seeing his old students again and again each year. In addition, something else we celebrate around the old bookstore this time of year is the plethora of college football games as well as the NFL Playoffs, our favorite time of year.” Editor’s Note: Dennis will be watching football at the store on New Year’s Day, so people are welcome to stop by and browse for books. Christopher Beach, president and artistic director of La Jolla Music Society, will spend Christmas in Shanghai and welcome the new year in Beijing this year since the Chinese government invited him to experience the country’s musicians and dancers. Beach’s holiday memories transport him back to New England. “My family was very New England, Protestant and tradition-bound. Thanksgiving was turkey. Christmas was roast beef. And Easter was ham. There was no deviation — that was the way it was,” Beach said. “As a really young child, my parents would set up the Christmas tree and all the presents and this enormous Lionel train set. They would set it all up after we went to bed so we thought Santa brought the tree and all the presents and the train set. They spent all night long doing all that. We were not allowed to come down in the morning until a reasonable hour. So, our stockings would be placed by Santa at the edge of our beds so we could have something to entertain ourselves when we woke up at 2 a.m. “My grandparents’ house was filled with music at Christmas. Grandma was always on the piano and people were always coming to play chamber music.” Community activist Mary Coakley looks forward to the Christmas dinner her son-in-law will prepare, and couldn’t help but speak of how much she adores the La Jolla Shores community, which is obvious to anyone who has crossed her path. Coakley is president of Friends of La Jolla Shores and served on the La Jolla Shores Association board for eight years, to name a few of her civic activities. “As a child growing up in Chicago, I remember the great excitement each Christmas as our family made its annual visit to the magical world created by Marshall Field’s,” she said. “Each window of the store around the entire city block was always beautifully decorated with a special holiday theme.  We had breakfast with Santa in the magnificent Oak Room and never minded standing in line for hours for the thrill of sitting on Santa’s lap to tell him our most secret Christmas wish. He was surrounded by Mrs. Claus, Aunt Holly and Uncle Mistletoe, his elves and live reindeer led by Rudolph. And who could forget the Field’s Frango Mints!  It was pretty wonderful! “I think that the wonderful community that is here in the Shores is something so unique and special. It’s kind of like one big family, which makes the holiday celebration pretty special. Everyone is always so supportive of each other. It’s a happier time of year. Everyone goes out of their way to do extra nice things for everyone else.” Rabbi Baruch Ezagui of Chabad La Jolla at 7955 La Jolla Shores Drive shares insights into the challenges facing us and for the future ahead. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to go forward. I’m thankful for the strength to overcome those past challenges and the opportunities that we learned from them — and for the path ahead,” he said. “I’m sure it’s a sentiment that a lot of people share as well, be it that the world at large is in a great challenging moment with a lot of confusion and a lot of hardships around. Many people are overburdened by these challenges and when God gives you the strength and the ability to overcome them — and the bright focus on the potential future — I think that’s an enormous amount to be thankful for.”