Neighbors bring early Christmas to woman in her final days of life

ANTIOCH, Ill. (WBBM) – A home in suburban Chicago is skipping Halloween with more and more Christmas decorations popping up each day.

It's a touching tribute to a dying woman who loves Christmas and has an inspiring attitude.

There were voices of holiday cheer outside a home on a warm fall day in Antioch and a festive gathering, all for a woman loved by many watching from her window.

Jamie Haley is in her final stages of life.

"It couldn't be better. I could not be happier," Jamie Haley said.

After hearing those words, it's hard to believe Jamie Haley is in the final stages of her life with hospice coming daily.

Known for her lifelong love of Christmas, her family is bringing the joy of the season to her in a big way.

"Strangers are showing up and it's Christmas for as long as it can be," Jamie Haley's daughter, Anna, said. "We just love her so much, and like I told Grayson, we are going to love her until we have to miss her."

As word gets out, Christmas keeps coming.

On this night, the group goes all night, bringing a horse-drawn carriage, a goat, and even Santa and Mrs. Claus, all meeting Jamie Haley for the first time.

"I'll never forget her. It's been a wonderful experience," one volunteer said. "Her spirit and her love is evident."

There's even a homemade light-up lamp that showed up and an ever-growing display of inflatables slowly taking over much of the block.

"I was completely blown away. I had no idea," Jamie Haley said.

The home has been Jamie Haley's for 45 years. She raised four children with her husband of 51 years, Jim, and they enjoy nine grandchildren.

"My mom is probably the most special person in the world," Anna Haley described. "She's not only taking care of us, but she took care of everybody else and she doesn't know how important she was to us. She doesn't know how wide her reach was and how big the love we have for her is."

Jamie Haley's sister-in-law, Mary Pedersen, described each moment with her as a blessing.

"She was a mom to everyone and now a grandma to everyone, and she taught all the good things," Pedersen said. "She was joyful her whole life, and now she's teaching us how to die. She's telling us to do it with dignity and joy."

"There's no other choice. Heaven is home and this is temporary, and when it's your time, it's your time," Jamie Haley added. "We've been through a lot together, that's for sure."

Handmade decorations and memories fill every corner of Jamie Haley's home, with ornaments passed down through the generations, lights twinkling and the unmistakable warmth of the season.

Love is pouring in for Jamie Haley, who remains grateful and positive.

"When it's your time, accept that," Jamie Haley said. "It's God's will and just be happy in the moments that you have."

In the face of the hardest moments, the Haley family is a reminder of the power of love and community.

"Be kind to people. You never know whose life you are affecting," Jamie Haley said. "I'm grateful for every minute I have with friends and family. It's all good."

And for Jamie Haley, Christmas is more than a season; it's a lasting legacy.

"Just try to be joyful and grateful for all the years that they had," she said.

The family asks those who wish to pay the Christmas spirit forward to consider donating to Penny's Purpose in Antioch. The group makes comfort quilts for those in need, and even made one for Jamie Haley.