TORRINGTON – Every year, the Torrington Lions Club interviews young ladies from 16 to 19 years old to fill the role of “Miss Merry Christmas” for the year. The Lions Club has been doing the Miss Merry Christmas program for over thirty years. 

The club is pretty well known in the community for the assistance it provides in eye care, including eyewear, grants, eye exams, camps, disaster relief efforts, and other humanitarian efforts. However, they also have a program for young women in the county. 

The Lions Club sends applications to all of the high schools in the county to be given to young women who meet the qualifications for “Miss Merry Christmas”. Those who are interested fill out the application and return them by November 6. 

From there, the Lions Club holds interviews with each girl individually. This year the interviews are expected to take place on November 13. The club brings in a committee typically consisting of three or four club members and a news or radio personnel. They meet at Platte River Dentistry and they then ask the potential Miss Merry Christmas a few questions. The year’s Miss Merry Christmas is chosen on the night of the interviews. 

“We usually kind of decide on some questions that we ask them like maybe, ‘What’s your favorite memory of Christmas?’ or ‘Why do you want to be Miss Merry Christmas?’ or ‘Do you feel you have time, you know, to do this?’ Some of the girls if they’re real active in sports it’s kind of difficult,” Val Grant, a Lions member shared. 

The idea of Miss Merry Christmas is to have a kind young lady spread Christmas cheer. It is a yearly tradition where Miss Merry Christmas helps with local holiday events such as the Thanksgiving Bazaar the Lions Club hosts and Santa visits. 

“Miss Merry Christmas is usually there (the Lions Thanksgiving Bazaar) and helps with that. And then course Santa, she’s with Santa or right behind Santa in the parade. And then also helps with, you know, the movies with Santa and Santa visits and we also kind of encourage any other local organizations if they would like to have her help you know with anything,” Grant said. 

Sometimes, our Miss Merry Christmas decides she would like to do some side projects as well in order to really connect with community members. 

“Some of the past Miss Merry Christmases have actually thought of some projects on their own. I think we had a couple that went to preschools or the libraries to read with children. We usually do a lot of times, somebody takes them around to the care centers too, to visit the elderly. That’s kind of a bright spot for them to get to visit somebody young,” Grant shared. 

Outside of those things, she may also assist with summertime activities such as the summer parades and the craft fair fun day the Lions do. 

Miss Merry Christmas is adorned in a robe, a banner and a crown. Since it is a type of community service project, Miss Merry Christmas is also gifted a monetary scholarship for her academic endeavors. The banks help support the scholarship.  She will be Miss Merry Christmas until the next year when they choose another. 

Young ladies who are interested in the program can contact their school guidance counselor or reach out to any Lion’s Club member.