People driving along Highway 52 East in Ellijay are sure to see a giant, mummified skeleton that doesn’t just celebrate Halloween.
Right now, the creature is decked out in all things red and pink for Valentine’s Day. There’s even a heart-shaped sign staked into the ground next to it reading “be my sweetheart.”
Jamie and Miki Wilkerson have been decorating the 12-foot skeleton, bought from Lowe’s, since they put it up for Halloween in 2023.
The couple, originally from Loganville, moved to Ellijay five years ago. They live in a log cabin, lined with Christmas lights, with their four cats, three dogs and four chickens.
Miki shared that she’s always loved decorating for the holidays, even though her parents didn’t care for it much when she was a kid. Neither did Jamie’s growing up.
“Now that we’re grown adults, we decorate as much as we want to,” Jamie said with a smile. “So everywhere we go, we put out lights all over the place, but this right here has probably been the best so far.”
For years, where they’ve previously lived in subdivisions, the Wilkersons have gone all out with their Halloween and Christmas lights. Now, they say being on the busy highway allows for more people to see and appreciate their hard work than ever before.
“It makes it all worthwhile when you actually hear comments like ‘we love your lights, it brightens our day and the kids love it’,” Jamie answered when discussing why they dedicate so much time and effort to their decorations.
During Christmas of 2023, a stranger left an ornament in their mailbox that read, “we’ve enjoyed your Christmas lights.” It’s hung proudly in their living room, next to a Christmas tree that also stays up throughout the year.
Miki decorates the indoor tree for every holiday, currently covered in heart-shaped ornaments and red tinsel, matching the skeleton outside.
The origin of the seasonal, mummified skeleton involves a 3 year old named Jace, whom Miki has become very close to. He’s the grandson of one of her coworkers, who told her how much he loved seeing it during Halloween.
Once the spooky season passed, the Wilkersons added a Christmas tree next to it and decided to leave the skeleton up all year, music to the boy’s ears. For Easter, they had pastel, blow-up peeps next to it that read, “Happy Easter, Jace.”
When Jace and his grandma were able to come by their home and see the special message, Miki noted, “He saw his little name on there and he said, ‘wook mimi, it says me.’”
While Jace’s love for their decorations is what started the holiday-celebrating skeleton, it’s the community’s response that inspires them to keep going.
The looming creature that stands over the busy road has many, many fans. Other community members have even given it an honorary name, “Skelli-Jay”.
“It was really awesome when they named it,” Jamie remarked. “Skelli-Jay and Ellijay, I mean it just sounds good, and he’s a lot cooler than Squidbillies down the road there.”
Tasha Green, an Ellijay resident, and her 12-year-old son Briar, coined the nickname after driving by the Wilkersons every day.
“He’s kind of a part of our lives at this point, so we got to talking and threw a bunch of names around,” Green said. “Skeleton Jack is one of our favorite cartoon characters, and with him being Halloween and Christmas, we kind of just went off of that and came up with Skelli-Jay.”
Green posted in the Facebook group, “Ellijay Life,” to share the name and kindly ask the Wilkersons to not skip Saint Patrick’s Day this year. She offered to donate a green top hat, suspenders and even make a pot of gold.
“I’ve got all these totes of decorations, and if I’m not using them, maybe they can, and maybe it’ll help bring joy to somebody else’s day,” Green voiced. “I made the Facebook post and was really blown away by the community response, and that everybody loved it as much as I did.”
Green’s post has more than 1,000 likes and 230 comments of people sharing their love for Skelli-Jay. Other group members offered to donate holiday decorations as well.
“It makes us smile,” Miki mentioned about seeing all of the positive comments on Facebook. “We’re really enjoying hearing them say that it makes them happy.”
“That’s what it’s all about, just giving other people joy,” Jamie added. “That brings inspiration to us and makes us want to get out there, do it more and change the decorations up.”
The Wilkersons hope to continue improving and modifying its decorations, like with a light-up sign that flashes the skeleton’s name to people driving by.
New additions also include a spotlight that shines on Skelli-Jay, illuminating the figure at night. LED screens were added inside its eyes, to flash different holiday symbols. Right now, hearts are glowing bright.
Jamie and Miki’s favorite design was during summer, when they made a snorkel mask out of blue and orange pool noodles, and Skelli-Jay held a giant beach ball as if it just took a dip in the water.
“A lot of other people have really liked the beach one,” Jamie recalled. “I think we might change it and put an inner tube … because of the Cartecay River tubing.”
They will definitely be doing Saint Patrick’s Day in March thanks to the donations, where Miki explained, “I just didn’t do it last year because Easter came early.”
Another idea pulled from the Facebook post that she wants to do is set up a donation box for Skelli-Jay, so that anyone interested can donate decorations in the future.
Green and some of her friends are even toying with the idea to create a 7XL, Gilmer Bobcats jersey for it to wear.
The Wilkersons hope Skelli-Jay, their passion for holiday decorating and “labor of love,” continue bringing joy to the people of Ellijay for years to come.