VIDALIA — When the Vidalia Christmas parade rolls from Vidalia Upper Elementary at 3 p.m. Sunday, Ajah Williams expects to be smiling and waving to the crowds.

The Vidalia Women’s Club selected the 17-year-old Vidalia High School senior as this year’s Miss Merry Christmas.

Williams serves as senior class president, president of student council and a member of the Key Club, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

“I like to think outside the box and think of new things to do to keep people interested in our school,” Williams said.

Christmas is special to Williams, in part because her birthday is Dec. 23.

“It just reminds me to take life slowly and enjoy myself,” Williams said.

Women’s Club president Mary Montpelier said requirements to be Miss Merry Christmas included being a senior at a local high school, a Vidalia resident, a member of a local church and having a 3.0 grade average.

Applicants also had to write an essay on the topic of “What would you do to make Vidalia a better place to live, and would you be willing to help implement your ideas into reality?”

“In her essay, she wrote about Christmas being one of the most family (oriented) celebrations and the fact that it is a remembrance of Jesus being born,” Montpelier said. “And I think that’s what caught all of our eyes — it’s that everything in here was about being a Christian and family.”

Williams wrote she planned to visit people who needed companionship, participate in Operation GRITS, which sends packages to soldiers serving overseas, and encourage overall holiday unity.

“What I was really thinking about was how my dad wasn’t always at home for Christmas,” Williams said. “That was very sad for me when I was young.”

Her father works offshore, and his work schedule sometimes meant he missed holidays with the family. Now that she’s older, Williams said she understands more about why her father couldn’t be there.

Williams’ essay, along with her 4.0 and community involvement, helped the committee decide to appoint her as Miss Merry Christmas.

“She was awesome,” Montpelier said.

Williams said she’s excited about the parade.

More than anything, Williams said she is looking forward to seeing everyone’s smiles.

“Who wouldn’t want people to smile?” Williams said.

Williams is the daughter of Yolanda and Jeffery Williams.