Christmas means many things to Robert Schrock.

It’s a celebration of the birth of his Lord and Savior. It’s a chance to see his son and grandchildren for the holiday.

And today, he gets to celebrate his 95th birthday while next to a Christmas tree.

For the former carpenter who grew up in Milford, Nebraska and is a devout man, sharing a birthday with Jesus has always been a point of pride for Schrock.

“Jesus and I celebrate our birthdays together on Christmas Day,” he said. “I depend on Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit.”

Schrock was born Dec. 25, 1919, and grew up just miles from Lincoln, Nebraska.

Christmas in Nebraska was cold, he said. There was too much snow to go out and do anything.

In 1936, his father, a contractor and carpenter, moved to Hollywood, California, and the holiday season changed quite a bit.

“We could hardly get no jobs there,” Schrock said. “So we packed up and came to Hollywood, staying with relatives in Upland, California.”

He traded corn for palm trees, Cornhusker football for Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and snow drifts for 80-degree days.

But for Schrock, the reason for the season wasn’t altered.

“It’s hard to say which one was better,” he said. “Christmas is Christmas, whether in Nebraska or in Southern California. One’s just as good as the other.”

He remained a carpenter, working with the Los Angeles School District for 21 years.

Schrock married the love of his life, Ruth, on June 2, 1946. The two had met in Nebraska and eventually moved to Kalispell in 2005 after retiring.

She died in 2009 and Schrock remains a resident at Prestige Assisted Living in Kalispell. His son lives in the area and plans to take Schrock out of the assisted living home for Christmas to enjoy some presents and special treats on the twin holiday.

Schrock’s daughter, a professional confectioner, sends delicious candies and chocolates to her brother and father every holiday season — treats Schrock is more than happy to share with visitors and fellow residents.

Schrock’s own holiday specialty is something more fluid and more likely to knock an unsuspecting reveler on his or her rump.

“I make my eggnog with apricot brandy, scotch whiskey and rum,” Schrock said.

Despite the seemingly unusual cocktail ingredients, it’s delicious — deceptively so. It’s the talk of the holiday season around Prestige when he fashions the merrymaking mixed drink.

Christmas is such a big event for Schrock that he leaves the Christmas lights around his apartment door up all year long. He doesn’t turn them on until the assisted living home puts up its large Christmas tree.

He will enjoy church this Sunday, as he has for much of the last decade, at Mountain View Mennonite Church in Kalispell, a nod to his childhood place of worship, Faith Mennonite Church in Milford.

Schrock’s second favorite time of the year is during the spring and summer (although typically not the fall) when his beloved Chicago Cubs are playing.

“I’ve been a fan of the Cubs since I was 12 years old,” he said. “We had this little radio and we’d hear the broadcasts from Wrigley Field. I was hoping this was our year, but maybe next year.”

Schrock lights up when talking about his Cubbies, and he jokes that he might be the reason they haven’t won a championship since 1908. Moving to California had him pick up a second team, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

“I’m still mad at Kansas City for knocking them out,” he said.

At Prestige, he takes joy in simple things: A beer every Friday during “happy hour,” a walk three times a day to stay healthy, a baseball game if one is on and his Bible study (his favorite books are Revelations, Psalms and Proverbs).

There isn’t much he wants for his 95th birthday. As a former carpenter celebrating on Dec. 25, with two children, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, he’s got all he needs to be happy.

But if Santa Claus brought the Chicago Cubs a World Series win next season, Schrock wouldn’t complain.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.