I didn't realize until this year that not everyone had Santa photos made as part of the Christmas ritual. My husband lived in a small town in West Virginia where they didn't even have much of a department store, much less a department store Santa with photos! My daughter just wrote about her son's experience with Santa (
Click Here)---here are my photos and memories of Christmas at the department stores in St. Louis.
Every Thanksgiving evening, we went downtown to look at the store windows---they were always magical to see. The stores weren't open, but the sidewalks were crowded with people oohing and aahing over the mechanical displays in the windows. There was always a display of Santa's workshop with little elves whirring around making toys. There was usually a display of animals playing in the winter---rabbits ice skating, racoons sailing down a hill in a bobsled. But, our favorite was always the train display in the Famous-Barr window. It was huge with dozens of trains going in all different directions through a miniaturized town and country-side. Going downtown Thanksgiving evening was like icing on the cake---the lights, the magical windows, the decorations, the music---Dad or Grandpa carrying me so I could see in the windows.
Those displays heralded the beginning of the Christmas season. Every year, we got dressed up and went downtown "Christmas shopping." My first memory was the PANIC that set in with so many giant adults towering over me. Inevitably I'd follow the wrong black coat through the maze and would wind up bellowing, "MOOOOOM!" With so many grownups packed together, the only thing I could see were shoes and the floor---the first floor near the doors was white ceramic tile with black streaks from people walking in with wet, dirty shoes.
After a little shopping, it was time for photos with Santa Claus---he was usually enthroned in the toy department. But, we had to wait in line for HOURS with nothing to do, but whine. (Later, when my kids were little, they had multiple Santas and mechanical displays to look at while waiting in a huge room that looked like a fairy land) After we sat on his lap, we'd get a candy cane and a toy or coloring book. Then, we'd go to lunch---in the tearoom when we got older! But, again, there was a wait. . . But, lunch in the tearoom was the BEST part of the whole shopping day---when we were younger, we ate in the "lunchroom" which wasn't much fun. We had to "camp out" behind someone at the counter so we could have a seat when they got up.
My final memory was a baby-sitting service one of the department stores offered---it was an old, large supply room with windows up by the high ceiling that we couldn't look out of. The room was filled with screaming kids. I hated it! I can hardly wait for my sister to read this blog so I can get her view of all of this. As you can tell, I'm not a big fan of Christmas shopping, she, on the other hand, lives and breathes Christmas. (Actually, in the photos above, you can see skepticism in my eyes and adoration and wonder in hers)
I didn't realize until this year that not everyone had Santa photos made as part of the Christmas ritual. My husband lived in a small town in West Virginia where they didn't even have much of a department store, much less a department store Santa with photos! My daughter just wrote about her son's experience with Santa (Click Here)---here are my photos and memories of Christmas at the department stores in St. Louis.
Every Thanksgiving evening, we went downtown to look at the store windows---they were always magical to see. The stores weren't open, but the sidewalks were crowded with people oohing and aahing over the mechanical displays in the windows. There was always a display of Santa's workshop with little elves whirring around making toys. There was usually a display of animals playing in the winter---rabbits ice skating, racoons sailing down a hill in a bobsled. But, our favorite was always the train display in the Famous-Barr window. It was huge with dozens of trains going in all different directions through a miniaturized town and country-side. Going downtown Thanksgiving evening was like icing on the cake---the lights, the magical windows, the decorations, the music---Dad or Grandpa carrying me so I could see in the windows.
Those displays heralded the beginning of the Christmas season. Every year, we got dressed up and went downtown "Christmas shopping." My first memory was the PANIC that set in with so many giant adults towering over me. Inevitably I'd follow the wrong black coat through the maze and would wind up bellowing, "MOOOOOM!" With so many grownups packed together, the only thing I could see were shoes and the floor---the first floor near the doors was white ceramic tile with black streaks from people walking in with wet, dirty shoes.
After a little shopping, it was time for photos with Santa Claus---he was usually enthroned in the toy department. But, we had to wait in line for HOURS with nothing to do, but whine. (Later, when my kids were little, they had multiple Santas and mechanical displays to look at while waiting in a huge room that looked like a fairy land) After we sat on his lap, we'd get a candy cane and a toy or coloring book. Then, we'd go to lunch---in the tearoom when we got older! But, again, there was a wait. . . But, lunch in the tearoom was the BEST part of the whole shopping day---when we were younger, we ate in the "lunchroom" which wasn't much fun. We had to "camp out" behind someone at the counter so we could have a seat when they got up.
My final memory was a baby-sitting service one of the department stores offered---it was an old, large supply room with windows up by the high ceiling that we couldn't look out of. The room was filled with screaming kids. I hated it! I can hardly wait for my sister to read this blog so I can get her view of all of this. As you can tell, I'm not a big fan of Christmas shopping, she, on the other hand, lives and breathes Christmas. (Actually, in the photos above, you can see skepticism in my eyes and adoration and wonder in hers)
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