Christmas Nostalgia
Well, it is December now. And it's really not beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Very few people in my neighborhood have put up lights this year. (We haven't yet.) And there really aren't a lot of store decorations, either.
Oh, you'll still see the whole Christmas production at places like Von Maur. They actually hire a team to come in and decorate their stores. But, for the most part, if you do see holiday decor, they're like the ones we put up at our store--a tree, a wreath, a bit of garland. Nothing fantastic.
Not like when I was young. Back when I was growing up, in the 60's and 70's, Christmas decorations were everywhere in December. All the towns put up those lighted trees or snowmen or santas or bells on the lamp posts downtown. The courthouse would string lights from the tip of the building down to the eaves to make a giant "tree" that you could see from pretty far away. The shopping centers/strip malls would decorate the front of the building--usually with lighted garlands and wreaths. And all the light posts in the parking lot would have garlands wrapped around them and some kind of ornament hanging from them.
All the stores would decorate, too. Every store put a tree in their window, usually with whatever that store sold under said tree as "presents." It was a lot of fun as a kid to walk along, looking at all the trees, imagining that bike or that doll or that game under my tree. (Not that it was ever anything more than wishful thinking.) Many stores painted their windows, too. Usually, they just put snow in the corners. But some places, like the ABC Curb-A-Teria (one of those carhop places you could go and get milkshakes and hamburgers delivered to your car) would get the high school art class to come out and paint giant Christmas scenes on all their windows. Sure, it was tacky as hell. But it was the 60's. That kind of thing would be ridiculous now, but back then it worked.
The courthouse in my hometown, like most towns in that day, used to put up a nativity scene on the courthouse lawn. My brother tells me they don't do that anymore because of objections to putting one religion's decorations up, but not the others. I don't see a problem. I say, put them all up. Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Omisoka, St. Lucia, Festivas, whatever. Why can't we all celebrate? It's a big courthouse lawn. There is plenty of room. Apparently, though, there was a vote taken and the county decided that they would rather not put up any decorations on the courthouse if they had to accommodate other religions.
It would be funny if it weren't so... not funny.
Santa used to be everywhere, too. We used to go into the bank on Saturday mornings in December (back then, people went inside the bank, even after they put in drive-thrus.) and there would be a Santa there, waiting to hear your Christmas list and give you some candy. Now, back then, there was always candy at the bank. But at Christmas, there would be Christmas candy. A big candy cane, at the very least. And sometimes it would be a little mesh bag with 5 or 6 small chocolates wrapped to look like Christmas ornaments. But usually it was something much better--a foil wrapped chocolate coin as big as the palm of your hand. Let me tell you, when you are a little kid, that big, shiny chocolate coin with Santa's face on it was enough to make you lose your mind about Christmas.
Plus, if you were lucky, your mom also took you to do the grocery shopping after the bank. And there would be another Santa there at that shopping center, with some more candy! And it didn't matter that you had just left Santa downtown 5 minutes ago. You didn't take any chances when you were a kid. You sat with this Santa, repeated your list, and got some more chocolate!
I don't see any Santas these days, except for the mall Santas, who clearly do not love the job. And who definitely don't give candy. And whom you have to either pay for a picture with, or wait in line forever to see.
It kind of sucks for kids these days.
Oh, you'll still see the whole Christmas production at places like Von Maur. They actually hire a team to come in and decorate their stores. But, for the most part, if you do see holiday decor, they're like the ones we put up at our store--a tree, a wreath, a bit of garland. Nothing fantastic.
Not like when I was young. Back when I was growing up, in the 60's and 70's, Christmas decorations were everywhere in December. All the towns put up those lighted trees or snowmen or santas or bells on the lamp posts downtown. The courthouse would string lights from the tip of the building down to the eaves to make a giant "tree" that you could see from pretty far away. The shopping centers/strip malls would decorate the front of the building--usually with lighted garlands and wreaths. And all the light posts in the parking lot would have garlands wrapped around them and some kind of ornament hanging from them.
All the stores would decorate, too. Every store put a tree in their window, usually with whatever that store sold under said tree as "presents." It was a lot of fun as a kid to walk along, looking at all the trees, imagining that bike or that doll or that game under my tree. (Not that it was ever anything more than wishful thinking.) Many stores painted their windows, too. Usually, they just put snow in the corners. But some places, like the ABC Curb-A-Teria (one of those carhop places you could go and get milkshakes and hamburgers delivered to your car) would get the high school art class to come out and paint giant Christmas scenes on all their windows. Sure, it was tacky as hell. But it was the 60's. That kind of thing would be ridiculous now, but back then it worked.
The courthouse in my hometown, like most towns in that day, used to put up a nativity scene on the courthouse lawn. My brother tells me they don't do that anymore because of objections to putting one religion's decorations up, but not the others. I don't see a problem. I say, put them all up. Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Omisoka, St. Lucia, Festivas, whatever. Why can't we all celebrate? It's a big courthouse lawn. There is plenty of room. Apparently, though, there was a vote taken and the county decided that they would rather not put up any decorations on the courthouse if they had to accommodate other religions.
It would be funny if it weren't so... not funny.
Santa used to be everywhere, too. We used to go into the bank on Saturday mornings in December (back then, people went inside the bank, even after they put in drive-thrus.) and there would be a Santa there, waiting to hear your Christmas list and give you some candy. Now, back then, there was always candy at the bank. But at Christmas, there would be Christmas candy. A big candy cane, at the very least. And sometimes it would be a little mesh bag with 5 or 6 small chocolates wrapped to look like Christmas ornaments. But usually it was something much better--a foil wrapped chocolate coin as big as the palm of your hand. Let me tell you, when you are a little kid, that big, shiny chocolate coin with Santa's face on it was enough to make you lose your mind about Christmas.
Plus, if you were lucky, your mom also took you to do the grocery shopping after the bank. And there would be another Santa there at that shopping center, with some more candy! And it didn't matter that you had just left Santa downtown 5 minutes ago. You didn't take any chances when you were a kid. You sat with this Santa, repeated your list, and got some more chocolate!
I don't see any Santas these days, except for the mall Santas, who clearly do not love the job. And who definitely don't give candy. And whom you have to either pay for a picture with, or wait in line forever to see.
It kind of sucks for kids these days.
posted by Patwoman | 6:00 PM
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