Department store windows

[trof]

Caution: another nostalgia thread

When you were a kid, did you live in a big enough town or city where the department stores decorated their show windows with mechanical Santas, elves, and such?

The two biggies in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, were Loveman's (Loveman, Joseph, & Loeb) and Pizitz (Louis Pizitz & Co.). They were about a block apart.

Oh, man. This was magic time. We'd be down there for the first night's unveiling and marvel at the new things each year. Santa and Mrs. Santa and the elves hammering away at toys. A train going round and round the whole scene. Once an airplane in flight and you <almost> couldn't see the wires holding it up. Loudspeakers were mounted on storefronts, blasting out Christmas Carols. My eyes were big as saucers.

Now that you can buy the motion-activated mechanical Santas and Christmas trees that "dance to the music" for $19.95, somehow the magic is gone.

on edit: I haven't been in a downtown at Christmas in many years. Do they still do that?

[tjdee]

1. Macy's in NYC for sure.

Taking the kid to see it now is a nostalgic thing for me.

I love Manhattan anyway, but Macy's windows and Rockefeller Center are the "Christmas things". Even if I don't go every year, just knowing they're *there*, LOL.

[tnlefty]

2. Lovemans' and Miller Brothers

Yes, they used to really dress up all of their windows and they were always pretty, never overdone. Since they have left and been replaced by other chains a lot of the "magic" is gone. We used to drive downtown, find a place to park and walk and it was a wonderful experience for a kid.

[Lady Freedom]

3. Another Christmas related thread?!?!?!?!?!

You guys are killing me! Do you know that?

[alchemilla]

4. we were just talking about this at Thanksgiving Dinner!

My friends and I got onto this topic last night, and one person, from a small town in Maine, was saying that the merchants don't do it anymore. Here in Charlottesville, there are no big stores other than chain operations, and we were thinking about how all the window trimmings come from the Central Office with installation instructions--so it looks the same at every Banana Republic, what have you.
But what got us on the topic was actually discussing the yard-decorating tendencies of the neighbors--some of mine actually have a storage unit where they keep all the plastic crap that they put out every holiday. Maybe in smaller towns that suffices as the store windows--and it certainly attracts visitors, though most are probably drive-bys.
I was lucky enough to spend holidays in New York--and that is just incredible. Downtown Baltimore was eviscerated of department stores years ago. Sad story. One of my friends mentioned an article, maybe from an old New Yorker, that talked about window-dressing and such. We're a bunch of nerdy historians and architecture types, and we love talking about this sort of thing, especially in context of city life.
Does anyone remember the velvet ropes around the windows at Lord and Taylor in New York? I think they still do that. What an event! And the star at 57th street. I always knew it as the Tiffany Star--is that their contribution?
We have a kind of crappy looking tree in downtown Charlottesville, and every year there is some kind of flap about who's paying for it--the City, whatever.

[trof]

5. Shalahtsville!

Spent some time there when my son-in-law was in law school. Monticello was fascinating.
On lawn decorations:
Our across-the-street neighbors have this huge, fan-driven snowman out front. It's about 12' tall. This on the gulf coast where the closest we get to snow is in a snow cone at the beach.
It just don't seem RIGHT to me.
:shrug:

[alchemilla]

6. holiday decorations in charlottesville

Well, you reminded me now, speaking of lawn decorations, I took my dogs over to The Lawn (at UVa) yesterday,which is a lovely place. It was nice to see some tourists and other dogs and such.
But--a couple of years ago, they started actually lighting the buildings of the Lawn, and UVa wants very much to make it a tradition. For those not familiar, it's an arrangement of buildings around a terraced Lawn, designed by Jefferson that was the site of the original University of Virginia, and it is stunning anyway.
I noticed that they have started putting up the lights, and they'll go on next week, with some ceremony to reinforce the whole "tradition" thing (man, they love that stuff here.) It is so unbelievably beautiful--all white lights, and they follow the lines of the architecture. Now THAT's Lawn Decoration.

Not too many people in town know about it. I may gather some people to go watch them turn on the lights. I bet even TJ would approve. It's so well done. And much nicer than the aforementioned tree downtown!

I'll try to get a picture.

[trof]

7. I remember The Lawn (I think)

Does it have the little one-room living quarters down each side?
My uncle went to law school there. Two years pre-WWII and a refresher semester and another year after. I think he lived in one of those for a while.

on edit: S'cuse my manners.
Welcome to DU, alchemilla.
:hi:

[bleedingheart]

8. Kaufmann's downtown Pittsburgh as well as the suburban malls

with their trains for the kids....its a hoot! I love a pic of my husband holding our infant son on a train...

[oneighty]

9. Buffalo

Buffalo N.Y. like that before WW2..I can barely remember..street cars, slush snow on streets and side walks..happy faces everywhere. Lois Eunice and I together ( My Sisters)...

Ed

[trof]

10. I've always wanted to ask this of a Buffaloan.

Do you know the words to "Shuffle off to Buffalo"?

[oneighty]

11. No Trof!

I do not know the words to the "Shuffle" song. I might be able to find them.

Today I am thinking of the song; "When skies are dreary over Lake Erie".

Yippeee and HooYeah!

Ed

[trof]

13. here ya go

Shuffle Off To Buffalo
Don Bestor

I’ll go home and get my panties,
You go home and get your scanties,
And away we’ll go; Mm!
Off we’re gonna shuffle,
Shuffle off to buffalo.
To niagra in a sleeper,
There’s no honeymoon that’s cheaper
And the train goes slow, Mm!
Off we’re gonna shuffle,
Shuffle off to buffalo.
Someday, the stork may pay us a visit
And leave a little souvenir;
Just a little cute “What is it?”
But we’ll discuss that later, dear.
For a little silver quarter,
We can have the pullman porter
Turn the lights down low. Ooh!
Off we’re gonna shuffle,
Shuffle off to buffalo.

[oneighty]

16. Yup!

I found it too!

Ed

[greatauntoftriplets]

12. Marshall Field's in Chicago had the best windows up here.

The triplets' parents are taking them downtown today to see them.

[supernova]

14. I barely remember going downtown to shop

they started building malls when I was about 7-8 years old. I liked all the municipal decorations.

I saw the decorations at the fancy new mall for the first time last week. Their's were different in that hanging from the ceiling were groups of LARGE panels chained together. But the panels were actually pictures of life here from yesteryear. So these are decorations grounded in time and place. Kinda cool.

[oneighty]

15. Shuffle...From Google.

I'll go home and get my panties
you go home and get your scanties
and away we'll go,
Mm, off we're gonna shuffle.
Shuffle off to Buffalo.

Then it get much worser, believe it or don't! Much woresrs for MANY words.

Wow!

Ed