Christmas Bleat...(my title)

Lileks.com ^ | 24 DEC 04 | James Lileks

[starvingstudent]

We hadn’t gone to see Santa yet, at least in his official capacity. We’d seen him at the Holidazzle, but Gnat hadn’t told him what she wants. Usually I take her to Southdale, which has the same Santa year after year, a retired Honeywell guy who has the beard and the belly 24/7/365. For some reason, he’s Santa to me; I don’t trust department store impostors. Where did they come from? Who died and made them Claus?

But. It’s a tradition in these parts to go to Dayton’s and see the big Holiday display on the eighth floor of the downtown flagship store. (Dayton’s changed its name to Marshall Fields as part of a big brand-goodwill-squandering initiative, but it’s still Dayton’s to most of us – a fact that no doubt mystifies and annoys the MBA geniuses who run the place.) Santa waits at the end of the display, like the Minotaur without all the crunching and screaming and blood. You hope, anyway. Perhaps they’ve changed the way they do things.

[MKM1960]

I love James Lilecks' column and blog. I got a little teary with the Goodyear Christmas albums. Every year I can remember going to the Goodyear and Firestone stores with my mother to get those albums. I would sit in front of the old Motorola buffet size stereo and listen to them. I really thought I was really grown up at seven when I could operate it by myself. LOL Both my parents are gone now and those Christmas memories are the best gifts of my childhood. I hope you treasure the memories you create today and your Christmas was and is a merry one.