One of the gifts of the Christmas season is the
nostalgia and childhood memories it brings back. When I was a girl, one of our
holiday traditions was a trip to John Wanamaker’s in Center City Philadelphia
to see Santa.
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| Me with the real Santa at Wanamaker's in 1966 |
Unlike
today's shopping mall Santas, who sit right out in the open, Santa at
Wanamaker's resided on a throne that was hidden, only to be reached via a
journey along a holiday lane. Excitement built as each turn brought you closer
to the man of the moment. Would you be able to remember everything on your
Christmas list when it was your turn to sit on Santa's lap?
For years, I was oblivious to the fact that numerous stores in the Philadelphia region, and indeed across the country, hosted Santa. I suppose that the Wanamaker's store was so grand and the setting so imposing that I just assumed it was the only place that the real Santa would come to entertain requests.
For years, I was oblivious to the fact that numerous stores in the Philadelphia region, and indeed across the country, hosted Santa. I suppose that the Wanamaker's store was so grand and the setting so imposing that I just assumed it was the only place that the real Santa would come to entertain requests.
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| Santa and me at Wanamaker's in 1973 |
After our picture with
Santa, we'd take the elevator to the eighth floor to visit the toy department.
The wide array of Barbies, dolls, and games wasn't what interested me though. I
was there for my annual ride on the monorail, which looped around the toy
department, suspended from rails in the ceiling.
Though
the tin cars were dented and a little drab by the time I was climbing into them
in the 1970s, I felt extremely grown-up, shepherding my younger brother up the
ramp and into the compact cars while Mom and Dad milled around the aisles.
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| Dreams of Toyland: John Wanamaker's Rocket Express |
Our
trip to Wanamaker's always ended with the stunning Light Show in the Grand
Court. Who can forget the Philadelphia tradition of leaning against a display
case and craning your neck to see reindeer, snowmen, and Santa on the screen
far over your head, while the enchanted fountains danced in the foreground?
The
grandeur of Wanamaker's Pageant of Lights was years in the making. In the
mid-1950s, Frederick Yost, a Yale-trained theater-lighting specialist, started
to amp up Wanamaker's tradition of magnificent holiday displays. The Enchanted
Fountains - 3,000 gallons of dancing water illuminated by colored lights - soon
accompanied the Christmas music emanating from the Wanamaker's Grand Court
organ.
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| Christmas in Philadelphia: The Light Show at Wanamaker's |
The
magic Christmas tree and its montage of color combinations - created by BertMedland, a self-taught electrical engineer from Drexel Hill - began twinkling
in 1959. More than 23,000 lights, some custom-tinted for the show in shades of
pink and purple, graced the original tree.
For a time, just like any homeowner looking to impress his neighbors with his Christmas light display, the Wanamaker’s masterminds added new features. The March of the Toys first paraded in 1961, and Frosty the Snowman appeared in 1964. By 1968, Rudolph had arrived, Santa had a train and ballerinas from the Nutcracker twirled around.
Besides delighting shoppers, the Light Show provided a huge gift to the Philadelphia Electric Company. The show finale required 288,000 watts of electricity—enough to reportedly help heat the store’s Grand Court.
The 13-minute show served its purpose of getting multitudes of shoppers to flock to Wanamaker’s. During the peak years, more than half a million people would thrill to the music, lights and booming voice of legendary Philadelphia sportscaster John Facenda.
For a time, just like any homeowner looking to impress his neighbors with his Christmas light display, the Wanamaker’s masterminds added new features. The March of the Toys first paraded in 1961, and Frosty the Snowman appeared in 1964. By 1968, Rudolph had arrived, Santa had a train and ballerinas from the Nutcracker twirled around.
Besides delighting shoppers, the Light Show provided a huge gift to the Philadelphia Electric Company. The show finale required 288,000 watts of electricity—enough to reportedly help heat the store’s Grand Court.
The 13-minute show served its purpose of getting multitudes of shoppers to flock to Wanamaker’s. During the peak years, more than half a million people would thrill to the music, lights and booming voice of legendary Philadelphia sportscaster John Facenda.
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| One of Philadelphia's most iconic signatures |
Today
Wanamaker's has morphed into Macy's. The monorail is gone, but you can see some
of its cars on display at Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum. (It's no longer
possible to ride on them, but you can always pretend!) No word on whether the
real Santa still chooses the store as his holiday home. But you can still see
the Light Show, now powered by nearly 100,000 LED lights.
The
show now has a different narrator, but if you listen closely in the Grand
Court, you can still hear Facenda bid Frosty the Snowman goodbye and sign off,
"Christmas, in the grand tradition. Our holiday greeting card unfolds
before your eyes as John Wanamaker wishes you the happiest holiday ever!"
Here's wishing the same to you, dear reader.
What memories do you have of Christmas at Wanamaker's? Share them in our comments.
I remember taking my three children from CT to Philadelphia to see the Wanamaker Display. It was fantastic!!
ReplyDeleteStill brings me to tears as the most memorable positive experience of my challenging childhood.
ReplyDeleteThe Facenda version of the light show is pn youtube on John Cushing's channel. Great memories!
ReplyDeleteWe lived in the Western Suburbs and would take the bus to 69th Street, then the El/Subway to center city and Wanamakers. The big thrill was the monorail and of course, seeing Santa.
ReplyDelete