 | Faye Graves, a native Wichitan, attended school at Friends and Wichita State, concluding at Midwestern Theological Seminary. He has been active in media for many years with Channel 12, KIRL, KFDI, KOOO AM & FM (Omaha), KFRM & KICT 95, as an owner, manager, producer, director and announcer. He has served as President of the Haysville Board of Education. He has also served on several national boards of the Southern Baptist Convention. Faye currently serves as Executive Pastor and Director of Administration and Education at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1415 S. Topeka, Wichita. You may contact Faye by e-mail fmgraves@amenibc.org, or by phone at (316) 262-1452. |
Nostalgia
2009-12-01 08:17:00
Remember...
Is Christmas downtown as bright and decorated today as it was in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s?
Answer: I don’t think so, but that’s just me. I’m a nostalgia buff you know.
Christmas was always so special back then. Historically, the decorations went with the times. In the early thirties, candles were big, then in the forties came colored light bulbs, and then in the early fifties neon signs were everywhere. I personally remember Downtown Wichita in each of those periods. They used to hang green woven garland across the main streets of the city. It was beautiful with the small light bulbs, all Christmas colors of course, and the light poles all lighted with the glow of the season. I am referring to the pre-shopping center days when all of the activity was Downtown.
Would you believe that folks would actually “dress up” to go Downtown, as they would say? Going Downtown was an occasion, not just another shopping trip. The big stores would all spend a great deal of time with their full-time window trimmer working on clever décor for their store. Bucks always had a giant Santa sitting on a huge throne-like chair surrounded by all kinds of toys. He was constantly laughing. I understand that one of the larger homes in the city bought the manikin and has Ol’ St. Nick on display in their living room each year. I remember Hinkles on Douglas had each window around the front of the store decorated with dolls, electric trains and villages. They actually had a speaker that was sort of a microphone set up so you could converse with their live Santa who was greeting children from down in the basement of the store. There was a model house as I recall with one window that showed Santa. Now remember, all of this was before television. I always thought they accomplished the Santa reflection with a series of mirrors, but I really never found the secret to how they made it happen. The other big store that always had clever displays was Innes, later Macys, which now houses the Kansas State Offices. They would have a complete children’s story like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs all on display, and Santa and dolls and toys in their other windows.
Then, there was always the Santa parade in which most of the Downtown merchants participated. School bands, horses and many more floats excited the children and, of course, old Santa was always in his sleigh for the grand finale. The neon signs back then seemed to stand out more and seemed brighter than on our shopping trips now. Probably because I was a child and it was an exciting time of year to go Downtown.
All of these great memories of lights and celebration however can never equal the greatest “light” of all… Jesus…whose birth it is we celebrate during this most wonderful time of year.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
