Best Christmas in Detroit.

[jcole]

Loving Santas lil helper!

Isn't he cute? and he never argued with Santa.
That as at Volunteers of America

[Dfd]

I thought I would revive this thread from last year since it was a fun read.

[DetroitUA]

Would love to see photos of Detroit around Christmas. Post some if any of you have them!

[Magnatomicflux]

That was a fun read, thanks Dfd.

Here's a couple I found on VMC of Washington Blvd a few decades apart.







I sure do love those streetlights!

[Ragtoplover59]

I thought I would revive this thread from last year since it was a fun read.

Dfd, you got me!
I was reading and enjoying this. never looked at the year, but did notice it started in Nov. I was wondering how I missed this thread until now.

And then I came to the photos I posted last year?

I am hoping "Kathinozarks" is still around, She said she had some great photos of yesteryear Christmas's in Detroit, and promised to try and learn how to post photos....Sadly the forum changed format and I'm not sure she made it over?

[Ragtoplover59]

As a kid the windows at Hudson's were magical.

As a kid, everything about Downtown was magical to me.

[stromberg2]

How lucky you were to have experienced that. Those 2 pics are so cool to look at.

Stromberg2

[Dfd]

Ragtop, I really like this thread! thanks [[to everyone) for the pictures!

[Ragtoplover59]

A few of the things we wished for this time of the year........

Attachment 8015












7 foot aluminum tree and color wheel for less than $20



4 function calculator only $49.95






I remember a couple 'Chopped' minibikes in the neighborhood








Attachment 8025

[Magnatomicflux]

Cool ads. Those bikes are bad ass!

[Ragtoplover59]

Cool ads. Those bikes are bad ass!

You got that right. The one on the 4th ad
[[ custom five-on-the-bar buzz bike )
was a knock off of a Schwinn Orange Krate

Attachment 8035

I almost had a deal with a kid for the Orange Krate, I was trading a coffee can full of Matchbox cars and a HotWheels Sizzler set...........
...................until his dad put a stop to such nonsense! LOL

[mikefmich]

Ahhhh. Downtown Hudsons Toyland....nothing could beat that for me as a kid.
Ford Rotunda I loved.
The Johnson display on 3 Mi. Dr. in Grosse Pte.

3 vivid Christmases...
The start of my Lionel set...either '55 or '56.
My first big boys Schwinn....1959.
Strombecker Slot car set 1965. Even though we had company that day, it freaked me out my dad set that up right away.

Seems he had become addicted to slot cars while shopping for mine. There was a slot car place on Vandyke between McNichols & Lynch Rd near where he worked. Turned out he had been spending lunch there for weeks. I miss you pops......

OH yeah...got a used Valley slate bar table in '65 too. Yeah...I was spoiled.

[Jimaz]

I would have gone for the calculators or the walkie talkies.

I still have my first calculator. It was a very expensive scientific Rockwell with a blue neon display [[pre-LED).

It was far slower at calculating 2 squared than you could do in your own head. Maybe it used logarithms. I've always wondered why it was so slow at that.

[Dfd]

Well I've enjoyed the pictures and stories. Merry Christmas to all from KY.

[Ragtoplover59]

Ditto, Merry Christmas to all from Tn.

[jcole]

Ahhhh. Downtown Hudsons Toyland....nothing could beat that for me as a kid.
Ford Rotunda I loved.
The Johnson display on 3 Mi. Dr. in Grosse Pte.

My dad used to take us to 3 Mile Drive every Christmas for that same display. Never knew the family's name. Thanks for the memory, MikeF.

[mikefmich]

My dad used to take us to 3 Mile Drive every Christmas for that same display. Never knew the family's name. Thanks for the memory, MikeF.

Geo. Johnson owned a major display company in Detroit for decades. He had his company set those up every year.

Did you drive by real close to Christmas Day? I remember the cars would be lined up for blocks.

I googled for some photos online of the house, didn't find any, but I'm not the best googler in the world. Perhaps someone could locate some.

[msamslex]

Of course, the 12th floor Christmas display at Hudsons. It's sad that kids today will never see this.

The For Children Only shop at Hudsons. I remember them giving you an envelope for your money and I think they wrote down who you were going to buy for or your parent did. You shopped and they added up and bagged your purchases. I bought my mom a set of four metallic napkin rings in different colors which I think we still have. I don't recall who else I bought for or what. All I know is that I felt so grown up.

One late afternoon after the stores were closing downtown my mom and I went back to the parking ramp for the car. I believe we were parked on the top floor. I remember it was snowing and thought it was very pretty with all the holiday lights glowing.

Just driving around the neighborhood with my mom looking at the houses all lit up with decorations.

.

[Whitehouse]

Tonka cars, build to last.

I can vouch for that! Third generation is now playing with my Tonka trucks and buldozer!

How times have gone by. Did you see that simple calculator?? $49!!! I can buy 32 Gigabyte of memory for my EOS500D camera for that money!

One of the few genuine American articles in my household.

Although we never celebrated christmas the way you do. We do the Christian part, going to church and such, but we didn't get presents. Instead we celebrate the birthday of Sinterklaas. Indeed, that name might ring a bell. It sound very much like Santaclaus. Santaclaus has it's roots in the Dutch tradition of giving presents. We give presents to each other at December 5th.

So there you are. One more thing from the Dutch culture that got stuck in American society.

Sinterklaas explained.


And here's the link with Santaclaus.


Who said you can't learn from internet?