Christmas in Detroit back in the day

**Dfd** · December-02-11, 06:57 PM

This is my annual request for the great stories and pictures from Christmas in Detroit's heyday.

**shirlselects** · December-03-11, 12:56 AM

Christmas was great when I lived in Detroit as a kid. We bought our Christmas tree from the YMCA lot on the Boulevard. It was always a tall one as we had 10 ft ceilings. We would walk to Woodward to see the Thanksgiving day parade. Would go to Hudson's downtown to see Santa Claus and have lunch on I think was the 14th floor.
Don't have any pictures though, but would love to see others. We always had a fire in our fireplace, and listened to the radio. [[TV was not around at that time)

**Ray1936** · December-03-11, 02:37 PM

Hudson's before Christmas was an annual trip when I was a kid. Feelings were good in the post-war era, and the end of the forties/early fifties meant going to the Lionel train display there. I would absolutely drool at the set-up each year. Had my own line in the basement of the family home at Steel near Schoolcraft, but it couldn't hold a candle to Hudson's.

**Dfd** · December-08-11, 12:29 AM

Here is a picture that was posted last year.

**DetroitPlanner** · December-08-11, 08:40 AM

I remember Coleman Young used to go around to needy homes in the suburbs and hand out turkeys.

**stromberg2** · December-08-11, 01:47 PM

Wow, I wish Detroit was hopping like that today!

Stromberg2

**Danny** · December-08-11, 02:31 PM

Take a look at this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73OngjHd-HY

This White Detroit family in the early 1970s are really enjoying their Christmas Day in the nice warm middle class Detroit neighborhood home.

**Trumpeteer** · December-08-11, 03:53 PM

WOW what a find on that video! It's amazing that things like that happened back in the day.

**mikefmich** · December-08-11, 03:54 PM

Did the parade every year whilst I still was a Santa Claus believer.....1957 or 58 was probably my last year for that.

My folks let me skip school once every year, our annual family go to Hudson's downtown on a week day. As Ray mentioned, I made a buzzsaw straight to the Lionel display on the...what was it 12th floor? 14?
One year while on Santa's lap, he says I see you haven't been a very good boy this year. I froze and almost shit my pants. Later in life, my folks told me they were shaking their head no, when I wasn't looking. lol

" For kids only" shop at Hudsons to buy stuff for mom and dad while they waited outside the walls.

Trips downtown when my dad drove, always meant a stop at the Vernor's plant for a Boston Creamer.

The huge Geo. P Johnson Co. displays at his house on....Three Mile Dr.? Pops would plan a drive to look at the lights night, Johnson house was always the last stop before home.

There is more, but my memory doesn't feed me as well as it used to. :P

**SMRJim** · December-08-11, 04:39 PM

Besides all the stuff at Hudons, there was also a great display at Cobo Hall for many years, plus a giant snowman slide. We would take the Grand River bus downtown, stop by my dad's office at the Federal Building, then walk over to Cobo and check out all the stuff there, go down the slides and get some sort of freebie gifts, then wander over to Hudsons, check out all the displays there, go see Santa up on the 12th floor. After seeing Santa, mom and dad would buy us a small 'pre-Christmas' gift at Hudsons. Then it was back on the bus for our return trip to Prevost and Grand River. Great, great memories.

**Maof** · December-08-11, 05:02 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sct7zhnBGdc

got one of these one year!

**Gistok** · December-08-11, 05:08 PM

In 1961 this downtown Hudson's window display would entice you visit the 12th floor Toyland...

**DetroitPlanner** · December-08-11, 09:13 PM

Originally Posted by Dfd

Here is a picture that was posted last year.

What? No Red Monkey Bars with water leaking out of it?

**Dfd** · December-11-11, 11:16 PM

Another photo from a Dyes forumer.

**Gistok** · December-12-11, 01:17 AM

Originally Posted by Dfd

Another photo from a Dyes forumer.

Thanks for that one... it reminded me of all the Airline Offices that once lined Washington Blvd. Pity they're all gone.

**Zacha341** · December-12-11, 08:19 PM

Ummn, I'm gonna date myself but I recall the old man in front of the 'original' Hudsons building with the hot roasted chestnuts -- I recall the steam sound of the stove he had steaming them up... I loved that smell as we went but. I also recall the Nut house [[was that the name) around by Griswald! You could hardly get in the place during the holidays. Great cashews!

**beachboy** · December-16-11, 12:11 AM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

Ummn, I'm gonna date myself but I recall the old man in front of the 'original' Hudsons building with the hot roasted chestnuts ... I also recall the Nut house [[was that the name) around by Griswald! You could hardly get in the place during the holidays. Great cashews!

Thanks Zacha ... great memories!! I forgot about the chestnut man. Mom used to bake cookies with pecans and almonds inside, had to get a can of cashews at the nut place... we shopped at Hudson's after Christmas - oh the sales!

**jackie5275** · December-19-11, 09:22 AM

Here's a photo gallery from the Detroit News website showing Christmas through the years in Detroit.

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/multimedia/gallery.php?id=13454