Annual Posting, A Christmas Story, The Detroit Version

[krapug1]

OK All, here is my annual posting.

So put your jammies, on, grab some hot cocoa, and take a trip to downtown Detroit, circa 1980.


For those who are old enough to remember downtown in the 1970's, things were going down hill, but there were those of us who did what we could to get people to still shop downtown. We did not win all the battles, but we had some triumphs.

In particular, as we got to the late 70's, people were even starting to avoid the annual Christmas trip to downtown Hudson's.

So at Thanksgiving dinner in 1980, my Sister In Law [[a total whack job), and my Brother [[a total wus) "announced" that they would not be going downtown this year as too many horrible things were happening.
It was also announced that my nephew had the following Friday off, as is school was having an in-service day.

My plan was hatched !!

I offered to take care of "PT" that day, and in fact I would take him downtown to see Santa at Hudson's. After much discussion, I was given the green light, and off we went. They lived in Royal Oak, so as an added treat we took the commuter train in. My Sister In law actually liked this part of the day, as according to her, thugs lined Woodward, waiting to pounce on the cars of any white people heading downtown [[I told you she was a whack job).

We had a great day downtown, and spent a good deal of it at Hudson's, and since I worked there Part Time [[in the regional credit office then), I was able to include a tour of some of the closed off sections, which my nephew loved. The 12th floor was of course the focal point with Santa Land, Toy Town and the Little People's Store. I gave him some money to buy his idiot parents some gifts at the LPS. On the 13th floor one restaurant was still open at that time, The Riverview Room, and PT commented that they did not have nice plates at home compared to Hudson's. Not to mention what kid did not love an elevator ride in their open cage elevators.

On the train ride home, I told him that he would get all the gifts on his list, since he saw the REAL Santa, and that the mall Santa's weren't helpers, they were frauds, and bad, very bad at that.

Fast forward to that Monday, and I got a frantic phone call from my Brother. The principal of PT's school called, and was livid as PT told all his classmates, and 1/2 of the school that unless everyone saw the REAL Santa at downtown Hudson's they would not get anything but coal for Christmas. I wound up having to call the principal [[a bigger whack job than my Sister In Law), and of course I told her I would explain things to PT [[which of course I did not).

End result being that almost all of PT's friends and classmates got to downtown Hudson's that year, and PT even went on 2 of these trips. No one wound up harmed !

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED !!

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL !

Ken

[gnome]

Like "A Wonderful Life" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" this story makes the holidays complete.

thanks for the tradition.

[stromberg2]

Thanks, Ken! As Gnome said, a great tradition. Stromberg2

[Hamtragedy]

Huh? A commuter train to get you downtown? From Royal Oak? In the 80's?

Quick, someone post a picture of the SEMTA commuter train locomotive on Woodbridge.

[Neilr]

Huh? A commuter train to get you downtown? From Royal Oak? In the 80's?

Quick, someone post a picture of the SEMTA commuter train locomotive on Woodbridge.

You asked.


Every several years I post this picture of my favorite Detroit poster. It's from an exhibit at MOMA.