My Annual, A Christmas Story, The Detroit Version Post

**krapug1** · December-21-10, 03:07 PM

This is circa 1980, and I always try to post this story each year, so here goes.

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

**stromberg2** · December-21-10, 06:33 PM

Cool story, I remember it from last year! Merry Christmas!!

Stromberg2

**Just Amazed** · December-21-10, 09:32 PM

Great Story. Just to relate whenever my family gets together for Christmas we always relate how our Aunt used to take us to Hudson's in Detroit at christmastime. Such good memories. Something kids of today will never experience, what a shame.

**mikefmich** · December-21-10, 09:52 PM

Cute story....what's the FF story on whack & wus job, & little PT?

I so wish I could take my grandson to the 12th floor at Hudsons today. He doesn't believe my stories as a kid. Actually, he thinks I wasn't a kid, and somehow spontaneously combusted later in life. lol

Augustiner · December-21-10, 11:57 PM

Originally Posted by mikefmich

Actually, he thinks I wasn't a kid, and somehow spontaneously combusted later in life. lol

**English** · December-22-10, 12:03 AM

Great story! I just wish my only [[faint) memories of the downtown Hudson's wasn't the Hudson's warehouse sale. The closest I've ever been to a department store like that was the old Wanamaker's in Philly [[now Macy's), all decked out for Christmas. Even that is a shadow of its former glory [[the tea room and restaurants are now closed), but when they played that grand organ, I wept and wept -- and absolutely hated being part of a plastic, disposable and microwaved nation that doesn't give a crap about its history.

**mikefmich** · December-22-10, 12:14 AM

Are there any photos about of the 12th floor during the holiday season?
I so loved those days, it was one day every year my folks let me skip school to make our annual all day pilgrimage downtown. We'd hit Kerns & Crowleys but most time was spent at Hudsons.

**sirrealone** · December-22-10, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by krapug1

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.

So the 'Oh, the suburbs are soooo evil' contingent was alive and well thirty years ago!

**Ray1936** · December-22-10, 03:33 PM

Great story! Whenever I hear the words "Hudson's" and "Christmas", for some reason my mind only registers "Lionel Trains". Go figure.

**rooms222** · December-23-10, 08:46 AM

I grew up in Indianapolis[[came here because I wanted a bigger city), and in the vein of Indianapolis catching up with us on that other thread, I will note that in Indianapolis, they rebuilt the tea room of the largest department store chain inside the state museum where it operates and serves lunches as in the past...

http://visitindy.com/indianapolis-re...a-state-museum

The Wanamaker in Philadelphia is pretty cool as well...

P.S... I just noted in the link I provided that Indy's tourism slogan is now...."Raising the Game" Wow....pretty confident slogan...

**eno** · December-23-10, 12:48 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFtA7...eature=related

**krapug1** · December-23-10, 02:02 PM

The Macy's store in Center City that uses 3 floors of the former John Wanamaker flagship hosted a good "flash mob" recently, as the you tube clip shows.

I say good, as center City has had it share of bad flash mobs as well.

Ken

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU&feature=fvw

**iheartthed** · December-23-10, 02:14 PM

Whenever I see the "largest department store in the world" sign on the Macy's in Herald Square NYC I note the irony that if the old Hudson's location was still open it would probably be a Macy's and would technically be the largest department store in the world.

**reddog289** · December-23-10, 02:28 PM

IMO, The only thing I ever saw to compare the downtown Hudsons to was the State St Marshall Fields. I got to hear from my father every year how he helped set up the trains at the downtown Hudsons. He would get a kick setting up my hand my down train set. Even after he was confined to a wheelchair.

DetroitDad · December-26-10, 04:18 AM

My grandparents, who never did leave Detroit, used to try and tell me stories about their days in and around Downtown Detroit. Most times, I wouldn't listen, thinking they were relatively boring stories that were... well, boring history, unrelated to my own life.

Now, as I am just starting my own family, I think I get it... the sense of history, heritage, and some sort of connection to past.... being a part of something larger than yourself, which inspires one's own dreams for the future [[desire to contribute). I am finally ready to hear those stories.

Unfortunately, those grandparents are now gone.

So, I really love being able to come here and read your stories, which are also their stories. Being relatively young, I wish I could return the favor. Since I can't tell stories like you all, I'll post videos, articles, and the like, with a thank you for posting your stories.

Past discussion and video regarding Hudson's Department Store, in Downtown Detroit, Michigan:

Discussion link: http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1153692126

**lalynch** · December-26-10, 10:29 PM

For my family, it was numerous downtown department stores in Northern New Jersey, Buffalo, NY and then Detroit, MI where we'd see Santa Claus. It always included dinner out at a nice restaurant. We didn't move to Michigan until 1971 so we did manage to get a visit to see Santa at Hudson's downtown store too. For many years after our move to Michigan we'd go to Philadelphia to spend Christmas with my grandparents. Christmas in the Philly area always meant a visit to visit an Aunt and Uncle in the Frankford section of Philly, off Roosevelt Boulevard. One trip we did make it to Wanamaker's. My mom was a store planner at Wanamaker's from about 1954 to 1959, when I was born. Thus, one of those Christmas trips to Wanamaker's included a trip to her old department with a visit with her old boss and a co-worker!! Her old boss, at the time, was the caretaker of the Powell House in Philadelphia. Boy, do I wish I could go back in time to those past Christmases; visits to the local Genuardi's, downtown Wanamaker's etc.

**JLeurck** · December-26-10, 11:48 PM

Originally Posted by krapug1

The Macy's store in Center City that uses 3 floors of the former John Wanamaker flagship hosted a good "flash mob" recently, as the you tube clip shows.

I say good, as center City has had it share of bad flash mobs as well.

Ken

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU&feature=fvw

How inspired! That video was awesome! Thanks for posting....

**Django** · December-28-10, 07:03 AM

I only got to visit Hudsons once. My folks took us down the Christmas before it closed back in the 80s. I was pretty young, maybe 12. It was nostalgic for my Mom mostly. Im sure glad they took us though, just to say Id been there. After, we went to the Ren Cen for kiddie cocktails at the top. What was the name of that spinning restaurant?

Was there for the demo too. All that dust coming at us was pretty freaky eh?

What a great story Krapug. Ill read it again next year just as I did this year and last year.