It seems the moment the clock strikes 12:01 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving, the Christmas season has begun. Over-eager shoppers actually line up in the wee morning hours outside of big-box stores to fight over that $100 flat-screen, or the latest mega-market toy for their child. But that’s not the Christmas I’m talking about, or the one I like to see.
The warm Christmastime feelings we all can appreciate (even if we don’t celebrate the holiday) entail no more than a nice stroll down a well-decorated street, amidst friends and neighbors and happy strangers. In big cities, Christmas windows in major department stores attract families to ogle over the latest artistic display of the holidays. In Buffalo’s heyday, the AM&A windows pulled in people from across the city and its suburbs to downtown, where they watched gleefully as wooden men ice skated and toys marched in tune to the little drummer boy.
Those days are gone, but the spirit of the holiday in our great city is not. Business owners throughout the city have picked up the responsibility, enlivening the smaller niches and neighborhoods. The folks on Hertel and Elmwood have been busy decorating their storefronts and entire streets with Christmas cheer. When night falls on Elmwood, it looks like charming Christmas village illuminated by white lights and fairies dancing from the light posts.
And away from the more packed shopping strips, individual store owners have created charming Christmas displays of their own – one of the most impressive is Park Florists on Main Street near Hertel (photo). On an otherwise dark section of the street, the garden center’s large picture windows are alive with snow-covered seals and elves donning paint brushes. The display brings new life and holiday spirit to the quiet streetscape, reminding us as we pass by that the holiday season is upon us (even if mother nature seems to disagree). And if you’re looking to get your own holiday prep rolling, Park Florists has rows of Christmas trees just waiting to find a home.