We continue the series on walking Buffalo, from the intrepid couple who walked every day—no matter the weather—in the first 30 months of Covid. They think (without being systematic) they walked every street in Buffalo, and many in other cities and towns, taking some 20,000 photos, some of which are shared in this series. While not itineraries, we hope to encourage others to “walk the walk,” to see, observe and appreciate Buffalo—and beyond. William Graebner and Dianne Bennett are also 5 Cent Cine’s film critics, here.
Today’s Photo-Essay: Christmas Tidings
From-yard Christmas displays are more often than not, and for good reason, electrified. Take Kenmore, between Elmwood and Military Road. Whatever displays there are—there’s a nice grouping of homes on Thurston, in an area that otherwise does not celebrate in that public, front-yard way—they are invariably designed to be lit up. For us this electrical side of the holidays is a handicap, because we don’t walk much at night. That said, we have assembled a handful of day-time Christmas photos from around the city (and beyond), accompanied, here and there, with a bit of commentary. That’s what we do.
Just to be perverse, we’ll open with a West Side image that doesn’t, on its face, have anything to do with Christmas—except that the photo was taken (or the scene “captured,” as photo buffs like to say), on the 27th of December (2020), with snow on the ground. It perfectly captures Buffalo winters, and Buffalo.
That same 2020 snowfall brightened up this Delaware District blow-up, featuring a goggled penguin.
A Riverside blow-up had Santa about to jump into an above-ground pool, with still another goggled figure, this one preparing to snorkel.
Santa and the Snowman, punished for committing a holiday infraction, doing 20 pushups:
It’s not uncommon for a display to combine a Christmas figure—usually a non-religious one, like Santa—with a popular culture icon. Here’s Snoopy getting into the holiday (and patriotic) spirit in a Tonawanda yard in 2014:
On our excursions, we noticed that neighborhoods differ in how they visually celebrate the holidays. While walking the now-straightened Scajaquada Creek in Cheektowaga east of Union Road (watch out for goose-droppings), we sampled the side streets and found that “JOY” was, let’s say, over-represented, as if a contemporary version of the 19th-century lightning rod salesman had canvassed the neighborhood.
Two unusual renditions of Christmas trees caught our eye. One, a South Buffalo sculpture that may be permanent (rather than designed and built for Christmas), is constructed of bicycle tires. Its repetition of metal objects reminds us of Nancy Rubins’ delightful canoe sculpture (2011) at the AKG. Another tree, ready to be raised in a yard in North Buffalo, was a modernist contrivance, likely of aluminum.
For those seeking something clever, and a tad gruesome, we offer this driveway image, captured (as the elf was) at one of the many infill houses on Buffalo’s near East Side.
Black Santas are not common, not even on the East Side, but in Cold Spring we found one home—perhaps a duplex–that presented 2 Black Santas and a Black Mrs. Claus. A Black Lives Matter sign is in the background.
The window of a nearby business offered several Black figures, including 2 Santas. That’s Dianne reflected in the window.
Although most front-yard displays are secular, we came across a variety of nativity scenes, some of them curious. On Cayuga Island, the baby Jesus was nowhere to be seen:
In Kenmore, a nativity banner presented Joseph with an exceptionally long beard. Of course, no one knows if he even had a beard.
Most shocking was this Niagara Falls front yard, with a local hero (our “savior”)—guess who?—as the offspring of Mary and Joseph (and, need it be said, as the son of God):
Although not a nativity scene, we were puzzled by this tableau, also in Niagara Falls. A couple of feathery angels, including Gabriel blowing his horn, and above, the King of Kings, but not of the Christmas kind. Instead, a crowned lion, holiday hat in “hand.”
Getting back to reality, we’ll conclude with this spectacular home, on Niagara Avenue, in Niagara Falls. Old school. Just a touch of electricity, and not a blow-up in sight.
© William Graebner