Spirit of Christmas Past

I was walking around the Capitol Square today, thinking about Christmas being only two days away and how unchristmas-like down town Madison seems. Gray sky, no snow. Blah. There is really no way of knowing just by looking that it's December 23rd. Sure, there are wreaths on the Capitol and some of the stores but generally it's nothing more than another early winter day.

So I decided to change things up and recall how things looked this time of year down town when I was a kid. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's being a grown-up. Maybe it's the fact that all the old shops are gone now and everyone is jammed into the malls but whatever the reason, downtown Madison was much more beautiful and exciting at Christmas time when I was a kid.

Here are some of the places I miss. Moseley's, above, was the bookstore to go to not only for books but for stationary and fancy pens -- back when letter writing was normal. Even as a small kid I found this store to be crowded and hard to get around in but that just added to the excitement for me.

Next down the block after Moseley's was Fanny Farmer's candy shop. I couldn't find a photo of this but I can describe it. I recall (I swear my over use of this word has nothing to do with Scott Walker) the outside of Fanny Farmer's was like one of her candy boxes: Brown script type on a white background with a silhouetted cameo of Fanny. Large windows and large glass cases filled with eye-popping displays of candy.

One of my three sisters used to work there and I would ride the bus down to visit her and sometimes get freebies. This was in the 60s when Madison was a focal point for political activism, you'll recall. One night my dad went to pick my sister up from work in the middle of a riot and he got tear-gassed.

Continuing down Mifflin Street, on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue, was the Manchester building. The photo above was taken while the building was being demolished. This was a real department store with an elevator complete with an attendant. It was a special thing to bring home a box with the name Manchester's  on it.

Behind Manchester's was the elevated parking garage which to me was truly wonderful. I remember us using it just once since I'm sure it was quite expensive.

Across Wiscosnin Avenue from Manchester's was Gimbel's which was kind of an upscale dime store. No photos available of this. My last memory of this building before it was torn down was an M.C. Escher exhibit which was fantastic.

Finally and most fondly, at the end of Mifflin St. at the corner of State & Carrol, was Rennebohm's Drug Store. Better known as Rennie's, it was like a Walgreen's with a lunch counter. They were nearly as ubiquitous then as Walgreens are now too.  I remember riding the bus at a very young age to get a vanilla coke from the soda fountain. The building now is home to the Wiscosnin Veteran's Museum; probably my kids' favorite museum in town.

What was it about downtown Madison at Christmas time back then that it lacks today? I can't put my finger on it. There really were shoppers rushing home with their treasures back then. Now we have people fighting for parking spots in a wilderness of mall lots. I overheard a fellow employee the other day expressing relief that Wisconsin has concealed carry now because most muggings happen in mall parking lots. Really dude? We've really come a long way.

Merry Christmas everyone. May the brightest candles of your favorite holiday memories warm you and your loved ones as we head to a new and better year.