TeaPot & Mr. TeaPot - Congratulations on such a wonderful event in your lives. It must be the best parenting experience because we call it the
GRANDparenting experience; Best wishes and prayers to all in the family.
Happy "start of the holiday season" everyone. LOL glad to hear that everyone had a great holiday. . . . . . . .
Back in the prehistoric days, growing up in NYC there weren't any "malls", so around Christmas time the big department stores all had really fantastic Christmas "windows". . . . . . . .
Wow, great memories!
Yeah, DiznyDi & I, too, have great memories of going to see all of the beautifully decorated windows at the major department stores in downtown Cleveland in the early 60's. We felt it was important to let our kids have that same experience, so we drug them to Cleveland to see the department store windows in the mid 80's (at least the ones still around) and to visit Care Bear City, a huge light show in the city square. And as any NE Ohioans know, it wouldn't be a complete experience without going to see Mr. Jing-a-Ling (Keeper of Santa's keys for those that don't know). Mr. Jing-a-Ling was one of Santa's elves that was on TV on a Cleveland Channel every night after Thanksgiving until Christmas eve from ~4:55 to 5PM from
Haley's Seventh Floor when I was a child, reminding us all to keep being good and sharing stores of keeping Santa's keys to all of the places in the North Pole. I was surprised to see Mr. Jing-a-Ling still active in Cleveland after seeing him 30 some years earlier when I was little. Haley's was no longer in business when visiting with my children, but one of the last department stores (sorry, forget which one) in downtown created a place for him (the original!) and the line was long!
As we stood in line, my children wanting to know who this Mr. Jing-a-Ling guy was (no longer on TV - so obviously just a draw for parents!), along came Mr. Jing-a-Ling walking down the line heading for his big chair. I saw him, stuck out my had to greet him, and said "Mr. Jing-a-Ling - do you remember me?" And sure enough, being the great memory he was, shouted back "I sure do!". DD and DS were amazed; I was heart happy!
Mr. Jing-a-Ling
How you ring-a ling
Keeper of the keys;
On Haley's Seventh Floor
We'll be looking for,
You to turn the key!
Man, am I Old
Thanks Eliza for stirring those old memories. We all have them, but sometimes they just need to be stirred up from the bottom.
And to all - Enjoy these coming days with family and friends; forgive those that need it, forget when you can. And may you be blessed.