MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS PAST ON HOWARD STREET

By Owens Pomeroy <opomeroy@msn.com>

     Christmas in Baltimore, ment only one thing to this fat kid from Hampden. That was when Mom took him "Downtown" to Howard Street to see all the windows decorated with anlmated figures in the windows. Stores like Hoschield Kohn, Stewarts, and The May Company were the ones that were the most popular.

     The big May Company window usually had a scene from a current Walt Disney Movie (the one that I recall so vividly was scenes from "Snow White"), while Hoschield Kohn would have scenes from Christmas past in each one of their windows on Howard Street. I remember one year they had scenes from "A Christmas Carol" with the ostumed life-like animated figures moving and talking. Across the street at Stewarts they usually had scenes from Christmas' around the World and the different customs of the Holiday. Each store had a "Toyland", where we could meet Santa. Yes, those were pleasant memories of a Christmas Fantasy"Downtown" that is no more, and the beautiful window displays are but a memory.

Owens Pomeroy
Baltimore, MD