Feature
Feature
Christmas in Cleveland
Then and Now
Angela Yuko
contributing writer, Cleveland, Ohio
FEATURE
10
The holiday season is such a special time of
year, when there seems to be an extra buzz in the air
and a camaraderie among people. It’s a time when
memories are made that people carry with them their
whole lives, passing down stories from generation to
generation about how they celebrated when they were
growing up. Locations all throughout Cleveland are
transformed into magical places where families and
friends gather to celebrate and create new memories.
These transformations have been happening for
decades and are fondly remembered by so many.
During the 50’s and 60’s, and even earlier, families
dressed up and made the great trek downtown where
each light post along Euclid Avenue was adorned
with a Christmas tree. The department stores had
holiday displays that left people speechless. The
Sterling-Lindner-Davis Department store erected an
enormous Christmas tree—the tallest in the nation
at one time—each year, decorated with over 1000
yards of tinsel and over 2400 ornaments. Halle’s
Department Store brought a new and exciting character to the holiday season, Mr. Jingeling, Santa’s
top elf and the keeper of Santa’s keys. He occupied
the 7th floor of the Halle Building and was the
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