"I want a hippopotamus for Christmas..."

Dear Diary,

The wonderful little toy store near me does amazing Christmas windows.  I just had to stop and photograph this one.  It triggered several memories for me.  First, of course, was the delightful song first recorded in 1953 by 10 year old Gala Peevey and shown on the Ed Sullivan Show, which we always watched on Sunday nights.  You can see that 63 year old performance here.  We all have our favorite children's Christmas songs like Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. They are ageless.

The other re-awakened by this windows is my brief stint as a window dresser (that's what it was called) for the Jordan Marsh Company in Framingham, Massachusetts.  I loved the creative possibilities of it.  Later, when I taught high school, I would take my students to New York City this time of year.  We went to see museums but I also took them shopping on 5th Avenue and to see Macy's windows, which were always spectacular and so filled with magic and imagination.

Unfortunately, ever since I saw this window I have been singing that silly song!  Emerson is quite tired of it!  "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas, Only a hippopotamus will do....:"