As long as there is a hint of ice
out yonder, I will stay safe and snugg in Squirrel Haven. That means that I have not seen all the
familiar sights of Christmas. The only decorated houses I have seen this
season are the ones within view from the big chair in
the living room - Staubs, across the street, with it’s bright colored
lights and the electric Santa standing by the chimney; Millman’s brilliantly outlined home; and I can see, reflected in Betty and George’s windows across
the street from us, the fabulously decked out Gallagher and Kuchar
homes, both dripping with those electric "ice cicles" which are so
popular.
Elsa and John have described the
sights outside of my viewing range. The great big tree that John and Jill
King outlined with white lights. The houses on Byberry and on Terwood
Roads that are apparently done by people in the same family (same last name on
the greetings), both of which are top notch examples of excess. Peter told me about the house on Moreland
Road that is what they call "over
the top" with decorations.
The places that I remember best
include a house over on Fitzwatertown Road that Pete would drive us to see
every year. I think this was around the
late 1960s and early 1970s. There would be cars parked so people could
get out for a good look. Before that, we would take the children to
see the lights in Greenridge Farms, which is off of
Buck Road before you get to County Line, Once, Pete took us to see the lights of
Manayunk and Conshocken - they were really something to behold.
The light I miss seeing more than
any other is the star atop the cathedral. Our family’s favorite Christmas Eve
Children’s Service was the 4:00 p.m. service - when we went in, it was
still light out, and when we came out, it was dark and we would look up at the
top of the cathedral tower and there it would be, the star. It was a moment that was always fresh and
new. (In 2014, the star is lit during Tableaux, two Sundays before Christmas - still as inspiring as in 2000, just lit longer.)
The star itself is a light bulb atop
a long thin pole of some sort. One year - I think it was in the ‘80s - Ariel
Gunther was heading up to check it or something. Now, Ariel was no spring chicken at this
point. When he got to the top, he collapsed. He said he was just winded, but the people who
were with him were justifiably
alarmed. They called the rescue
squad.
Now, imagine trying to get someone who is
all the way up on the top of a cathedral tower back down. They literally had to call in the Navy. Soon, rescue helicopters were buzzing the
cathedral, but they realized that air lifting Gunnie wouldn’t work. What they finally did was to have Navy
personnel "rappel" him down the side
of the tower. I can only imagine how
mortified Gunnie was, especially as he kept
telling everyone he was fine, that he had been winded and that was all. You can imagine the local news had a field
day.
We found out just how famous the
incident was a couple weeks later, when Mim,
Elsa and yours truly were doing some
Christmas shopping in Wilmington, DE.
Mim asked the lady at a shop if she
accepted checks. Yes, she did. Mim wrote out her check, only to have
the woman ask her for her driver’s license and a credit card for
verification*. Well, Mim did not have a
credit card. As she explained to the woman, if
she had a credit card, she would have put the purchase on that. The woman would not budge. Then her eyes lit on the address on the check. "Are you from the town where that man
was stuck up on the top of a church?" she
asked. "Do you know the man they
had to get down?"
Mim acknowledged she was from Bryn Athyn and
that, yes, she had known Mr.
Gunther for all of her life. "Well, SURE we’ll take your
check!" Is that amazing or what?
It reminded me of when I was at
Strawbridge’s in Jenkintown and a salesgirl would not accept my passport as
verification for a check because I have never driven and I have never had a credit
card of any type. Phyllis Pitcairn happened to spot me just after I had
been turned down flat and the two of us greeted each other happily and did
some catching us. After we parted and I headed for the escalator, the
salesgirl caught up with me. "Well,
Mrs. Lockhart, if you know Mrs. Pitcairn
of course we will accept your check."
I never have and never will understand
what passes for sound business practice.
When you go past a brightly
decorated house or look up at the "star" atop the
cathedral, take an extra look for
me.
Holiday hugs and love - the Gramster
* That was standard practice back then - approval of a check required both a driver's license & a credit card. Go figure. elm
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