HOLIDAYS: Memories & Traditions

We often complain that Christmas and other holidays have become over-commercialized, where the religious or historical meaning is lost within a realm of retail madness. Yet, some of our favorite holiday memories are often associated with shopping.

For generations of Rochesterians, it was that trip downtown to Midtown Plaza. The concourse was transformed to capture children's imaginations, complete with Santa and his Magic Mountain, the Monorail, and the massive Christmas tree standing two stories tall.

The holiday window displays at McCurdy's and Sibley's were works of art, beckoning to passersby along East Main Street. Children begged parents to see Sibley's Santa's toyland display. These were the fond memories that brought thousands of people back to Midtown Plaza in 2007 for the final Christmas celebration before the wrecking ball and bulldozers showed up.

The last season was my first holiday visit to Midtown, and I'm so glad to have been a part of it. I talked to a lot of people that day, as I completed a final project for my college radio class about Midtown's closure.

And so when I saw the Macy's Holiday commercial above for the first time two years ago, it made me think of that day. While generations of shoppers elsewhere have memories of Macy's, Rochesterians have Midtown and Sibley's.

Ironically, Macy's in a way became the successor to Sibley's. The local department store was sold to May Department Stores in the 80's and later became Kaufmann's. May was later bought by Federated, and its local stores were rebranded as Macy's by 2006.

So I guess we are now part of that Macy's tradition, and while it will never have the same meaning as those local memories, the commercial still hits close to home.

Historic photos are from the collection of the Rochester City Hall Photo Lab, and from the collection of the Rochester Public Library Local History Division.  Digital access to the "Rochester Images" database is maintained by the Monroe County Library System, and can be found by clicking HERE.