December 2004                                                     The Megaphone                                                                  Page 3

A Dream of the Season to Share

by Diane (Usfo) Peters

  My sister wrote this morning to tell me Star China in Anderson is closing its doors. It was a favorite store of mine through the years and I hate seeing its demise. Its owners have either died or retired and the last time I was in, I noticed it just wasn't the store it once was.

  In savoring my regrets over the demise of Star China, I began a favorite little dream of mine and since 'tis the season of dreams, I thought I might share it with you.

  It is at this time of year I dream back to the days of shopping in little Elwood where things weren't particularly fancy. But there was some fancy and along with the not so fancy, you found each of what you wanted by wandering in and out of the stores, especially at Christmas with the snow falling. Seemingly the entire town passed by so there was chit chat, smiles, and happy greetings to one another.

  I'd like to borrow the Elwood downtown for a festival of sorts at Christmas, restocking the stores momentarily for that beautiful experience again. There should be a bell ringing Salvation Army booth, a dime store with speakers sending carols up and down the darkened streets.

  There should be a sweet shop counter for children and young adults to stop to have a little cola served in regular coke glasses while chatting with friends about what they've found for other friends and for family members. There should be a place for quick, inexpensive sandwiches like Sloppy Joes, with small bags of chips, and tables for tired ladies and gentlemen to have hot coffee and maybe a piece of pie to go with it. There they could rest from their shopping and gather their senses about what they still need to get and where they'll be heading next to try finding it.

  I absolutely loved having large snow flakes falling onto my knit hat and scarf and mittens so that as I wandered through the stores, the snow melted and caused some wetness while my nose and cheeks were still rosy from the cold. How neat to have to unbutton your coat because the store was warmer and you needed to cool off a bit as you went from counter to counter viewing the possibilities of gifts and checking the prices to see if you would have enough money to get what you dreamed for the people you loved.

  You grew to love the people working in the stores too, because they were always the same. They were people who lived in your neighborhood, or were someone's aunt or uncle, or grandmother or grandfather. They knew you and you knew them.

  A really good clerk would learn your tastes and know your pocketbook, and you could put a bug in their ear, or maybe your parents had put their own bugs into their ears, so that you were directed to certain items which would be happily received Christmas morning. The shopping was easier for you, and the receiving was easier for the giftee.

  When I say bugs were put into their ears, it may be some misstatement of fact because some of those clerks were just really good observers and good listeners. Most of us talk as we shop, to ourselves, to our friends, to the clerks, giving clues without knowing.

  These observant, successful salespeople knew each of us and our relatives, so that they used their expertise to guide and steer each of us through our holiday shopping. What marvelous people they were! I appreciate them today and I'd like to tell them so.

  I've just enjoyed a little festival of the mind. Usually summers are reserved for festivals, but I do believe a winter festival could be quite a winner. Minnesota has its ice festival. Other places have their Santa Claus festivals with bright lights, elves and all. All I want from this festival is a trip back to the way it was, just for a couple months near Christmas, in winter, with snow and cold and friendship and family.

  Perhaps major marketers from the big cities could be asked to consider being part of the small town festival, bringing their goods to stock the older, now empty stores with their wares so that people can experience "America" again for a short time. Can you imagine? Wouldn't you like that too? What a Christmas gift it would be!

  With guides from our time and our town, the gift wares could be duplicated. R. L. Leeson had nicer items of clothing, jewelry, stationery, shoes, men's wear. There still are dime-type stores and their goods replicate Woolworth's. There are coffee shops and lunch counters. If these people could bring just the old style to counters within our stores of the past, I believe people would welcome going back home again.

  Who knows! If the festival was a financial success, perhaps our downtowns could be enlivened once again and our local people could find jobs and satisfaction again.

  I began my day by reading some of Ralph Waldo Emerson's philosophy. I guess his attitude toward life has prompted me to be bold with my dreams. Are there any other bold souls out there?

  Have yourselves a merry little Christmas!

Diane (Usfo) Peters '62

Logansport, IN