Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Charm of Downtown Window Shopping

There is a coveted mystique with the romanticized stories of quaint Christmases:

walking in crunching snow down a charming downtown street,
little hands pressed against cold windows as their breath leaves a fog on their window reflection...
those big eyes dreaming of taking home the treasures in the window,
hanging bells that ring every time a storefront door opens,
passing bundled up people in the street, everyone clutching handfuls of pretty paper bags or evenly stacked boxes.



We've seen the movies of this elusive downtown scene, and read the old stories of the children walking into storefronts lined with jars of hard candy. However, our reality is usually box shopping malls, retail chain signs in neon, pushing carts around people, and rows and rows of the same toy stacked to the ceiling. Christmas charm and magic escapes us in those environments.

However, downtown shopping for the holidays never disappoints. Our family spent a couple weekends on our Main Street.





Our family rode the horse and carriage rides being offered for the holidays with a group of friends.

Little Titus peeking at me with eyes wide, while sitting on Dad's lap in front of me.


We found Santa after the carriage ride...

And we did a lot of window shopping, the classic way.

This storefront window was ADORABLE!

with a mitten countdown...


and these packages wrapped up so bright and cozy.

The boys were extra animated as we passed this window.

I had to snap a photo of this shoe store. Those of you who are aware of my Ugg obsession will understand why I appreciate this holiday message:

Yes, true story. They give comfort AND joy.

We tipped inside a few stores, like this bookstore, which looked nearly straight from a classic city movie scene.


Kotah

Then my most exciting discovery of the day, my new favorite store: Pollux! How have I been on Main SO many times and never seen this store?!

Have you ever found a store that just "feels like you"? The style, tone, everything matched my personality, creating instant attraction for me. {wink}


I see 3 little boy peek a boos in the window...

We discovered some candles that voiced my thoughts during Christmas, well anytime really. ;)

And witty words that made me laugh.

Even the dressing rooms carried charm! Look at the old hooks and the litte pink chandi?!


After overstaying our day in my dream store with my boys, it was time to leave. We saw some freestyle street walkers outside...

Which inspired my boys to copy...

Titus doing little no hand, super jumps onto the curb bench...(did you see that Mom?)


And Kotah...being Kotah. He is so funny. He said he wished he would have brought a "tip bucket".


And Chris with my camera. No, please no pictures, only I do those. haha. That's how it works, remember?

Sometimes simply changing our usual daily life patterns will warm our heartbeats for the season. Find the charming spot where you currently live that colors your town, the place that marks an unique identity to a city.

Me with my loverboys under the giant, real, city tree.
Shop lots,
love lots,
enjoy lots


This post is linked to: Centsational Girl, Somewhat Simple, DIY Showoff, Home for the Holidays, Sassy Sites, Deck the Halls, The Lettered Cottage, Dare To, DIY Living, Seasonal Sundays, , Strut Your Stuff at Saturday Mornings, Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Mondays, Market Yourself Mondays, It's So Very Creative, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tuesdays at the Table, Topsy Turvy Tuesday, Tuesdays Unwrapped, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, We're Organized Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Show and Tell, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Tablescape Thursday, Spotlight Yourself, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, Friday Favorites*, Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday*, I'm Lovin It*, Funky Junk Interiors*, Fabulous Friday Finds*, Tickled Pink*, Be Different Act Normal, Weekend Wrap Up

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

what a sweet idea to string together a collection of knitted hats and mittens, absolutely adorable. fodder for more wintry ideas! :) looks like y'all had so much fun!!

Red Couch Recipes said...

What fun to window show with you. My little town doesn't have any great windows, but I have been in SF before at Christmas -- fun. Loved the big white balls. What a great headstander -- and why not in the middle of winter! Joni

Red Couch Recipes said...

What fun to window show with you. My little town doesn't have any great windows, but I have been in SF before at Christmas -- fun. Loved the big white balls. What a great headstander -- and why not in the middle of winter! Joni

Nancy said...

You look so pretty with your beautiful long hair Lisa! I miss mine : ( Looks like you guys live in a cool town!

caveman said...

What a dreamy life we live, huh Sweetheart? It is hard to imagine things being more perfect... In fact I don't think they can.

Speaking of Pollux and imagining things, anything in particular that you absolutely must have to call your own?

Jane said...

What a charming town...and Christmas walk!
Love Kotah's headstand...and Titus's impish grin! All your little men are adorable...and the big one's not bad either. I notice he was looking at guitars (or was it drums). I think all guys, big and small, go through this...some more than others. I can't tell you how many guitars, drum shells, cymbals and stands we have purchased over the years... And I just learned MG just bought a banjo. He played the theme from Deliverance for me...over the phone!

Simple Daisy said...

What a fun little town! I love the mitten string and the yarn trees!! So cute:)

Judy@cutest-little-things.blogspot.com said...

This is an annual tradition of ours as well! We visit a small town main street every year, just after Thanksgiving to window shop, ride carriages, visit with Santa, and watch fireworks...part of the magic of the season!

Thanks for sharing a glimpse into your {charming} world with the rest of us!

Judy@cutest-little-things

Karen said...

Looks like a lovely day.

Kelly Miller said...

You guys have a beautiful downtown! Great photos!

Jim said...

Great outdoor Christmas scenes. The sign showing the good old Aussie Ugg boots for sale gave me a chuckle.
Sydney - City and Suburbs

Holly Lefevre said...

I have always found charm in small town main street...OK, they can be big town Main Streets too...as long as they are charming. We lived in a lovely town outside of Los Angeles that spoke to me...and I miss it. This little trip of your looks magical and so much fun! (I love those packages with all the colored yarn/ribbon!)

HollyC said...

What a fun day! I love shopping like that, but alas, I live in a really small town with NO main street shopping! Thank you for sharing you Christmas walk with us! Happy Outdoor Wednesday and Merry Christmas!
~Holly

Donnie said...

What a wonderful day and sweet memories you all made. Thanks for sharing.

sarahgrace said...

My good friend Allie owns the little yarn store downtown, and she has a blog as well - pretendingsanity.com

My boys love going downtown for walks too, lots of fun, and Pollux is one of my faves as well!

Anonymous said...

very fun/cute day!