Holiday Festival of Light

I know, it’s a little late to be talking about Christmas, but I’ve just acquired this swell postcard and had to share it. The card, postmarked 1964, caught my attention because of the illuminated Santa, an image that sparked a long-dormant memory. It had been decades since I had thought of those Santas floating majestically over the downtown streets, and I was reminded of our annual pilgrimage to see the department store window displays.
I don’t recall which streets featured these decorations, but I do remember that the Santas were alternated with candy canes. (a candy cane is visible in the distance) The description on the back of the postcard reads:

Thrill Seekers Holiday Fairyland
“ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF LIGHT”
Downtown Fort Worth, Texas
The “City Set on a Hill,” out “Where the West Begins,” offers many attractions to citizens from far and near, but none more memorable than this annual, “Holiday Festival of Light.”
These myriads of sparkling lights, enjoyed from The Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike and all approaching streets, avenues, highways and freeways, have created a spectacle wonderful to behold.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to see downtown Fort Worth in those days, when Christmas thrived in the heart of the town. The major department stores like Striplings, Monnigs and Leonard’s took pride in their window displays, not unveiling them until (I’m told) the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Today it’s hard to imagine a time when most all shopping took place downtown, and Christmas saw the streets transformed into a place of wonder. They were great times that, sadly, will not be repeated.