The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-09
TOY LAND OPENING
 FOR b|RM|NGHAM'S
 HOLIDAY BUSINESS
Stores Banked High With Christmas Toys and YuIe- idle MerchandiSe-AImost
 Revival Since Wartime
By WILLIAM THOMPSON

Birmingham has again been chosen headquarters for Toy
 land.
 This became known yester-
 day when those who rise early in the morning discovered that some of the display windows of the largest stores in town had been adorned with toys of ev- cry description.
 Santa Claus is very patriotic this year, too. Every one ot the merchants report that they
 have not a single toy, drum or pop-gun in stock, but what was not made in one of the allied countries or else in the United States.
 Several days during the latter part of last week huge boxes were seen Tn front of stores about the city. Truchs and wagons were seen loaded wltn them. But no one semed to think very much about it for no one realized tna' Christmas time was so near.
 But all the downtown merchants re
 aort tbat they have been preparing for
 if for months During the past two
 years which was mostly during war
 times old Santa did not generally Vlsi'
 tho different stores in person.
 TO BE HERE
 But this year, beginning apout
 month before Christmas santa VIII De
 at each of the leading stores Of the city
 during certain hours of the day, ana
 will receive the list from each little
 chap as to just what he wants TOT
 Christmas.
 One of the big local headquarters TOT
 tovland will be on the fourth floor or
 I,nyeman Joseph and Loeb's depart
 ment store. est Nicholas will be in charge here during many hours of the dav and it is reported that he has reserve stock of toys so large that ne can supply the demands no matter no" big the stocking may be. lie VIII nave sayaral assistants These assistants will talk to mamma and papa While the kiddies tell what they want. Caheen's is another favorite place TOT the saint Last year when the klddies' thought they had lost Santa for good thsy would discover him when they came z. ('abe.n's and he would be busy as switch engine. Santa Claus always said that he could get plenty of room to dis- nlay his large stock of toys at Caheen So that will explain why he can De found there a good part Of hls tune this year.
 SUPPLY THE WANTS Louis Pizitz also announces that hls 1 store will be a leading factor Tn heip- 1 ing to supply the wants of the young sters this Christmas time. The gooo saint. who took peep into toylano on 1 inc third floor of Piztiz store yester- ! d.y stated that this year his little boys | and girls were all going to want some thing truly different from that which ! had ever brought them before and that l they would be sure to find everything they wanted here.
 Two whole display windows in Dren- nen's department store yesterday were revealed to the eyes of the pubic 1 loaded down with toys of every descrlp- tion Rockey horses, drums. dolls, sol diers, guns, whistles fire engines, teody bears. games, trunks, pianos building blocks and every thing that will delight the heart of the youngster was piled high. Toyland at Steele Smiths will be just one round of fun after another The shipping clerk at this store hai been busy for the past several days checking in wagonload after wagon load of toys. Saturday the toys were unpacked and attractive1y arranged in the many show cases. Now everything is in readiness for the oncoming march of many thousands of tiny feet. Old Santa, with his red checks and white beard, will be very much in evidence and will have friendly handshake and
 a merry laugh for everyone of the
 youngsters.
 ALL KINDS
 Toys of every description will alsc be very much in evidence at John W O'Neilis. MT. O'Neill announced yester- day that truck loaded With huge boxes of toys had been arriving for the past several days and that already he has many of them .unpacked and in the show cases ready for the youngsters to make their selections from.
 The Butcher Tool and Hardware com
 pany is another store where Santa will
 be king from now on until after
 Christmas He has already had many
 large boxes of toys forwarded to
 Butchers way ahead of time, so there
 wouldn't be any need for a rush at the
 last minute and the kiddies could nave
 plenty of time to bring mamma and
 papa downtown and whisper to santa
 the things they want for Christmas Burgers and Sak's both are planning
 to have the mystic one at their stores
 a good part of his time. too. and so 1t
 now looks as if he was going to have
 the time of his life keeping all his ap-
 pointments with the different stores
 and the kiddies.
 But old Santa has never failed to
 keep an appointment yet. All he has
 requested is that the kiddies will get
 the lists of what they want him tc
 bring them, 10 him several days before
 Christmas. And he also adds last
 warning 70 the youngsters not to use
 any stockings but there own. and to be
 sure there are no holes in the feet SC. that the goodies will not spill out.
 nEMEMT H0EEr MIlMAEQ