Evening star., 1955-11-26
Downtown Stores Expect
Record Shopping Today
Street Thronqs
Delay Placing Of
YuIe Decorations

Barring an upset by weather
and television. downtown mer-
chants were expecting q record
shopping day today.
Yesterday opened the Christ
mas shopping season officially.
and thousands of buyers clogged
the streets and sidewalks. Police,
caught by surprise. brought REIN
forcements into the area to help
handle the crowds.
We've never seen such a day."
said Tony Pritchard, executive
vice president Of the Merchants
and Manufacturers, ''for the FRI
day after Thanksgiving"
Decorations Delayed
It's always good, he said. but
yesterday was sensational, with
most people downtown loaded
with packages - showing that
they bought, not window
shopped.
Ironically, the beginning Of
the Christmas shopping season
was so well attended 1t may de-
lay the erection of Christmas
decorations on the street. Mr..
Pritchard said the crews putting
up strings of lights, Santa
Claus and Mother Goose figures
along F. G and Seventh. streets
NV. were hampered by the
shopping crowds.
Added workmen, he said, viii
be pressed into service today and
tomorrow in an effort to meet
the Sis pm. Monday deadline.
The department stores pre-
dicted today would be even buster
with two large ''ifs." Rain or
snowfall could hold the crowds
down, and interest in watching
the televised Army-Navy foot
bali game could make an even
greater dent.
Buying Comes Earlier
Yesterday appeared to set new
marks for the date. Sales show
that. for several weeks, advance
Christmas buying has been ahead
of that In recent years the coun-
try over. But yesterday, with
Thanksgiving behind and school
children still enjoying a holiday
from classes, brought the first
real store-wide jams Of the sea-
son.
The buildup viii continue al
most until the day before Christ
mas. Since Saturday is usually
one Of the best shopping days
Eof the week, store officials today
were looking for new records to-
be set, both downtown and in the
suburbs.
The Police Department Traffic
Division brought several dozen
extra men into the downtown
area to help with traffic. They
scheduled extra men again today.
Their big 60-man Christmas de-
tail will start work on Monday.
Windows Draw Crowds
Favorite attractions of the
street crowds were the depart
ment stores window displays.
Lansburgh's window at Eighth
and E streets NV. has an elabo-
rate electric train setup with
steam freight. a diesel freight
and an electric passenger ex-
press running between wash
lington" and New York"
Hecht's has q series of old
fashioned stores in its windows
lat Seventh and F streets NV.
Among them are a 1900 ice
cream parlor with marble topped
tables, ceiling fans and real soda
lin the straws: a. bakery and
candy store. a musac store, a dry
goods store and a general store
complete with post offce, rug
full of sleeping kittens, a roaring
FIRE" in Q pot-bellied stove and
Santa Claus waiting on all Gus
toners behind the counter.
Real Circus Monkeys
Kann's window at Eighth
street and Market place NV. is
Jas animated as any other win
dows and perhaps a little more
$50. The center of the display is
Ia gaily decorated circus wagon,
housing q family of real mon
keys.
Woodward and Lothrop has
installed q toyland display In
its window at Eleventh and g
streets NV. In front Of a pink
lturreted castle, toy soldiers face
right and left by the numbers,
a monkey clings to the neck of
la giraffe and q bear dances on
la bass drum. Woodward and
lLothrop's F street windows are
lexpected to be finished tonight.