Evening star., 1955-11-30


Nov suddenly the Christ
mas shopping season has
closed in on the stores, star
tling even the merchants and
the Injured police with its in
tensity.
= STREET Is q riot Of pack
ages, color and half-heard
conversations-'He said he'd
Be here by Christmas" "I
don't know how she expects to
get It all done" He can't
DO it! I told him he can't do
M why don't you, carry
her for q while?" Maybe
We can and it on up the
street" There ought to
be q better way to 60 about
doing all this =. IF we'd
got the one I wanted to.
The shoppers lace their way
along the sidewalk and shut
tie In and out of stores with
the practice Of Christmases
past, and the slap-slap-slap Of
the revolving doors Is continu-
Gus. But crossing the street
still Is q hazardous operation
involving vacant stares and
protruding bundles shopping
bags loaded with packages al
ready wrapped for the Christ
mas Is days away.
Music and chimes mingle
with the everyday noises of an
air drill at work on the
streets, the hiss of a sand
blaster cleaning an F street
bank building, the grind Of
trafiic and the harsh note Of
8 policenaaa's whistle.
Salvation Army booths.
with their records and tapes
ofmusic and song and speech,
dot the downtown area. But
one ptini little lady in front
Of . @ street store scorns the
comforts Of q warm booth. re-
frsing to part with tradition,
she works In the crisp open,
swinging . jangling bell to
attract attention, and using
no mechanical device 10 am |
plify her voice. The drop Of /
Acnins seems to be more fire. 4
quent there.
THERE ARE SIGNS that
christmas Is not only for the
very young. a bald-headed
man strolls along 9 street,
turning to look up at each Of
the tabled characters from
children's tales. swinging from
the newly decorated lamp
posts. At each glance, his at
titude is one Of discovery.
= & ~ =
The window displays, seek
ing to outdo one another with
their attractions for the
youngsters, draw more adults,
fascinated with the mechan-
ical wonders and fairyland
settings. Toyland draws
grownups; too, ostensibly to
select toys for the children.
one man, inspecting . dis
play Of coaster wagons, muses.,
II wonder what ever happened
TO the Irish Mail?p
The ioyiality Of the crowd
on the streets infects even the
trafiic policemen. One warns
= metofist In polite tones to
move his auto from q no.
parking space on e street;
another allows q taxi driver to
make q U-turn at q Penn
sylvania avenue intersection.
A third / helps . bewildered
lady move her car from the
middle of the intersection
after she gets caught by q
trafIic signal change at Eley-
enth and r streets.
One law-enfcrcer, between
blasts on his oficial whistle,
whistles . happy tune with
his lips.
Inside the stores, there are
merry notes OF Christmas
music and changing cash reg
listers. Some Of the clerks al
ready l1nys, the day-before-
Christmas harried look. For
the rest Of this month Of
peace on earth, there will be
little peace for them.
Street Scenes
a dog in an automobile
wagging q friendly greeting
To : policeman ticketing the
A bookstore specializing in
"do It yourself books promi-
nently displaying one titled.
"Drink It Yourself"
a barber shaving himself in
his empty barber shop. /.
A wheel-less coaster wagon
made into q flower box In a.
yard on Massachusetts, ave-
nue. near Eleventh street
NV.
The stone slab portico on
the House Where Lincoln
Died" eroding away.