Mall Memories -- Day of Christmas

During the late '70's and early '80's, there was an annual event celebrated in my family. One weekday in December my mother would call my sister and me in sick at school. Then along with my other sister, we would head off to the "big" mall. We had our own local shopping mall, but there was another, larger and more grand, with more shopping and dining options: Crestwood Mall in South St. Louis County, Missouri.

Crestwood Mall 1986

We called the event "Day of Christmas". Yes, we laughed at the label even then, but it meant a day of Christmas shopping, spending time with family (my grandparents met us there) and don't forget, an authorized skipping of a day of school. It also meant lunch at Woolworth's.

That may seem simple to most people, but to us, it was a big event. The mall had a Woolworth's inside it, having been swallowed by the mall in a then-recent remodeling. After having spent the day wandering the mall visiting the usual stores like B. Dalton's, Walden Books, Radio Shack and K.B.Toys while my mother and sisters shopped the anchor stores Sears, Famous Barr and Stix, Baer & Fuller, lunchtime would find us in the Woolworth's cafe.

Given the season, the special of the day was always the turkey platter. Let's face it, it was turkey loaf, but having any turkey outside of Thanksgiving was a treat for me. And it came with all the pre-made fixings: mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce.

This coffee shop looks a lot like our Woolworth's cafe did.

After lunch, we would wander the aisles of Woolworth picking out cheap trinkets to exchange with each other on Christmas Eve. And though I call them "cheap", to me, having bought them with my own money and invested a lot of thought picking out just the right thing for every family member, I felt like I was giving the greatest gifts ever.

This cashier's pin worn sometime in the '70's is a reminder of those times. To me, Woolworth's really was The Christmas Headquarters.