The Spirit Lives

 

The Spirit Lives

Steve & Dave Bruyn 1953

More than a half-century before the advent of Black Friday and Cyber-Monday the Christmas season at Northport was a "natural high". The temperature dropped sharply and the promise of our "first snow" was omnipresent. It was the time of year when shop keepers adorned their store windows and village workers readied their street equipment for decorating Main Street with lights and garland. Soon, the sound of Christmas Carols would be in the air along with crisp weather that defied the theory of global warming. A simpler time, and in many ways, a part of life's journey "frozen in history". It wasn't a perfect society, but it was a cohesive community and much of this lesson still remains today.

Back in the day, Father Walworth stood in the pulpit at Trinity Church and reminded us that it is better to give than to receive. Fred Wright, manager of the Northport Five and Dime was a fixture with that signature pencil behind his ear, arranging the toys and setting up his Christmas displays. Lou Loggia stood behind the counter at Lou's Market, ready to answer the needs of his customers as they planned their festivities. There was Mr. Wheatly of Wheatly's Deli, a Northporter with a ready smile, Tony from A & J Market and Barney Craft of Craft's Stationery who did his part by ringing up the newspaper and a little Christmas candy. The cast of characters easily filled the time continuum and for me, it was a Charles Dickens existence.

In those early years, I was lost in the majesty of the Christmas celebration. In spite of my mischievous ways, I managed to take part in the church Christmas pageant as a shepherd. I immersed myself in the spirit of Christmas, the vision of electric trains, red and green lights, caroling, sleigh riding, Santa Claus and the Nothport Fire Department celebration at the fire house where they always gave out a little Christmas gift basket with an orange. The sum total of all these parts came together on Christmas morning at 5:00 AM when my brother and I were insane with anticipation. Mom and Dad usually griped about the early activity and compromised with 6:00 AM being an acceptable hour to start our family event.

During the years of young adulthood, it was magical to shop for a girlfriend's gift. How about a ring to "go steady"? That would require the services of R.J. Terry of Terry Jewelers. Mr. Terry usually wore one of those magnifying glasses over one eye, like a monocle, always ready to make an appraisal of any particular piece of jewelry. We trusted Mr. Terry to help us pick out a ring that our girlfriend would be sure to say "yes". Main Street, shop owners were trusted experts. Sweaters were a popular gift and Mom was always there to help us with estimating sizes. I couldn't have asked such intimate details of my steady back then. Boris Haimson or Mr. Marshall of Ingerman's would be the fashion consultants of choice. What they had to say often included consideration of the recipient's preferences, based upon their personal knowledge of those who we were about to gift! These intangibles that were a part of everyday living in small town Northport, something that cannot be inventoried or accounted for in any "annual stockholders report". Sadly, this would not be understood by the "flat-screen generation" of America.

The concept of "The Mall", Modell's, E.J. Korvette, Billy Blake, K-Mart, and others began to change shopping habits and by the late 60's many shoppers had abandoned Main Street in favor of the wider inventory choices and lower prices of the discount houses. The cast of characters I had come to know and consider "family" would face challenges to their livelihood previously not experienced. My father and mother were Main Street shop owners who became an early" business mortality". They sold and moved to Florida, just as their neighbors Lyle & Gus Gustavson did, who owned “The Showcase" on Main Street. John Young who owned the Harbor Marine Sporting Goods Store closed and moved to Mobile, AL. Some sold and moved on, while others stayed to "tough it out".

I have visited my Northport roots four times since I left in 1971 and the many changes are remarkable. Real estate values have octupled and so have the taxes. Gone are many of the original homes, now replaced by McMansions. The sand pit has given way to an upscale development and many of the residents are from the Starbucks/BMW/Audi set. The "new Northport" makes it's own statement, but much of the old girl is still intact. The general preservation of Main Street and many of the homes that were once in poor repair are now sparkling showcases of yesteryear. Much of the "old guard" still commands a sense of community. The original 1952 Ford antique fire truck is still in public view and looks as good as it did when it was acquired in the same year. The tradition of camaraderie still exists, whether it has a new face like the Leg-lamp Lighting Ceremony, or an original face like Gunther's Tap room. The folks who drive this tradition are the stewards of yesterday and today, bringing onboard replacements who will continue to uphold the virtues of Northport's values through tomorrow and beyond.

And so..... today for me, Christmas is many things. It is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord, the message of goodwill toward men (and women of course....."men" is intended to include the female gender), the celebration of family and the epitome of "love thy neighbor". It's a gathering of "the old lamplighter", Bob Crachet, Tiny Tim, and the warm glow of candlelight all rolled into one. It's a special time when inner peace prevails and thoughts of those less fortunate surface. It's a feeling that was instilled in me from the time I was a shepherd in that Christmas Pageant at the Trinity Church, so many years ago. It's a time of tranquility and kindly thoughts toward those who mentored me and those who taught me the golden rule.

Northporters continue to set the Christmas stage by digging down into their community soul just as they did so many years ago when the firemen provided a landing place for Santa. Following the lead of these selfless townsfolk of years past, many of whom regularly abandoned their cash registers to go running up Main Street when the fire horn went off, a tradition is upheld. This is the Christmas spirit I remember, a gift without strings.

In reality, the Christmas tale of "Bedford Falls" is merely a myth, but the spirit of Northport at this time of year provides a clear glimpse of faith and hope in an otherwise self-serving world. I've visited the mountains, the prairies and the flat-lands but never have I seen such fellowship as I've seen right there in my own back yard where I grew up. Each year, just to make sure my character compass is still adjusted properly, in my mind I take a sentimental journey back to my roots, a time when Christmas trees were three bucks.