IMS_Blog

I noticed in my home town’s local paper (read online of course) that the famous (at least there) Fenwick’s Christmas windows have been unvieled (basically they dress the store windows with a sequence of scenes backed by a soundtrack to entertain young and old). The paper gave a list of the theme for these windows over the years since the tradition started in 1971:

1. 1971 Camberwick Green
2. 1972 Chigley
3. 1973 Rupert Meets Santa
4. 1974 Sooty’s Circus
5. 1975 Aladdin
6. 1976 Fairytale Christmas with Cinderella
7. 1977 Treasure Island
8. 1978 Storybook Christmas
9. 1979 Wonderful World of Pantomime
10. 1980 A Christmas Carol
11. 1981 Alice in Wonderland
12. 1982 Arabian Nights
13. 1983 Fly to Fenwick’s for Christmas (based on a Space theme)
14. 1984 Gulliver
15. 1985 Fairytale Christmas with Pinocchio
16. 1986 Christmas Circus
17. 1987 Magical Winter Wonderland (animals skating and ski-ing)
18. 1988 Purrfect for Christmas (with cats - and dogs)
19. 1989 Jungle Fantasy
20. 1990 Good Old Santa (Santa and the elves prepare for Christmas)
21. 1991 It’s a White Christmas (with Jack Frost, Snowman, Talking Tree and Santa)
22. 1992 Santa’s Christmas Party (with panto and nursery rhyme characters)
23. 1993 Alice in Wonderland
24. 1994 Christmas Village
25. 1995 Santa’s New Store
26. 1996 Fairytale Christmas (with Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty)
27. 1997 Santa’s Christmas Pantomime
28. 1998 A Christmas Carol
29. 1999 Peter Pan
30. 2000 Christmas in Poodle Town
31. 2001 Santa’s Journey
32. 2002 Christmas in Another World
33. 2003 Santa’s Grotto
34. 2004 The First Christmas

One might think that as I remember going to see the window every year (I was born in 1977) that I’d remember more of these. I do remember an Alice in Wonderland themed version but I have a feeling that this was probably the 1993 edition when I was 16 rather than the 1981 version I would have seen when four. I also think I have vague memories of the 1987 and 1988 windows but hey, basically this thing I did every year I don’t remember (I can’t even recall those of recent years—other than Christmas in Another World which caused some controversy for some reason—despite knowing I looked at them when visiting home. Ah well, nice tradition anyway.