Steve, one of the guests and our Philadelphia expert, told us that "Philadelphia has her best face at the holidays." He is so right! We have taken advantage of some of the tradtional holiday treats, such as the light and music show at Macy's, formerly Wanamakers Department store. We also toured the Dickens Village in Macy's, which was originally in another now defunct store. These events go back at least to postwar days. A more recent arrival is the holiday show in the lobby of the Comcast building, the tallest building in Philadelphia. This year was a real treat, complete with fiberoptic panels and 3-D effects. But the very best show of all was at Longwood Gardens, a fabulous botanical garden that belonged to Pierre Dupont. The 20 room conservatory was decorated with giant Christmas trees and carpets of poinsettias. There were huge wreaths made of orchids, bromeliads and palm fronds. Outside, there were thousands of lights on tall trees, as well as a dancing fountain that rose and fell to holiday music. We even saw a choral concert by a 100 year old choral group that specializes in Gilbert and Sullivan. Since there are no yards in our neighborhood, people make the most of their windows and doors, with the occasional sidewalk tree festooned with lights. Since it has turned really cold (felt like 12 degrees last night), it is easy to get into the Christmas spirit.
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