Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1312918
54 IDAHO FALLS MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020 BY GREGG LOSINSKI When I was a child, part of celebrating Christmas was going to downtown Chicago to experience the holiday events. There used to be a big Christmas parade on the day after Thanksgiving. Santa would arrive on a huge sled and all the stores would then throw open the doors to specially expanded toy departments, and families would flood in to see the newest toys. All of the department stores had elaborate Christmas window displays. It wasn't Christmas if you didn't make it downtown. The way downtown Idaho Falls is shaping up, that soon may be true here as well! Thanks to online shopping, department stores around the country are falling on hard times, so elaborate window displays are now mostly just memories left from childhood. Fortunately, small shops and boutiques have found niches where they can survive by sell- ing things you can't buy on Amazon. Because each shop is free of restrictive corporate policies, they can decorate their windows for the holiday season however they feel. It's definitely worth spending a weekend afternoon taking the family to downtown I.F. and checking out what's there. You just might be surprised by the little shops you didn't know existed. The huge big box stores might be able to sell you stuff like toilet paper and chicken cordon bleu in bulk, but our little shops offer unique things with a personal touch. Of course, walking around on a cold win- ter day in Idaho Falls is sure to make you hungry. Fortunately, there are lots of options to stop and have a bite. Whether it's a simple pastry or a full-course meal there are all types of dining options to enjoy, albeit at a reduced eat-in dining capacity due to COVID-19. For those folks that may get thirsty, there are also a wide variety of liquid libations to be had. For a nice coffee or hot chocolate, the Villa offers warm and com- fortable surroundings. For those seeking to be able to enjoy adult holiday beverages like real eggnog or a Tom & Jerry, a wide range of options exist from Fords Bar to The Celt. One thing that would be neat to see in our little burg would be an Idaho version of a Christkindlmarkt like they have in Europe. Not to brag, but the largest one outside of Europe is in Chicago! Our little market could sell savory potato soup and little Spuddy Buddy dolls dressed up as Santa. I'm sure we could even get some local elk farms to lend us some elk to stake out and say they are Santa's reindeer. The tourists won't know the difference. Heck, most of the local hunt- ers probably wouldn't either. Because night comes early here at Christmas time; there is no better way to end a visit to downtown Idaho Falls in December than to stroll down Memorial Drive and enjoy the tens of thousands of Christmas lights that the city municipal workers have painstakingly strung on all the trees along the river. A short walk across the Broadway Bridge will bring you to the new Deck the Falls video projected right onto the falls. With the partially frozen falls as a backdrop to the colored lights and snow, Christmas in downtown Idaho Falls is right up there with Chicago, even without a big Christmas Parade or a Christkindlmarkt. It's the size of the spirit, not the city that matters. IF Miracle on Memorial Drive OUT THERE