Long-time Atlantans with long memories can recall when downtown hummed with Christmas cheer, when the Great Tree was lit to the swelling sound of choruses belting from Rich's store bridges above packed streets, and Davison's sidewalk windows on Peachtree Street conveyed the siren call of holiday commerce.
Those golden days are gone with the wind. But organizers of a new event, "Christmas on Peachtree," want to bring back the nostalgic downtown-department-store-during-the-holidays feeling. And the setting, fittingly enough, is the ghost of Christmas sales past, the old Davison's building (which closed as Macy's in 2003), now known as 200 Peachtree.
Atlanta boasts its share of big events to which parents or grandparents can charge up their charges with 'tis-the-season spirit, from decades-long traditions such as the Macy's classic Pink Pig ride to Fernbank Museum of Natural History's international Christmas tree celebration, launched just last year.
Opening Nov. 25, "Christmas on Peachtree" is the new kid on the block that wants to feel a bit like one of the old ones. 200 Peachtree's owners and their many partners with a stake in downtown's revival are planning to pack 70,000 square feet spread across two levels of the old store with nostalgic attractions. Among them will be a life-size toy train ride, an exhibit of classic Coca-Cola Sundblom Santa ads, the winter-themed model railroad familiar from the now-defunct Festival of Trees (kids press buttons to make snowboarders zig and zag, loggers saw, etc.), photo-taking with an ample-lapped St. Nick and, yes, the return of holiday window displays.
But "Christmas on Peachtree" won't be completely retro. Cartoon Network characters such as Ben from "Ben 10″ and Scooby-Doo will romp around and pose for pictures. There will be twice-hourly light and music shows in the Grand Atrium where "snow" falls from the ceiling, and live singing by 28 choirs and other performers representing Atlanta's growing diversity. To serve varied appetites, there will be 15 mini retail outlets and two cafes.
The High Museum of Art will decorate a 24-foot-tall, 12-foot-wide Christmas tree with 500 ornaments featuring Andy Warhol's depiction of Marilyn Monroe’s face on one side and its “Picasso to Warhol” exhibition logo on the other. More than 250 feet of hot-pink feather boa will serve as garland.
It's hard to imagine what Santa, who stared with consternation at a still-to-be-decorated forest of rainbow-shaded artificial trees earlier this week, will have to say about the High's just-announced addition.
"Christmas on Peachtree" organizers have set a goal of attracting 150,000 people this year, expecting synergy from nearby Centennial Olympic Park, which again hosts the "Holiday in Lights" show and ice rink, and the family-friendly attractions surrounding it. In fact, "Christmas on Peachtree" and the Georgia Aquarium are selling a combo ticket ($32.95, children $22.95, seniors $26.95). And many downtown hotels are offering package deals, courting visitors from around the Southeast.
"We felt for along time that Atlanta needed a unifying holiday presence," spokesman Mark Pettit said. "We needed the aquarium, the High Museum, all the institutions to be involved. Because we want this to be a 30-year tradition, not one year."
"Christmas on Peachtree" tickets: $12; $8 children. Through Dec. 31. 404-564-7077, www.christmasonpeachtree.com.
Other metro events where parents or grandparents can share holiday spirit with young ones include:
"A Day With Santa" at Southeastern Railway Museum. Breakfasts and lunches with the man in red and white, who likes locomotives almost as much as sleighs apparently, will be offered at the Duluth train-yard attraction on Nov 26 and Dec 3, 10 and 17. Breakfast (9 a.m.) or lunch (noon): $15, free under 2. Or view the movie "Polar Express" in a train car at 3:30 or 6 p.m., with Santa making an appearance ($20, free under 2). 3595 Buford Highway, Duluth. 770-476-2013, www.srmduluth.org.
Fernbank Museum of Natural History's "Winter Wonderland: Celebrations & Traditions Around the World." In its second year, Fernbank's international celebration has grown to 28 trees and displays (since some cultures don't observe Christmas) decorated by consulates or community emissaries. It's an elegant presentation, especially as dusk approaches outside the glass atrium and the tree lights glow more vividly, but also teaches about each country's culture via accompanying text panels. Highlights include the folk-art-decorated Mexican tree, with colorful papier mache dolls encircling the bottom; and Japan's tree festooned with handmade origami birds folded by students from Seigakuina Atlanta International School. Performances and activities will be offered on many weekends, including 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and noon-4 Sunday: Atlanta Ballet dances, straw star-making crafts from Germany, a roaming Santa-saurus, Viking stories and re-enactment from Norway, a Chinese lion dance and more. Included in museum admission: $17.50, $16.50 students and seniors, $15.50 ages 3-12, free 2 and younger. 767 Clifton Road N.E., Atlanta. Combo ticket package available for Fernbank and Christmas at Callanwolde, the decorated historic Candler mansion: $32, $27 students and seniors, $24 children. 404-929-6400, www.fernbankmuseum.org/winter.
Georgia Aquarium's "Festival of the SEAson." Visit with Seaside St. Nick in Santa's Holiday Bay overlooking Centennial Park starting Nov. 24. Also beginning Nov. 24, Scuba Claus begins dives 30 feet in Ocean Voyager among whale sharks and manta rays. Metro area choirs, bands and choral groups take the stage daily in the Atrium, Dec. 5-17. General admission: $24.95, $18.95 ages 3-12, $20.95 seniors. 225 Baker St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-581-4000, www.georgiaaquarium.org.
Stone Mountain Christmas. New this year is the kids show "Toyrific!" in which misfit toys battle against the evil, gargantuan Jack in the Box to save Christmas. Highlights of the dozen-plus shows and events offered at Crossroads village, illuminated with more than 2 million lights, include the nightly holiday parade starring Santa, "Crossroads Christmas Carol" performed by a quartet of witty comic improv actors, a sing-along train ride around the mountain (and through decorations) that pauses for a short performance of "The Gift," and Snow Angel's fly-over finale. Open nightly through Jan. 1 (except Dec. 24-25). $27, adults; $21, children 3-11. Parking pass, $10. Another family-friendly winter event here is Snow Mountain, opening Wednesday through Feb. 20, in which guests tube down the sloping Memorial Lawn on a blanket of machine-made white stuff. Adults and children, $27. Stone Mountain Christmas-Snow Mountain combo tickets: $44 adults and children. 770-498-5690, www.snowmountainpark.com.
Children's "Nutcracker" Teas. Young Atlanta Ballet dancers perform "Nutcracker" vignettes, the Dickens Singers entertain and Santa makes an appearance. Children enjoy hot chocolate and seasonal sweets, and decorate a holiday cookie. 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 17-19 at the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, 3434 Peachtree Road, N.E., Atlanta. Complimentary valet parking. Reservations required: 404-237-2700. Atlanta Ballet performs "Nutcracker," Dec. 8-24 at the Fox Theatre, accompanied by the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra. Tickets, starting $20: 1-800-982-2787, www.atlantaballet.com or Fox box office, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta.
Macy's Pink Pig. This Atlanta tradition, located on the Lenox Square store's upper level parking lot, features Priscilla and Percival pigs easing kids of all ages down a 170-foot-long, 1950s-themed track. $3 (with discounts for repeat rides). Schedule and more info: macys.com/believe (click "Events").
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