Philadelphia may not be as decadent and elegant as New York when it comes to our Christmas celebrations, but we definitely have a few things that simply cannot be found elsewhere in the nation. One of these holiday traditions is the Macy's Christmas Lights Show.

When I was a kid, Macy's was actually John Wanamaker's and was one of the "higher class" department stores we always wished we could afford clothes from. Luckily, I had a brother who worked in the upstairs restaurant, the Crystal Tea Room, and we would occasionally be invited to have a nice lunch around my birthday and the holidays where we would catch the hourly light show. Even when he left the Tea Room, my mother and I would hop on the 47 bus and travel up to do some shopping and catch the show. (I would also sneak out of work when I was older to see the show and do some Christmas shopping!)

Part of our Christmas Holiday traditions includes attending the light shows offered all over the city, both commercial and neighborhood run. There are few things more spectacular during the holiday season than elaborately decorated displays with beautifully strung lights, rich deep reds and greens, and the smell of pine emanating from fresh cut Christmas trees. And in addition to the highly publicized, world famous Wanamaker Light Show (now Macy's), which I will be discussing later this week, a second holiday extravaganza takes place just a few blocks west at the Comcast Center.