Loose Leaf Notes

1. Windows draw me in, the warm light they radiate, the sense of being on the outside wanting to be in.

2. A few days before Christmas, Joe and I went window shopping in downtown Floyd. With our shopping already done, it was fun just to enjoy the festive displays and stop and chat with the shopkeepers.

3. Life is so much more than the obvious. Every window is a mirror, every reflection suggesting a rich inner life.

4. Many years ago I worked in a boutique in downtown Boston. One year at Christmastime, I stood in the window as a live mannequin and drew a crowd of people who waited to see if I would move.

5. But even longer ago than that, when I was five years old I went with my family into Boston to see the Jordan Marsh Christmas window displays. The moving mannequins were dressed in late 1920’s clothes and arranged in homey Christmas settings. It was a formative experience that I will never forget. The magic was very real to me then.

6. Every window Joe and I saw was like a wrapped Christmas package waiting to be opened, invoking visions of sugar plums, gifts of the magi, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

7. A big part of the pleasure of window shopping was being outside, walking arm in arm with Joe, bundled up, going from shop to shop. With so many downtowns being lost everyday, I’m thankful an outing like ours can still happen. I’m wishing you all a magical holiday full of surprises and peaceful moments.

Post notes: Window Shopping #I is HERE. Photos are of: 1. New Mountain Mercantile. 2. Bulletin Board on Locust Street. Yes, that's Elvis. 3. Oddfellas Cantina. 4. Finders Keepers Antique Store. 5. Sue's Flowers. 6. Cafe Del Sol. 7. Finders Keepers.