If you want to recapture some of the nostalgia Gail Ghetia Bellamy celebrates in Cleveland Christmas Memories, we're happy to report there are people and places around town still keeping the past alive in their own small way. Consider this your checklist for creating an authentically Cleveland Christmas.
See the lights at nela park
"It is a very long-standing local tradition," Bellamy says of General Electric's annual holiday display, which dates back to 1925. You can check out the thousands of lights that decorate GE's Nela Park campus along Noble Road from early December through New Year's Day. 1975 Noble Road, East Cleveland
Get Lost At Flower Child
Flower Child owner Joe Valenti collects classic Cleveland Christmas memorabilia, and you'll find some of it on display in the window of his West Side vintage store this time of year. Bonus: If you want to buy those plastic Santa and Mrs. Claus salt-and-pepper shakers your parents had in the '70s, he just might have them. flowerchildvintage.com
Visit mr. jingeling
Though you can't visit Mr. Jingeling on the seventh floor of Halle's anymore, he hasn't hung up his keys. John Awarski keeps alive the popular Christmas-season character who first appeared on WEWS in 1956. Santa's "Keeper of the Keys" has appearances scheduled this month at Stan Hywet Hall and Southpark Mall. mrjingeling.com
Be a Kid again at Big Fun
Even if your little ones don't appreciate the nostalgia gold mine that is Steve Presser's retro toy stores, you'll feel like a kid browsing the vintage Star Wars action figures and video games. "You can find toys and memorabilia from your own childhood, no matter what era you grew up in," Bellamy says. bigfunbigfun.com
