Ho, Ho ... Hum

The holiday season has once again settled upon the Capital City. The tacky banners (and that is only my opinion) hang, not so gaily, from the lamp posts earning Concord, once again, the title of the drabbest holiday display in just about any city in New Hampshire.

Travel around the state during this festive season and in Manchester, Portsmouth, Keene, Claremont, Rochester, Newport, Dover and elsewhere, you’ll find beautiful lighted displays casting their illumination upon the city streets.

Not in Concord, however.

For decades, Concord’s downtown was one of the prettiest. Holiday lighted garlands were wrapped around the street light poles and beckoned to anyone passing through to stop and bask in the warmth of the holiday spirit while visiting the many shops, stores and restaurants the city offered. The lights created an instantaneous mood and made you want to partake in the holiday cheer, whatever your belief might be.

I would often stand in front of the State House Plaza and squint my eyes while looking South on Main. The beautiful lights created an unforgettable kaleidoscope of magic.

Somewhere along the line the lights were replaced although virtually every other city in the state continued to dazzle and delight visitors to their community with updated displays. Instead of just carping about the missing lights, I offered to pay $ 1,000 toward bringing back the lights several years ago but my offer was dismissed.

There is a lot of talk about wanting to make Concord more like Keene or Portsmouth. Downtown holiday lights might be a good starting point to show prospective merchants the magic we can create.

Once upon a time the holiday season didn’t start in late September as it often does now with decorations creeping into stores before the first day of fall. Sure the local Five and Dimes might have a few items appearing right after Halloween and Brown and Saltmarsh began displaying boxes of beautiful cards in early November but that was about it.

I was always convinced that immediately upon finishing their Thanksgiving dinners, local merchants headed to their stores to begin decorating their windows. Why? Because on Friday morning when they opened for business, downtown Concord was suddenly transformed to such an extent that even Scrooge might have had a difficult time remaining grumpy.

I never questioned why there were nearly a dozen Santa’s scattered throughout the City. All I knew was that something very special had embraced the City and somehow turned its always nice residents into something approaching giddy in their delight.

Family friends and visitors invariably commented about the friendly nature of the people in Concord. They loved the way that strangers seemed to smile, nod or acknowledge you as you walked through the streets. During the holiday season those smiles were almost cherubic in nature.

Unfortunately some of that has vanished in our new tech era.

Today, I walk through Concord and find that at least 40 percent of the people I encounter are either talking on their cell phones, texting, or otherwise engaged with some other electronic device.

I’ll go on the record as saying I love my computer and utilize it daily. I also like the convenience of email although I am constantly ribbed for writing complete sentences, using punctuation and not succumbing to abbreviations and codes as substitutes for words. I guess the spectre of the Nuns and their yardsticks has kept me from adopting some of the email shortcuts.

My cell phone accompanies me on any trip but I never engage in public conversations.

While standing at the deli counter in a local grocery store recently, I was forced to overhear an angry exchange between a woman and a possible family member. She was discussing how much she hated her mother and how they should have her put into assisted living. I couldn’t grab my order quickly enough and leave.

At a local pharmacy I listened to a man discuss, on his phone, how constipated he was as he asked the caller what laxative he should purchase. I wanted to tell him to try Kern’s Apricot Juice, available at a grocery store. It would keep him regular and it tastes amazing.

Fortunately some of our downtown merchants have wonderful artistic skills and regularly deck their store windows with displays that evoke a simpler and less frenetic time.

Despite all of my carping (and next year I may once again make my $ 1,000 offer to bring back the lights), the holiday season tends to bring out the best in people. Residents of Concord generally have a head start in that department, so get out and walk through the city streets during the holidays and enjoy the many unique gifts that Concord does offer.

Happy Thanksgiving.