Friday, November 21, 2008

Walking in a Window Wonderland


In my former life I was a dancing snowflake. And a mechanical doll. And an Arabian dancer. And a waltzing flower.

Who knew that all those years of dancing roles in The Nutcracker would help me in my role as director of the Downtown Neighborhood Association?

This year’s theme for the DNA’s annual holiday event, Window Wonderland, is The Nutcracker Suite.

Visions of sugarplum fairies and other Nutcracker characters will be painted and displayed on downtown storefront windows beginning this week, just as the construction workers start to settle down for a long winter’s nap.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year to come to downtown Elgin. No flying dust, no deafening jackhammering, no traffic backups . . . just lots of holiday cheer and fun for the whole family.

Yeah, it’s cold, but I’ll take that over a mouthful of dust any day.

Window Wonderland was one of the first events that the DNA hosted when the organization was established back in 1998. The goal of the event was to bring people downtown to look at the decorated windows and get them into the businesses with enticing treats and specials. This year’s theme, The Nutcracker Suite, is a throw-back to the very first Window Wonderland in 1998.

Ten years later, the goal remains the same, though the event has grown tremendously in scope. More than 40 storefronts will be decorated by community groups, individuals and businesses competing for great prize packages. The public is invited to view the windows and vote for their favorites on December 6, while enjoying a flurry of other fun holiday activities, such as lunch and pictures with Santa, live reindeer, a live nativity, free ice skating, roaming carolers, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, the City’s tree lighting ceremony and much, much more.

So, mark your calendars to go walking through a “Window Wonderland” in Downtown Elgin on December 6. Visit DowntownElgin.com for details.

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