‘Tis the Season | Scene Through the Lens

This week’s photo was made while I enjoyed a family tradition of spending holiday time together in Center City, attending a live performance, having a great dining experience, and then driving through some of South Philly’s most electric, elaborate and eclectic Christmas light displays.

While that’s all on a day-off, it doesn’t look much different from what I do at work this time of the year.

I work a night shift, so over the years, as darkness comes sooner with each day’s approach toward winter and the solstice, I find myself seeking out the lights of the season.

I’ve found it in menorahs, city parks, suburban homes, City Hall, even a pandemic parking lot.

Last week I had a few hours one night without any assignments, so I wandered around the twelve or so shopping blocks in Center City. Having just watched the classic movie, A Christmas Story (another family holiday tradition) I wanted to see what today’s version looked like, of what the film’s character described as the “high-water mark of the pre-Christmas season.” While I didn’t find anything as spectacular as the Higbee’s department store window that Ralphie pressed his face against, I did find that retailers still do entice holiday shoppers with their visual merchandising.

» READ MORE: Center City storefronts are lit up, as always, during holiday season

And, one more from last year:

Since 1998, a black-and-white photo has appeared every Monday in staff photographer Tom Gralish’s “Scene Through the Lens” photo column in The Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color:

» SEE MORE: Archived columns and Twenty years of a photo column