A Phestive Philadelphia Tradition

You can’t miss it. Garlands of pine spotted with brilliant red bows twist up street lamps; festive window displays are adorned with scarves, snowflakes, and sweaters; songs of the season echo throughout restaurants and retailers; and is it just me, or do we all have an extra bounce in our step, a wider smile on our face? The holidays are here, and with them come traditions, both old and new.

The annual holiday light show at Macy’s has been a Philadelphia tradition since 1955— and a Wertz/Sibley family tradition since 1981, when my grandparents and parents first bundled up my older sister for a three generation trip into the big city for the holiday light-and-sound spectacular in the historic Wanamaker building.

A tradition I was born into is still a tradition I look forward to each year. Our group has grown from two toddlers dressed in identical smocked dresses to herds of strollers as cousins joined, to awkward teens “forced” to attend, and now to young professionals and adults. With it, the wonder, magic, and appreciation have also grown as the ballerinas, toy soldiers, and reindeer dance to classic carols across the four-story screen boasting more than 100,000 LED lights.

Last year, a new Philadelphia, and Wertz/Sibley family, tradition emerged— the impressive and innovative Comcast Holiday Spectacular, a vivid holiday LED light show on one of the largest HDTVs in the world, located in the lobby of Philadelphia’s Comcast Center. The Nutcracker comes to life, ice skaters sweep across the screen, a children’s choir performs holiday favorites, and you embark on a souring journey over Philadelphia at night and through a snow-covered forest. The word on the street is this year’s show has even managed to top last year’s, as the spectacular is now in 3-D.

Establish your own tradition this year. Start at the Comcast Center with the futuristic Holiday Spectacular, then walk down JFK Boulevard, pass through City Hall— you can even stop at Dilworth Plaza on the west side of City Hall for the first Christmas Village—and for the finale, gaze in awe at the Macy’s Holiday Light Show that dates back half a century.

The two light shows combine to create a truly magical holiday experience and Philadelphia tradition, one that I hope to pass from generation to generation. Each season, as Santa arrives to hear wish lists, twinkling holiday lights are switched on, and the first snow begins to fall, I know it is time for another year, another light show, another memory.                                       -Meredith Wertz