The Observation Deck

Miracle Makeover?

Christmas Miracle? (see "white people make better neighbors?")

I was thinking since the election it would seem hundreds of neighbors have fallen into order, crime is down, and Lakewood is on the path to all is good with the world.

While Mayor Elect FitzGerald has some good and tough ideas for Lakewood's future, I do not know of any of them being put into place yet. Mayor Ed FitzGerald will usher in a new era for Lakewood, one that will know no bounds.

But...

Have we left him anything that needs to be fixed. No unruly kids on Wyandote, Rockway, Clarence, Hall, Ethel? No falling gutters on Belle, Winton, Rosalie, or Franklin? No police fights and riots on Baxterly, Brown, Arthur, Detroit? I take it from Bill Call's lack of fire, that the budget has straightened? That police and fire are in check?

Certainly this transformation is a sign.

How nice it comes during the holidays.

peace

Dear Jim,

Merry Xmas.

When I was a kid, you could walk up and down Arthur Ave. on Christmas Eve and encounter streams of singing carolers, neighbors on the sidewalks offering hot beverages, people walking arm in arm in the snow, kids being kids.

I'm not talking about the 40's and 50's either. This happened in the 60's -not all that long ago.

If ever we could bring that kind of tradition and neighborliness back into our Lakewood lives amidst all of this fear and loathing, --now that would be a miracle!

It would not be a hard thing to do and wouldn't cost anything. You just need people and a neighborhood.

Scott

I remember last year coming home from my parents' on Christmas Eve and seeing Arthur lined with luminaries up and down its whole length. Beautiful.

Scott MacGregor wrote:Dear Jim,

Merry Xmas.

Scott

Scott


You know spelling was never one of my strong points, but caught a typo.

Xmas should read Christmas.


Brad

Are they up this year?

I believe that that, along with the Lights at Lakewood Park, and the infamous Arthur Garage Sale was the good work of Suzanne Metelko, and her crew.


.

I agree, it would be nice to have groups going around singing holiday songs.

Since living on one of the most traffic-heavy streets in the city, with the exception of 4 or 5 houses in eyesight from any direction, no one knows each other's names, nor even sees each other but on rare occasions.

I was raised on a quiet low traffic central Lkwd street, and at any one time there were 20 or more kids all within a few years of age of each other, so all the holiday cheer, all the neighbors knew each other, it was a close knit street and constantly fun.

Now, in this time, and on our street, it's an event when we see someone even come out of their house.

Regarding Arthur, seeing the lights at the edges of everyone's drives is something we have grown to look forward to. The street must have some tightly knit people who enjoy each other's company.

It's strange how sometimes we take a drive, and can feel the "vibes" of different streets even while just cruising down them.


Mark Allan Crnolatas

Mark Crnolatas wrote:It's strange how sometimes we take a drive, and can feel the "vibes" of different streets even while just cruising down them.

Mark Allan Crnolatas

I've lived in a number of different Lakewood neighborhoods and I'm always amazed at the differences in them. Nothing really better or worse, just different.

When I was growing up, it seemed as though people had larger families and it was parents meeting through their children that forged close bonds. That and people staying put for many years.

It usually takes one or two people organizing to bring a street together. This could be a function of the block clubs that were formed this past year.

Do we simply not have the time or interest to give to this any more?

Xmas should read Christmas.

"xmas" is a common abbreviation of "Christmas."

When writing the name "Christ," it is quite common to abbreviate it to X or x, representing the first letter (chi) of the Greek XPICTOC khristos.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the use of the abbreviation "xian" or "xtian" for "Christian" dates back at least as far as 1634. Before that, it was more usual to take the first two letters of XPICTOC, and write "xpian" for "Christian." Priests would record Christenings using the shorthand "xpen" or "xpn."

Hey Jim,

That'll teach you to mess with Tracy!

Merry XMAS Big Guy!

Scott

When we lived on Baxterly they used to have each house put out ten gallon milk containers with candles for illuminaries and it was so beautiful. Simple, inexpensive, yet elegant. It was nice driving home from Christmas eve seeing them. And it somehow expressed solidarity among the neighbors, like a neighborhood, not just a block. We went down this year and a whole section opted out and it looked sad, but the houses that did it seemed to glow a little more. Wouldn't it be nice Jim to invited all streets to do that yearly and maybe enter blocks that have every house participate into a contest for a free block party from the city?????

There are ways to get more and more involved each year to rebuild the old-fashioned Lakewood that people miss.