Christmas windows in Tucumcari

On Saturday night, the 2011 Christmas Village Display will debut at 808 E. Route 66 Blvd. in Tucumcari, N.M.

The display, across the street from the historic Blue Swallow Motel, will feature Lionel toy trains and Rose Kaye’s extensive collection of ceramic lighted buildings. The display was set up inside vacant spaces of the building; it also houses the Contemporary Designs gift shop and A Cut Above hair salon.

Here’s a sneak preview of the Christmas display, with photos shot by Blue Swallow co-owner Kevin Mueller. In a couple of the photos, you’ll see the reflection of the neon lights from the Blue Swallow:

More photos can be seen here.

The display will be on nightly from 6 to 8 p.m. through the Christmas season.

I know of at least one other Christmas window display on Route 66, and that’s in Joplin City Hall in Joplin, Mo. Here’s a video of the displays from the 2009 Christmas season:

And I’d be remiss to not mention the Christmas animated window displays that were a fixture for decades at the Marshall Field’s store in downtown Chicago. Marshall Field wasn’t on Route 66, but the store and its displays were a big enough legends to warrant a side trip.

Marshall Field’s is now a Macy’s, but it has continued the tradition. This video shows the windows from last year:

3 thoughts on “Christmas windows in Tucumcari

  1. Having grown up in Jean Shepperd’s famous ‘Hohman, Indiana’ I can relate to the Loop Christmas displays as a kid. Not even Disneyland held a candle to that. New Mexico has a special slant on the holiday, with its unique Spanish-style decorations and connections to the past, which makes us all wish we could spend the holidays there. I’ll never forget rolling thru the state during my Army days in the early 70’s. It was an experience I’ll never forget.

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