Santaland and The "real" Santa Claus
Every Christmas season, a room on the 7th floor of Miller & Rhoads transformed into a magic wonderland called Santaland. The room was dimly lit, but thousands of tiny, white lights gave the appearance of night stars overhead. Woodland scenes with lifelike, animated animals were strategically placed throughout the room. Fully decorated trees adorned a path leading to the beautiful stage. Onstage were a huge fireplace, a Christmas tree, and a golden chair with a red velvet back and seat where Santa Claus sat.
Santaland became so much a part of the Richmond store's folklore that the company began doing commercials with the tagline "Miller & Rhoads - Where Christmas is a Legend"
Even now, years after Miller & Rhoads closed its doors, Santa Claus still holds court in downtown Richmond, first shifting to Thalhimers in 1990, then to the Sixth Street Marketplace (more below) after Thalhimers closed, and currently sees children at the Children's Museum of Richmond each holiday season.
The real magic of the Miller & Rhoads' Santas was that they knew every child's name - greeting them by name as they walked up to him - a tradition that lives on today. Stories exist of parents who've driven their children to Richmond from as far away as Texas - or grandparents who've flown their grandchilden from Colorado just to see THE Santa.
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Famous quotes containing the words santa claus, real, santa and/or claus:
“I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.”
—Shirley Temple Black (b. 1928)
“nor till the poets among us can be
literalists of
the imagination—above
insolence and triviality and can present
for inspection, ‘imaginary gardens with real toads in them’,
shall we have”
—Marianne Moore (1887–1972)
“On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe.”
—Johnny Mercer (1909–1976)
““That’s where I reckon Santa Claus comes in
To be our parents’ pseudonymity
In Christmas giving, so they can escape
The thanks and let him catch it as a scapegoat....””
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)