Professor Hamilton's Diary: Nov. 29, 1935

He drives down Fifth Avenue; Reading's department stores roll out their Toylands

As you may recall, Professor Hamilton drove his father-in-law back to Bronxville late Thanksgiving afternoon because “Father” was fretting over his furnace. This morning he was up at 5:00 and left an hour later for home, by way of New York. It’s unclear to me if he had his father-in-law with him.

At any rate, he drove down Fifth Avenue and had breakfast at a coffee shop, arriving in Reading at 10:30 a.m. Ironically, he was planning a return trip to New York the next day.

He doesn’t mention seeing the windows of the Fifth Avenue stores all decked out for Christmas, but back in Reading there was a full-court push for gift-shopping, especially for children. Paid subscribers can read on about the elaborate displays and Santa’s surprising sidekicks at Kaufmann’s Department Store and other enticements for eager kiddies. Click below to upgrade to paid.

The vintage postcard of Fifth Avenue is being offered on eBay.