Merry Christmas From Progress City

By Michael - December 25th, 2010

It’s the holiday season here at Progress City and, as is tradition, the entire metropolis is decked to the nines. The high-rise hotel, towering over downtown, has changed to its shifting red and green lighting scheme; the intra-city WEDway line is festooned with garland and bunting; the public greenbelt is full of colorful inter-faith seasonal displays; and the enclosed central shopping district is bustling, interrupted only by the occasional indoor snow flurry.

As a treat for everyone, what better than a trip to Disneyland, courtesy of Family Circle magazine in December 1958? This magical tour of the kingdom, courtesy of none other than Mr. Toad, is billed as “A Christmas Adventure in Disneyland” by Walt Disney “and his staff.” It’s an interesting peek at how that park, then only three years old, chose to represent itself to families nationwide. Visit Main Street – just as it was in grandma’s day! How odd to think that when this article was written, the jitneys and carolers of Main Street were just as far back as ’57 Chevys and Elvis are today. In fact, the Disneyland of opening day is just as far removed from modern guests as the genteel Victorian gingerbread of Main Street was to visitors in 1955.

So saddle up with Toady and let’s head for the park, and if we’re lucky maybe next year we’ll have a rocket-powered Christmas tree of the future ourselves!