The Philly Holiday Shows

I already posted these videos to Facebook but I thought I'd share them here as well, since I blogged about my Wednesday plans. First is a short clip of the finale of the Macy's Holiday Light Show. The Macy's show has been around forever -- well, over 50 years -- dating back to when the downtown store was Wanamaker's. It's been freshened up a bit, though. It's been a while since I've seen it so I was surprised that the narration, which had been recorded by the late John Facenda (known nationally for his work on NFL Films) is now done by Julie Andrews. I think, as a uniquely Philadelphia show, the vocal should have stayed local. Still, it's a charming old-fashioned tradition:



This is a longer clip, from the Comcast Holiday Spectacular (I would record a bit and then hit "pause" so it's not a full version of the show, just some excerpts all in one video):




The Comcast show is, as befits a high-definition age in a building that only officially opened in 2008, high-tech. The video is played on a giant hi-def LED screen on the wall. But other than the shot of the city skyline, there's nothing that says "Philadelphia" about it. Nice, but less than spectacular.