What did you do in the days after Santa came?

12/27/07 - posted by Paul Judge

50 years ago at dusk on the 26th I was playing with my new cool Christmas toys when the fire engine from Engine 47 at 41st and Geary came barreling down our hill as it was apt to do siren blaring and turned right on Balboa.

Out the back of our house my sister Barbara noticed smoke coming from Playland. We chased the fire engine and smoke to an apartment house that once sat on the S.E. corner at La Playa and Balboa. A number of fire trucks and their company were already spreading hoses and raising ladders to the windows of the apartments.

A crowd of neighboring residents gathered across the street with the smell of dank fire smoke mixing with that of spicy food wafting from the Hot House. I recall hearing the barkers from Playland upping the tempo of their calls to hold the attention of customers along the main way.

I felt a tragic feeling in my heart as we watched people's belongings burn while Christmas decorations hung from their windows. We stayed until the fire was put out after the sun had set. As we walked up Balboa Street we wondered where the apartment dwellers would spend the night.

We went home to Mom's hot left over Christmas dinner and instructions to pack our clothes. The next day we were driving my eldest sister's 2 door, '57 Chevy (White roof w/ light blue body, ouch, why'd she ever sell that?) down Hgy 99 through thick valley ground fog to L.A. all of 12 long hours away.

I had my first visit to Disneyland in the sights of my new cowboy cap pistol with faux antler handle and leather holster. Adorned with cowboy hat pulled tight over my ears I shot up Mainstreet, Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Futureland though I would have traded my cap pistol in a moment for a ray gun during that simulated TWA Rocket to the Moon show. The day afterwards the store fronts and circled covered wagons in Western Town at Knotts Berry Farm had to contend with me. Even the pilot whale, dolphins & sea lions at the Marineland of the Pacific didn't escape my weapon fire... dangerous, brat kid I was. It was the ultimate, fabulous family trip to remember.