James Pellow – The Christmas Grotto
James: And of course, we had … at Christmas we had the Father Christmas Department … not Department, Grotto, that’s the word, Grotto, and I think originally it was in the Union Street shop but then we had it in Cross Street. At the top of the main stairs, it was between one Department and the Shoe Department. This section was converted into a Father Christmas Grotto and that was Sue Arthur who I mentioned earlier. She was Head of the Window Dressing and all that. An incredible Designer she was, and she created this Grotto.
And I think it was in 1988, I was Father Christmas (laughs) which was quite good, and apparently I understand the costume is still around, the Father Christmas costume, and I’ve got photographs of me in it, and I just remember sitting in there and the children would come in one by one and talk about what they wanted for Christmas, and I remember one little girl, even though I had this big white beard, she went out and I heard he say to her mother, “That’s my Sunday School Teacher” so that blew the gaff, didn’t it?
Simon: Wow! Was it you?
James: Yes (laughs).
Simon: Oh right, you were a Sunday School Teacher as well. Ok.
James: Yes, and I mean I think if I remember rightly I did recognise her obviously but I couldn’t say anything. And then one year, for some reason we had the Father Christmas Grotto in the Men’s Department, and so it wasn’t me but we had this chap playing Father Christmas, and I do remember I had to sort of look into the Grotto … if a child appeared to see Father Christmas, I’d have to sort of slyly look into the Grotto to make sure he wasn’t asleep ‘cos if it was quiet, he might drop off, or he might be sitting there with a mug of coffee, so I’d have to sort of alert him to the fact that there was somebody on the way.
Simon: That shatters the illusion.
James: Well it does, to see Father Christmas drinking a cup of coffee (laughs). Oh, and with beard pulled down of course so that it didn’t get covered in coffee. That does break the illusion.
