Ghosts of Christmas past: Historical photos illuminate Winnipeg's festive season

This story was first published Dec. 23, 2016.

Winnipeg's styles vehicles, clothing, architecture have changed over the years, but one thing that has run strong and constant throughout that evolution is its Christmas spirit.

The brightdisplays sparkling with tens of thousands of lights, particularly along Portage Avenue, have helpedthe city earn a reputation as the Christmascapital of Canada.

CBC Winnipeg spent time in the city's archives, finding images to bring the past to light from the old gingerbread city hall and the Mile of Lights along Portage,to the giant candy canes that circled the Hudson's Baydepartment store and the Mad Men-esqueclothes of the shoppers in Eaton's.

Have a stroll down memory lane from the 1930s through the '60s and '80s and into current day.

Start with these before-and-after photos thenenjoy a selection of images from bygone days.

PHOTOS from Christmases past in Winnipeg

There's a romanticism about historical photos of Winnipeg, particularly the black-and-white images where the lightsflare into blurry halos, reflecting off wet roads and the curves of 1930s coupes and sedans.

Those old Chevys and Model A Fords, angle parked along Portage Avenue, look ready to roar away in a prohibition-era mob chase.

It's a time of jazz and a booming city that became known as the Chicago of the North.

Then there's the Mad Men era of longcoats, high hairdos and crisp fedoras, when department stores decorated with oversized snowflakes and candy canes were crowded with Christmas shoppers and gleaming display counters.

Winnipeg still lights up well at Christmas time with trumpets and stars on the street lamps, but the main avenue isn't lined with colourful trees anymore or a canopy of string lights. Instead, metal poles hold up displays shaped out of rope lights.

Gone are the window displays at Hudson's Bay and Eaton's. Well, Eaton's itself is gone. Many of the old buildings have long since been torn down like the old gingerbread city hall and the Prairie Cities service station.

But many still do exist with different names, different facades. Winnipeg's history is still there, if somewhat hidden.