For great holiday windows, head to downtown Geneva

Show me the holiday season, and I will show you a terrific storefront. That's a tradition that many big-city stores have made famous, but the Strawflower Shop has long set a standard in Geneva that stops you in your tracks and eliminates the need to visit a big city for holiday cheer.

Those who walked the streets last Friday night during the annual Christmas Walk saw plenty of excellent window displays, but Susan and Mike Haas, owners of the Strawflower Shop, have 30 years of experience in making sure you notice their display at 210 W. State St.

As in the past, the antique sleigh, Santa and his reindeer are in the forefront on one side, while the other side features some slick bronze holiday decorations.

"We go to market looking to buy the pieces for a specific theme," said Susan Haas. "And then we add our personal touch to it."

Mike said going to market in a place like Dallas, Texas is a little tougher in this economy because so many items come from importers who might not send their products if there are not enough orders for it.

Even though the trip to market occurs as early as January, Mike said he might not find out "until very late that we can't get a certain product."

Mike said the eye-catching holiday displays inside Strawflower Shop, which features a holiday theme through mid-January, are the work of Susan, who chooses the themes and cross-sells the products in the store.

"We had a candy cane theme, and Sue figured that candy canes on a white tree would look better," Mike said. "She also took plain drums and transformed them into a holiday floral decoration."

But what about this struggling economy?

"People are only buying something they really love," Susan said. "That is the biggest difference between this year and past years."

If that's the case, then the storefront displays at Strawflower Shop are certainly a start toward creating some of that love.

Craving thin crust: It's hard to say why or how this sudden urge hit me, but I was recently craving a pizza from the past.

I was wishing that Tom's Pizza was somehow still in St. Charles because I loved the thin crust pizza that a fellow named Tom Brennan used to create.

Tom's operated out of the old Riverview Dairy building on Riverside Drive just south of Illinois Avenue, but later moved to a house on Illinois Avenue that currently houses Jim Cook's law office.

Tom's Pizza faded into history in the mid 1980s or so, but it still has a special place in the heart of local pizza lovers - one being St. Charles Mayor Don DeWitte.

"I haven't seen anything quite like Tom's thin-crust pizza, and I am a pizza lover," DeWitte said. "I think one that is similar is a Mexican pizza that is on the appetizer menu at Tia Maria's in Geneva.

"It has that same thin crust but, of course, it has Mexican food toppings."

Dollars and trees: My wife and I have had so many people comment about the upcoming Dancing with Geneva Stars fundraiser we are involved in, I am hoping I can convert all of that interest into votes - as the dancing couples will hope to secure those votes, at a $1 a piece, for the cultural arts commission and the academic foundation. But more on that, as we get closer to the Feb. 7 event.

I bring up the $1-a-vote concept, mostly because last week we took a look at the work of charitable organizations that decorated a Christmas tree with their theme in mind for display at the Geneva History Center. Visitors can vote for their favorite for, yes, a $1 a vote until the winner is announced on Dec. 30. The winning organization keeps 100 percent of the money raised through the voting, while the others will split their voting funds with the history center.

All of the trees were terrific, but I must plug a few that caught my eye. Geneva Green Market, St. Peter Food Pantry, American Red Cross and Marklund had trees that stopped me for second looks.

Sharing good fortune: When the St. Charles Noon Rotary Club recently had Santa Claus draw the winning ticket in the club's holiday season 50/50 raffle, it was a good thing that another "Santa" was the winner.

That person with a giving heart was Joe Tomsa of Aurora, who was going to give back a portion of his winnings of $2,430 to the club's cause of helping Lazarus House homeless shelter and funding scholarships for St. Charles students, as well as supporting an AIDS orphanage and school in Uganda, Africa.

A warmer choice: Last weekend, we braved the cold winds for what I will call Geneva's Frozen Christmas Walk, but we'll keep the holiday spirit going indoors today.

We're checking out the Steel Beam Theater's musical version of "The Christmas Carol" tonight in downtown St. Charles.

From what I have heard, this is an enjoyable production that saves you the time and money of traveling into Chicago to get your dose of Ebenezer Scrooge.