The ghost of Filene's past

The annual holiday festivities at Filene's flagship store in Boston may not be as grand as they used to be, but to generations of shoppers they mark the beginning of Christmas.

''It really kicks off the holiday season," said Cheryl DeNu, 45, of Quincy, who has attended Filene's holiday celebration for the past decade.

But yesterday's ceremonies represent the department store's last. ''It's sentimental," said Allen Tougas, 35, holding his 2-year-old daughter Aelyn as they waited for Santa Claus to arrive on the fifth floor of Filene's in Downtown Crossing yesterday. ''It's sad to see Filene's go."

It's possible there will be another Christmas celebration at a department store in Downtown Crossing next year, but it won't be under the Filene's name. Earlier this year, Federated Department Stores, the parent company of Macy's, bought the firm that owns Filene's for $17 billion and said it would end the Filene's brand and sell its downtown store.

Yesterday shoppers crowded both inside and outside of Filene's, which built its current Downtown Crossing location in 1912. During the day, Filene's unveiled elaborate window displays and Santa arrived to sit for pictures with children. Last night another 3,500 gathered in front of the store to sing along with a choir, to catch a preview of ''The Nutcracker" performed by Boston Ballet dancers, and to watch Mayor Thomas M. Menino light a two-story Christmas tree.

''I feel extremely nostalgic and very excited to make this last Filene's Christmas the very best," said Steve Myers, the store's general manager, who has worked for the company 21 years. ''The tree lighting is my favorite memory. It's probably the one event where all the associates and managers come together to celebrate the store."

Filene's festivities first started as a marketing strategy to bring in Christmas shoppers, but they have become a rite of the holiday season. The store's window decorations first started to draw crowds in the early 1920s because the mannequins looked so real. The windows have held everything from the latest fashion trends to live people mixed in with mannequins to one year having a Disney-themed display.

Also in the 1920s, carolers in choir robes would greet shoppers every morning with a performance in the store's restaurant, according to documents in the Filene's marketing archive at the Boston Public Library. In 1959, carolers performed accompanied by an orchestra.

The appearance of Santa garnered its own parade in the 1950s, with Boston residents lining the cobblestoned streets to catch a glimpse of his sleigh.

While strolling carolers and a Santa parade are no more, the window displays remain a staple. The theme of this year's windows center around a book, ''Olive the Other Reindeer." It's a story about a dog, Olive, who mistakenly thinks he is destined to become one of Santa's reindeer after mishearing the line ''all of the other reindeer."

''We come to see the windows every year," said Lisa Blanchard, 45, of Dover, who brought along her sons, 7-year-old Jack and 4-year-old Ben.

''It's sad because it's a tradition that's close to home," added Blanchard's husband Paul, who scoffed at the idea of new Filene's owner Macy's taking over the festivities. ''To me, it wouldn't be the same. I came here as a kid years and years ago. This is a Boston tradition, even just the name itself."

Sarah E. Metcalf can be reached at smetcalf@globe.com. Jenn Abelson of the Globe staff contributed to this report.