December 17th

Something new has arrived in the neighborhood!

It's a... shower!? Why?

I guess the firefighters thought a shower would be good for washing off dirty tools or helmets after fighting a fire. It will probably be fun to play in when the weather gets warmer in the summertime, but for now, it's just too cold!


You know how the neighborhood water is kept in a tank on the roof of the Fire Brigade station? And then it flows down the yellow pipe inside that the firefighters slide down to get to the truck faster? Well that pipe has two outdoor hookups. It looks like the Handyman connected the shower to one of those. Right next to the fireplace nobody picked up!

December 16th

Something new has arrived at Pam's apartment!

It's a big red couch!

This is great! It matches the geraniums Pam grows out on her balcony (which are doing an amazing job surviving the cold winter weather, by the way) and the black accenting goes along so well with the apartment's fireplace.

Now Pam has a place to sit, enjoy the warmth of the fire, and watch her children play. She enjoys staying home so much now, she's not even going shopping!

The tag says it's to Pam, from her eldest. Who is that? You mean she has more kids!? Well, who has time for another mystery when there's so much soft, cushioned couch-sitting to enjoy! Christmas season seems to be in full swing!

December 15th

Mr. Banks bought something new at the Grand Emporium!

It's a new table, lamp and chairs set!

So he finally bought something new for himself this Christmas, even though he didn't wait to open it!

The table and chairs give Mr. Banks a nice place to eat his elegant dinners, and they fit so neatly into the corner by the stairs! The lamp will really light up his room, because he doesn't have a fireplace like in Pam's apartment below. Finally, the beige and brown colors match his designer carpet perfectly. What a sensible buy!

December 14th

Someone new has arrived in the neighborhood!

It's Kurt's girlfriend!!!

Mayor Kurt picked her up at the airport early this morning! She's been going to cosmetics school in Paris all this time! Now she's already in her Grand Emporium uniform ready to get back to work. What a great worker!

Aw look, she brought a loaf of authentic French bread back for her boss the Saleslady, who says she loves fancy foreign food, but really likes normal food that sounds foreign.

You know what cosmetics is, right? Anything that makes you look or smell more beautiful or handsome! They really teach it well in Paris, so now Kurt's girlfriend can work the Grand Emporium's makeup and perfume counter!

The Saleslady is glad for a break, because she prefers working upstairs in toys, or outside at the ice cream stand. You'd think the Emporium wouldn't sell much ice cream in the cold of winter, but the snowman's advertising really brings in customers!

Wait! Look upstairs above the snowman! Through the big wreath!

Mayor Kurt also happy his girlfriend is back from "the City of Love," and she seems glad to see him, too! They must have really missed each other! Now John knows what the Saleslady meant when she said Mayor Kurt "saw something he liked" when he came shopping there a long time ago -- it was his girlfriend. He was always hanging around the Emporium, because he was waiting for her to come back! And those letters he was always mailing were to her in France! And she was the one that sent him the toy airplane that looked just like the one that flew her back home! All the mysteries solved in one day, hooray!!

December 13th

Mr. Banks bought something new at the Grand Emporium!

It's a toy fire truck!
It even has a tiny working ladder! How cute!

Mr. Banks saw it in the Grand Emporium Christmas Catalog and just had to buy it for the crew of Fire Station No. 3! He said it was something any alderman would do for his neighborhood's firemen (and woman).

Now they're all fighting to get a turn to play with it. Penny and Brain think it's nice to see that even adults can act like children when they get excited. 'Tis the season!

December 12th

Pam bought something new at the Grand Emporium!

It's a red pull sled!

Pam bought this to make it easier to get logs back to her apartment for the fireplace. It can't hold very much, though, and Alex and Erich still have to struggle to help pull it because there's no snow!

The steep and narrow stairs of older buildings like the Green Grocer also make it a horrible trip up to the second floor, even Heidi has to help pull!

The apartment has a gas fire, so it doesn't actually need logs to keep going, but it's a special treat for Pam because she likes the smell of real wood burning.

Of course, there aren't many trees left this deep downtown, except the one in front of the Fire Station, and that's protected! Maybe the family will find some other use for the sled later.

December 11th

Something new has arrived in the mail at the Grand Emporium!

It's... a fireplace?

Really? A whole fireplace? I didn't know they came like this! It says it's for delivery to the E___ household. That's Pam's last name, but, she didn't order this! Her Green Grocer apartment already has a fireplace built-in!


Who would need a fireplace for Christmas?? Why did they put Pam's name on the delivery sheet? It's too heavy to keep carrying around everywhere, and too big to have inside the Emporium, so it looks like they are going to keep it out behind the Fire Station until someone claims it.


Do you know where it's supposed to go? Somebody must have been expecting it...