When their daughter, Connie, entered first grade, Ron and Laurie Andexler decided to take her and her two younger siblings downtown Cleveland to celebrate the Christmas season. The trip began with a bus ride from their home to the Rapid Transit station at Shaker Square. This took them to the station located under the Higbee Department store. They entered Higbee’s and proceeded to the Silver Grille restaurant, where the children were thrilled to have their meals delivered in a Hobo sack. Following the meal, the family strolled through the store, admiring the beautiful decorations. The children shopped for gifts in the “Twigbee” shop in Higbee’s which was always exciting.
The next stop was going outside and gazing at the amazing displays in each of the Higbee windows with the animated figures. They proceeded to travel up Euclid Avenue to Halle’s, where a visit with Mr. Jing-a-ling was the highlight of the trip. A short distance up Euclid Avenue provided them with the chance to view the 40-foot Sterling Linder Davis Christmas tree, which rose up three stories tall!
Each year after that, at Christmas, the journey was similar, but a different restaurant was picked to provide excitement.
The family expanded to seven children and Ron and Laurie continued the annual tradition of taking their children downtown and to a restaurant for the Christmas holiday. As the children got older, the venue shifted from the trip to Cleveland to restaurants closer to the suburbs, as the family resided in North Royalton.
Soon boyfriends and girlfriends were added to the group, who became husbands and wives, and eventually grandchildren for Ron and Laurie. Grandchildren grew up and the group once again expanded, bringing great-grandchildren into the mix.
This family trip has become a family “tradition” and this year the Andexler family celebrated their 60th year of going out together for Christmas dinner at a local restaurant, Simon’s in Brecksville, with a group of 51 people in attendance, which includes all seven of their children, and their children’s children. Six of the seven children still live in North Royalton, along with Ron and Laurie, with just one sibling living out of state. There are 18 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. The dinner ends with dessert – a birthday cake where the children sing Happy Birthday to Jesus!
Ron and Laurie feel very blessed that the family has remained so close and appreciates the value of a beautiful religious holiday by sharing this special time together each year for 60 consecutive years!