Step Back in Time to Christmas Past with this 1964 Chicago Christmas Parade Photo

Bundling up in absolutely frigid temperatures to get a glimpse of Santa is a timeless holiday tradition. In the Chicago History Museum image above, Santa, the undeniable star of the show, waves to onlookers in a Christmas parade along State Street. According to a Chicago Tribune article on the event, an estimated 300,000 people turned out to see Santa and 3,000 other participants on the mile-long route. Mayor Richard J. Daley led the parade, which was meant to kick off the holiday shopping season along the busy corridor in an era that would have seen shoppers flock to Marshall Field’s to load up on Frango Mints.