The crew from K&M also strung lights across Butler Avenue between Spring Garden and Ridge, all of this at no cost to the borough. K&M at the time owned the electric company and furnished electricity for Christmas lighting free of charge. In later years when they sold the company to Philadelphia Electric, they continued to install the lights.

Christmas shopping in the Borough in 1927 could be described as brisk. Ambler's location made it the hub of a large shopping area. Communities surrounding the Borough, including Fort Washington, Flourtown, Three Tuns, Maple Glen, Springhouse, Penllyn, Blue Bell and others, were drawn to this shopping center by the presence of several banking institutions and stores, none of which were available in their own communities.

With Ambler businesses closed Wednesday afternoons, it was traditional for Ambler shoppers to take the train ride into the City, to shop and view Christmas displays at the department stores. This Wednesday closing custom continued until the mid 1950's. Another popular spot for shopping was Norristown, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. Sunday shopping in that period was non-existent.

Locally, Christmas gifts could be found at the three drug stores: Angeny's, Brenneman & Brady's, and Stillwagon's. A store popular for women's and children's gifts was Mrs. Heiss', and a place on Main Street for small electrical appliances and other gift items was Deck's Hardware. Furniture, radios and electric lamps could be found at Ambler Furniture Company, on Butler Avenue since the turn of the century.

If you felt like a snack or light lunch while shopping, Niblock's Restaurant could accommodate you. Also ready to serve customers was the fountain in Oscar Stillwagon's Drug Store, and on Main Street, it was either the Green Owl Cafe or "Nick's", famous for his Hot Texas Weiner, with his secret chopped onion dressing.

The big event of the Christmas season for Ambler took place on Christmas Eve, when hundreds of children of the community began to line up at the brightly-lighted tree. The lighted block was roped off, for all of the activity would take place here. Local church choirs and a Colony Club trio had been performing on the lawn of the Presbyterian Church for several weeks, but on this special night their performance would be on the lawn next to the Hotel, for here is where Santa Claus would be giving out half-pound boxes of candy to the hundreds of children standing in line.

This was a joint venture of Ambler Rotary, Ambler Kiwanis and Norton Downs Post #125 of the American Legion. They purchased 720 boxes of candy for distribution, with any boxes left over being taken on Christmas morning to the children of Tabor Home, Christ Home, House of the Holy Child near Springhouse and the Sunshine Home in Flourtown.

The year 1927 was a very good one, but things were soon to change in Ambler, and in the Nation! As early as 1925, Dr. Richard V. Mattison had prophetically suggested that people in Ambler should prepare for bad times. At that time, he had completed construction of the Randolph Avenue houses, the last of his Company homes. His plans called for constructing several more blocks parallel to Randolph Avenue, but he ordered construction halted, feeling very strongly that "bad times are on the way".

All this prosperity was to change soon with the stock market crash that was to ruin Mattison and plunge the entire country into its greatest depression of all times.