Back in Ann Arbor, Michigan, right after I got out of college, I met Cynthia, who would become a lifelong friend, at the newspaper where we both worked.
Cynthia was a real New Yorker, born and raised in Manhattan, and she could hardly believe I’d never been to the city at Christmastime. “It’s the most gorgeous place in the world,” she said. “The windows at Lord & Taylor, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. You have to see it.”
I’ve seen more than 35 Christmas seasons in New York by now, and I still get a thrill out of it. Some things have changed. Those famous Lord & Taylor windows? Gone. (But I like the ones at Bloomingdale’s almost as much.) And it’s true that the coronavirus pandemic made Christmas 2020 a little less sparkly. But the holiday spirit remains strong and can be seen and felt in every little pocket of this great metropolis. Here are just a few of the things I love:
- Those ultimate urban emblems, fire escapes, decorated with twinkly lights.
- The big red bow on the front of a subway train and the tinsel decorating the ticket booth.
- The top of the Empire State Building, as glimpsed from my apartment, lit up in green and red (and blue and white on Hanukkah).
- The Middle Eastern-tinged holiday music played by Coptic Christians who work at the Korean grocery on my corner.
- The sharp smell of pine as you pass by the sidewalk Christmas tree vendors. (No sniffing, Gracie!)
- Koreatown in the West 30s, especially the stylized crèche in the window of a storefront church, one floor above a barbecue restaurant and karaoke bar.
- Dogs of all breeds decked out in their Christmas finery.
- The origami tree at the Museum of Natural History.
- Vintage Christmas cards at the Sixth Avenue flea market.
- The Byzantine hymns flowing from the Eastern Orthodox church around the corner.
- A couple kissing at the Rockefeller Center ice rink while other skaters swirl around them. Inside, playful holiday murals by whimsical artist/illustrator Lisa Congdon are on display.
- The laser light show on the celestial ceiling of Grand Central Terminal (especially if you’re eating a bread pudding mini loaf from Bien Cuit, a bakery in the food hall).
- Hot pretzels (okay, they’re year ’round but I love them at Christmas with spicey mustard).
- Kwanzaa incense wafting above the street merchants in the East Village.
- The hot chocolate at Serendipity on the Upper East Side.
- My Jewish friends, like Cynthia, filling the restaurants in Chinatown on Christmas day.
- The wreath-wearing lions guarding the entrance of the New York Public Library (I once saw a play where the lions come to life and chase people down Fifth Avenue).
- Everyone swinging a holiday shopping bag.
- Cops on horseback on New Year’s Eve.
- Julee and Gracie peacefully asleep on the couch before the ball drops at Times Square.
My friend Cynthia was right. Christmas here is magical. What are your favorite signs of Christmas in your city?
