Virtual Advent Tour 2013: Day 17 Christmas in NYC!!

Virtual Advent Tour 2013: Day 17

This is a fun and festive blog tour hosted by Kelly and Marg.  Visit their beautiful blog, Virtual Advent Tour, to see the other terrific blog participants and their holiday posts!

Christmas in NYC

When I was growing up on Long Island, a suburb of NYC, my parents would take my sister and I to the city for a weekend.  It was the start of the Christmas season for us.  My father’s firm had an apt for clients to use when they were in from out of town.  My dad would make sure, really early in the year, that we could stay there one weekend after Thanksgiving. 

Friday night was always casual and relaxing.  We’d usually go someplace super casual, like a pub for burgers.  After a leisurely dinner we would walk back to the apartment passing Lord & Taylor’s department store to see their window display.  
Every year their windows are decorated in some type of Christmas theme with each window telling part of a story.  Some other stores do this, too, but L & T’s have always been the best.

Saturday was always a shopping day for my mom, sister and me.  My dad usually went to his office for a few hours to get some work done.  My sister and I would meet him at a store later in the afternoon, usually Tiffany’s and from there we’d go to Rizzoli’s bookstore, to help him Christmas shop for my mom.  

We always walked past the NY Public Library, too to see their stately lion and their tree

On Saturday night, we usually saw The Nutcracker Ballet, a favorite of my sister and I, at Lincoln Center. 

Although, after several years of The Nutcracker, if there was a Broadway show we were interested in or Radio City Hall’s show enticed us, we might see that instead.  It didn't matter.  Anything we saw we enjoyed and the night was always magical. 

This was particularly true after the ballet or show because we would go over to Rockefeller Center to see the huge Christmas Tree there.  Even late at night, there are a lot of people around, but fortunately not the crowds there during the day. And we always stopped at St. Patrick's Cathedral across the street.

Sunday was always brunch and a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see their tree and many other exhibits.  This was an especially good day because my dad spent the entire day with us…no work!

One fun place to visit, which we didn't get to every year, is the greatest toy store around -

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you and yours!!

~ Sunday Salon ~ Thanksgiving, Cats, Blogging and Books!

In five days it's Thanksgiving! I think here in NYC we're going to copy Floridians and grill or barbecue our turkeys. It's over 60 degrees here today! (Never mind that it was in the 30s a few days ago!) This is shorts! I recall past Thanksgivings that were so cold I chose to watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV rather than stand outside and freeze! Of course, the weather has been so wacky and indecisive, we could have a blizzard come Thursday! lolol Whatever the weather is for turkey day is fine but for Christmas I like a little snow...just a little bit, it makes the days that much more festive!


Anybody who visited my blog this week noticed that I didn't post any new content. I joined Molly of The Bumbles Blog and a few other bloggers for the first Reclaim Your Reader week. Unfortunately the week didn't work out for me quite as I hoped. I spent most of the week with my doctors as they dissected the results of the procedure I had a few weeks ago, finally deciding what new meds I should take. My body seems to enjoy being a challenge, though, so, of course I had a reaction to the first medication! The 2nd medication is fine, so far so good! So, I may still be stressed about not having the time and energy to read all of the blogs I want to while also posting on my blog but hopefully I'll feel better and have more time to work on both issues! lol And I'll probably try another week of Reclaiming my Reader in a few months.


The cats are all doing well. Many of them are filling out with winter coming. They tend to eat more and sleep more as the winter months approach. Not only does their fur get thicker and even softer, but some of them get fatter! Hennessey is a white female with a few grey spots, a grey tail and ears. She's small and slim, at least in spring and summer.  Henney spends most of her time outside, she just loves wandering, but she always visits at least twice a day for some food!  A couple of years ago, Henney got very round and chubby during the winter (I thought she was pregnant even though she’d been fixed!!). We figured she was also eating somewhere else. But when summer came around she was small and slim again!  Ever since, her size and shape completely fluctuates with the changing seasons!  What’s really weird about it is it doesn’t look like a gradual change, it's more instantaneous!  Henney seems to go from slim to adorable, fluffy butterball almost over night! And she slims down again just as quickly! !


I didn’t do a lot of reading this week, either. Ugh! I was distracted and had difficulty focusing because of the medical stuff. I’m reading Mozart’s Last Aria by Matt Rees which is not what I expected. I’m reviewing it this week and then I will sit down and finish The Lotus Reader by Tatjana Soli and The Easter Parade by Richard Yates two great books. I’m also reading Volt  by Alan Heathcock,  a collection of short stories . This is his debut and the stories are fantastic. The author is available at Goodreads this entire month answering questions about the stories and anything related to writing and being an author. He’s very accessible and enthusiastic. I won Volt from a Goodreads giveaway hosted to highlight the author and his debut and I’m so happy to have won Volt.

Have a wonderful week!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday Salon - A week off...sort of!

Around this time of year, I tend to feel like I blinked and lost a month or something because it always surprises me when Thanksgiving is almost here and Christmas is less than two months away. It sneaks up on me! I realized how close Christmas is when I watched a segment on the Today Show recently, about the tree - where it came from and how it was found - that will soon be put up in Rockefeller Center and lit on November 30th.


Macy's is unveiling their Christmas windows this Thursday the 17th!  Personally, I think Macy's should wait another week. I hate when retailers rush the season. I prefer to make December all about Christmas rather than starting all kinds of Christmas-related things in November or earlier. Of course Macys is trying to encourage people to come to the store in hopes they'll go inside and shop after viewing the decorated windows. I stay as far from the stores as possible in the weeks before Christmas - on-line and mail order shopping works just fine for me! I don't mind going to some stores to walk around and browse but I prefer not to be shopping for anything, it adds pressure and stress and the lines are so long! My favorite time to see the holiday-themestore windows in NYC is late at night: 9 or 10 p.m., even later if they're still lit up.  It's not crowded and for some reason it's more exciting, almost magical!


I didn't get a lot of reading done this week. Everyday it seemed like little things kept coming up that had to be taken care of...little things that take a lot of I had to work on, too. So I'm still reading The Lotus Reader by Tajana Soli. I could have rushed through it just to finish it but I decided I didn't want to do that because it's too good a book. I was only able to read a little bit of it this past week. I'm hoping this week I'll get a chance to sit down and really put some time into it! I'm really enjoying The Easter Parade by Richard Yates. His writing is phenomenal. It's one of those books that feels a little weird to say I'm enjoying it because it's not a happy book but it's so very good. I'm also reading Volt by Alan Heathcock. This book is a collection of short stories involving themes such as civilization vs. wilderness, grief, tragedy, remorse, law and lawlessness, forgiveness, judgment and loyalty. Some of the stories are intense and very emotional. They're all intriging so far.

This week I'm participating in Reclaim You Reader, an idea Molly of The Bumbles Blog came up with. Molly came up with this idea due to her frustration with not having the time to both write posts on her blog and visit other blogs to read the posts of other bloggers. This week is, therefore, dedicated to visiting other blogs and commenting on posts! I'm looking forward to the chance to catch up on many of the blogs that I don't often have the opportunity to read as often as I'd like! For all of you who entered The Winters in Bloom giveaway, I will be announcing the winners on Saturday the 19th!


Tonight the Jets are playing the New England Patriots...again. I'm hoping for a different outcome this game!


I hope you're having a wonderful Sunday and have a great week!
Happy Reading!

Christmas Greetings!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sunday Salon: Merry Christmas Week!

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas!

I haven't been blogging much at all the past couple of weeks. The asthma problems I was having were an indication of pneumonia. I went to the doctor when I started to feel worse and, after talking my doctor into letting me stay at home, filled some prescriptions for strong antibiotics and spent a lot of time in bed, sleeping. Not the way I like to spend December but I had some furry felines keeping me company and the antibiotics are doing their job so the worst is over now!
I didn't get that much reading done either which was disappointing, especially as I wanted to read! But the words and sentences ran together a lot, it was very confusing! I'd read a page, lose focus and have to go back to where I started and try again! Fortunately, I felt better the last day or two and read some of The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton.

I've always liked this time of year with the Christmas decorations everywhere and the Christmas carols and holiday music. Any shopping I have to do I've learned to do over the internet, it's hassle free and actually fun! (most of the time anyway!)

I have a few reviews that I am behind on and hope to post in the next couple of days. I'll also be announcing the winner of The Man Who Loved Books Too Much, which should have been done on Tuesday. At least I have the book here so I can send it quickly. I will finish Cleo by Helen Brown today or tomorrow. It's a wonderful book! I'm looking forward to reviewing it! I hope to start Unless It Moves the Human Heart by Roger Rosenblatt this week and Joyce Carol Oates memoir, The Widow's Story, too. I'll see how it goes!

Enjoy your Christmas and Holiday week!

Virtual Advent Tour: Christmas in NYC!

The Virtual Advent Tour is hosted by Kailana from The Written World and Marg from Reading Adventures. It's a brilliant way to celebrate the holidays and the month of December. One of my favorite traditions while growing up was The Advent Calendar my mother gave to my sister and I the last day of November. I loved opening the windows every day in December and seeing that day's picture and quote. The Virtual Advent Tour brings the calendar to life. It's also a wonderful way to get to know fellow bloggers!

Every December when I was growing up, my parents, my twin sister and I spent a weekend in New York City to see all the Christmas decorations and attend the Nutcracker Ballet at Lincoln center.

The Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center is amazingly beautiful especially at night!




The Nutcracker Ballet is a fairy-tale ballet based on the story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by E.T.A. Hoffman which was set to music by Tchaikovsky. In the story a little German girl, Clara (sometimes also called Marie) and her brother Fritz and their parents are celebrating Christmas with friends and family. Clara's mysterious godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer, brings a large bag of gifts for all of the children at the party. He gives Clara the gift of a Nutcracker Doll.
When the party is over and the family is sleeping, Clara creeps downstairs to look at the Nutcracker Doll which is under the tree. She falls asleep and has a long dream in which the Nutcracker Doll becomes life-size and defends her against a large mouse king and his band of mice! At this point in the ballet, the Christmas Tree begins to grow until it takes over the room! (In the next scene it has disappeared from the stage)
Upon winning the battle against the Mouse King, the Nutcracker Doll is transformed into a Prince. Clara and the Prince travel to a world where they are greeted by dancing snowflakes as they enter The Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Fairy and the people of The Land of Sweets perform several dances for Clara and the Prince, such as a Spanish Dance representing Chocolate, an Arabian Dance representing coffee, a dance by Candy Canes.
Eventually Clara awake sunder the Christmas Tree with the Nutcracker Doll in her arms. And the curtain closes.

There are a few different productions of The Nutcracker and the story varies a little bit from production to production,. But Tchaikovsky's music is beautiful. The Russian Dance is very recognizable, The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies is beautiful as is Waltz of the Flowers and March. Every time I hear any of these pieces I immediately see images of the Nutcracker Ballet in my head!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a beautiful Christmas Tree with a handmade nativity scene at the base of the tree with wise men, shepards, men, women, children and animals along the base of the tree all the way around it who are on their way to visit the nativity. Beautiful angels cover the tree from top to bottom. It's splendid and beautiful!




Several of the large store in NYC such as Lord & Taylor on 5th Avenue, decorate their windows with holiday scenes. They are lovely and so much fun. People wait on lines just to view the windows. Sometimes they're fantasy or child-like fun or Christmas scenes of people celebrating...They are different every year!