A New York City Christmas

Bryant Park Fountain, Winter 2014

I hate being cold. I'm always cold. My office is a balmy 45 degrees regardless of the season.
In my twenties, I was always hot. I would sweat blow drying my hair. God is playing a cruel joke on me via my core temperature.

He (or She) also seems to hate the cold this winter too, because it's been an unseasonably warm December. I went for a run outside this past weekend and had to take off my thin warm-up jacket because I was sweating up a storm.

Last winter had me living in snow boots, multiple layers and often more than one pair of pants. I kid you not, I wore leggings under work slacks all the time last year.

While I don't miss the cold per say, I miss the magical feeling it brings when mixed with the holidays. Specifically the holidays in New York City.  There's an energy and vibe all season long that is unmatched elsewhere. New York City is Christmas in my mind.

As a kid, my parents took us to The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center every year. I can easily recall being dressed up and driving through the city, marveling at the bright lights and sky scrappers that disappeared into the night sky.

The tree at Rockefeller Center is beautiful, looming over hoards of people below.  But my favorite thing to see are the storefront windows.  If you've never seen a Christmas window display at Bloomingdale's or Saks, you don't know magic.

While anything can happen in the next few days, it looks like this Christmas will not be the white, snowy one I'm nostalgic for.

Regardless, I hope this holiday season brings joy to and hope that seems to have gone missing with the cold weather.

Here's hoping for a healthy, happy & peaceful 2016. And maybe even some snow!