Merry New York City Christmas!

Confession time: I’m a Christmas-aholic.

I love Christmas. I love wandering in and out of stores to the dulcet tones of Bob Gedolf making offensively stereotypical generalizations about the entire continent of Africa. It’s the one time of year I can forgive the tourists in Rockefeller Center, because let’s face it, I find the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree pretty damn exciting too. I break out the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving, spend hours wandering the holiday decorations aisles at Target, and annually download tons of new Christmas music from iTunes (What? I have a thing for pop Christmas music. This year’s catchiest tune? The Jonas Brothers’ “Girl of my Dreams”. STOP making fun of me.)

The entire month of December is just a whirlwind of parties and festivals and shopping and traveling and celebrating and I love it. It’s my favorite time of year anywhere, but I think there’s something especially magical about Christmas in the city. Twinkling lights. Carols in the air. Christmas trees and pretty wrapped packages in shop windows. Fluttering scarves in a rainbow of colors as the people scurry home with their shopping bags. Bags from Bloomies, from Saks, from Tiffany, Lord and Taylor, Zabar’s, the Met. Frosty bus windows from which to watch the city fly by. Light snow falling. Holiday greetings everywhere. Smiles. Laughter. Joy.

It’s so rare that I view things with this rosy perspective. I know that if I stop and think about it, I will realize that there is really no difference in the season. No one is kinder or more polite to their fellow human beings. We all race through the streets ignoring each other, caught up in our own little worlds the same as always. That big bag from Macy’s might contain a gift for your mom, but no way is anyone going to let that old lady cut in front of them in the line for the subway turnstile.

But just for one brief season, I choose to ignore my inner cynic. I choose to believe in the spirit of the season. I choose to celebrate Christmas, and to believe that everyone else will make the right choice too.

Merry New York City Christmas!

Bring it on!