I’m not very festive. I am not really a party-goer. I don’t drink. I’ve never even had my own Christmas tree. (Man, I am more un-festive than I even realized.) But I do like seeing the beautiful holiday festivities. I like all that sparkles and twinkles and shines. I like seeing people’s red-cheeks in the cold as they rush around 5th Avenue, looking in department store windows and shopping for gifts. I love the newness and excitement that children see in every story, song and everything that is Christmas. Last weekend we went to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. I maybe have seen it once before, when I first moved to NYC and walked around the city like a tourist. It was so crowded, with people spilling out of the sidewalks and police pushing them back off the street. It was cold. But when we turned the corner and there was the tree, it was magnificent.
Sometimes, when things don’t feel so shiny and bright, you may have to look for those moments when you realize how amazing it is to be alive. That’s how that moment was for me, one that reminded me of being a child feeling the magic of Christmas. So here's to many more to come, for me and for you. Happy Holidays!
This is my daughter Lucy, celebrating her second Christmas. (The first Christmas she can remember, that is.) Photo by Chris Lee.