Everything's everything

Finally the weather has levelled off for a while. Now we can get back to the business of Christmas, December, and merry-making.

Remember Friday is the tree lighting downtown, and the first night of Dickens of a Christmas. Looking at 45 and 29 (high and low) that day, which is totally appropriate for such an event.

Light snow would be nice too, but I wont push things..

Theres a good chance I will be there, seeing as how its happening at 7pm and Im off. There will be a podcast that day as well. Maybe I'll audiopost from the lighting.

You would not think it, but Im a big softy for Christmas.

However, as the years pass and things come and go.. the scope of christmas is widening for me. Im beginning to think a bit larger.

As in, how in this wonderfully technological and jaded era, does one assure that their kids will believe in Santa, and the magic of Christmas?


Other than taking them to the Mall for photos with the man.

If theres one thing I can say about NYC at Christmas, its a town that knows how to capitalize on its history at just the right moments. NY takes a step back in time when Christmas rolls around. From the lo-tech skating rinks which are usually filled, to the displays in storefront windows. Im sure some store could put together a window display filled with technological wonders being churned out of Santa's Workshop. But (for the most part) they dont. Sure they have Santa recieving e-mail updates to his "Naughty or nice" list, but the computer is usually wood, or cardboard. And usually obviosuly so. Yet the window is still wonder in the eyes of a child.

I would like to see one of the small businesses down on the market re-start the tradition of having a Christmas window. Im sure once the work is done on the City State building, there will be a display at the holidays, but will it be the same?

Sometimes I wonder if its even possible my kids (when I have them) will understand what it means to haul out the dusty old records and decorate the tree. My mother has a 3-legged reindeer ornament. It used to have 4 legs, but back when it was still dangerous to have lights on the tree - one of the lights actually melted the leg off the poor thing.

Now how do you explain to your kids that one? All they have ever known is mini-bulbs and now LED bulbs. Even the good old bubble lights don't get all that hot anymore. Oh and the joys of worrying about keeping the tinsel off the bulbs.

Anyway - yes, we are getting a little nostalgia heavy, but thats ok. It's all seasonal. Come the summer I begin pining for the winters of my youth - when 36 inches of snow in a week was a rarity, but 24 was common. And we usually still had school.