The
last time I was in New York City was in September 1985 and the last
time I lived in New York City was 1969. I don't see myself ever going
back but there are certain times, certain memories I have of life in the
city that will never go away and they all revolve around Christmas
time, the week before, the day of and the week after. No where in any
city of the world is there the combination of magic in New York City
especially if there are snow flurries or, maybe, an inch of snow
blanketing the city and turning the lights into diamonds in the evening.

I
still feel the cold nipping at my ears, my nose being red and my being
on my butt more than on my feet, not to mention my mittens NOT keeping
my hands warm but the wonder of ice skating in the Rockefeller Center,
in the middle of Manhattan, under the glow and warmth of one of the
tallest decorated Christmas (not holiday!!) trees standing in the shadow
of one of New York's most impressive buildings not to forget on the
opposite side rows and rows of uncountable poinsettia plants. You are
surrounded by people looking down at you from atop the perimeter of the
rink plus all the people eating and drinking inside the restaurant that
the rink is in the middle of and which you can't wait to get a table,
have a hot chocolate and look at the skaters falling on their butts
and/or those gracefully doing spin after spin and all enjoying
themselves as much as you did.

There
is the afternoon you wait on line with thousands of other people to get
into the cavernous and awe inspiring Radio City Music Hall where you
not only saw a movie like Doris Day in "I'll See You In My Dreams" but
an even more awe inspiring stage show where there is the Christmas
pageant featuring live camels, the Wise Men, a live reenactment of the
Nativity that doesn't fail to affect people of all religions or none at
all. That is then followed by the amazing Rockettes who go from being
wooden play soldiers to rocking to Jingle Bells and, of course, a visit
from Santa Claus.

There
is so much to do so what do you do next? Maybe buy a bag of roasted
chestnuts and walk along Fifth Avenue looking in the store windows all
decorated with to die for fashions and jewels? Oh, I know, I remember,
walk down to Herald Square (I was able to walk in those days) where
Macy's and Bloomingdale's try to outdo each other with season
decorations and you relive "The Miracle on 34th Street" or wait,
wouldn't it be better to walk along Lexington and Madison avenues where
you can buy flowers from outside stalls and look at the Christmas trees
for sale while the cold goes through you and you stop for another hot
chocolate? Hey we can go to the New Hampshire bar on 57th Street and
watch a 'Northeasterner' recreated behind the bar and stop by Carnegie
Hall and see what/who is playing.

It's
early evening and it is still light enough to walk in Central Park
where the snow covers the din of the city and makes everything feel
pure, soft and, yes, Christmas like. It's magic time in a city that at
times can be cruel, unfeeling and devoid of magic but for two weeks in
late December it is as if Tinkerbell cast her spell and fairy dust over
the city and its people. It is two weeks that EVERYONE should experience
at least once in their lifetime and I was lucky to experience it many
times as I reached adult hood.

Don't
even get me started about experiencing falling in love for the first
time during Christmas in New York---oh, get me started--let's talk about
going to the Plaza for a drink, having dinner in the middle of Central
Park, taking a carriage ride--let's talk about it in Part 3.