Happy New Year!  I hope all of you had a wonderful and safe New Year’s Eve.  I chose a peaceful quiet one this year, because I’m resting up between holiday  trips.  I arrived home to cold and snowy Colorado December 29th after two weeks Back East celebrating holidays with family and friends.  And—I’m about to leave again tomorrow, January 2nd to visit daughter Serena in Texas.  So—-I’m really enjoying relaxing for a couple of days.

The last time I blogged I was in the midst of family holiday preparations in Fairfax, Virginia.  On December 22nd, I flew up to New York City to spend the rest of Christmas celebrations with daughter Melissa.  And, boy, did we have fun. 

New York is always fun to visit, but the holidays make it even more special.  The large stores and shops along Fifth Avenue are all decorated for the season, the windows in the big department stores like Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Sak’s, and others have marvelous scenes in their huge windows.  Plus, that gorgeous Christmas tree all decorated and twinkling with lights dominates Rockefeller Ctr.  Skaters are filling the rinks there as well as in Central Park—which is a beautiful walk anytime of year.

Of course, you have to share the city with hordes of others who are visiting at the same time, but it’s manageable.  Melissa and I walked all over as usual, even when there was a light rain.  No matter.  Temps were mild—in the high 40’s and low 50’s.  A lot different than the near zero temps and lots of snow I left behind in Colorado. 

We had a ball.  Enjoying the city, grabbing a quiet moment in St. Patrick’s cathedral between services when it’s not packed with people, indulging our love of yummy food (and equally yummy martinis) in various cafes and restaurants around town.  We even found a great Italian cafe which brings in opera singers on Fridays/Saturday nights in the West Village.  That was loads of fun.  Non-stuffy, great Italian food and wine, and great singers who are already making names for themselves in their singing careers.  Cafe Taci, near NYU.  If you’re in the city looking for fun, check it out.  We didn’t leave until closing time, roughly two am.  <g>

And we still had time to celebrate the season with the service of Lessons and Carols at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Christmas Eve afternoon and after a sumptuous Christmas Eve dinner, we still made it to a beautiful Midnight Mass at Holy Trinity on 82nd St on the Upper West Side.  Peaceful and tranquil  and filled with gorgeous music.  Chamber orchestra and choir in balcony as well as organ.  Since it’s New York and there are professional musicians everywhere, holiday music at the “neighborhood” churches is always special. 

Holidays, however we choose to celebrate them, are made special by the people we choose to spend them with, I believe.  People are the important thing.  The settings, whether fancy or simple, are just that—settings.  

So, I hope all of you got the chance to share your holidays with people you care about.  I’m leaving tomorrow for Texas, between Houston and Galveston, to enjoy several days with my daughter.  And—enjoy the balmy 60’s and 70’s weather that will await me.  I won’t miss the snow at all. 

Enjoy!