Decemburrrrr fun.

oh yeah, so maybe i’m two days late, buuuuuttttt…

nice of you to drop by again, you pretty little thing, you. i’m always happy to see your return, and the way you bring me things like snow angels and twinkling lights and magical window displays. you sure know how to win a girl over.

NYC can truly be a magical place during the holiday season. here are some things i love about NYC in December; things that i see as being sort of “larger than life” in the sense that the expectation and emotionality we subscribe to them elevates them to a heightened status of beauty & bliss & all that we save for our best memories and our favorite loves.

• Central Park blanked with snow. lamp-post lit paths; scarved-and-mittened couples braving the cold for the sake of winterwhite beauty; the knowledge that this city creates itself anew each year during this time, and the very air in which we see our frosty breaths seems pregnant with the expectation of a fairytale. we believe NYC is magic at Christmas time, and therefore, it is — it becomes a sort of fantastical Narnia, a charmed land.

• the holiday shops in Bryant Park and Union Square. whether you’re on the hunt for sweet little Christmas gifts for your fave people or just in the mood to stroll, these little winter villages are darling seasonal pop-ups through which to browse around or grab a cub of hot cider or cocoa. some of the vendors can be great, and the Bryant Park village also offers a skating rink and an igloo-inspired ice bar/restaurant. perfect little winter experience, with friends or a date.

Winter Village at Bryant Park

Union Square holiday market

• the department store window displays. i’m not going to post any pics of past years’ — waiting til i go this year to see what they come up with. i love love love strolling along Fifth Ave on a December evening and ooohing and ahhhing over the novelty window displays. some of them are really quite fantastical and breathtaking. i can’t recall any specifics from last year’s, but Bergdorf’s 2011 Carnival of the Animals displays were astounding. i’m excited for this year’s!

• ice skating. this year, i’m determined to make it to one of the many rinks: Central Park, Rock Center, Bryant Park, or even the little baby rink outside the Standard Hotel — i just have to make this experience happen. i’ve yet to go ice skating in NYC (gasp) and i don’t want another winter to pass without it finally transpiring. to me, it’s perfectly symbolic of the essence of NYC winter magic.

i should probably stop here and keep my list short-n-sweet before i get ahead of myself and have to look back disappointed that i didn’t get to everything i wanted to in this one short month.

Question: What are you looking forward to in your city in December? (and if the answer isn’t too exciting, you’re welcome to come play in NYC!)

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