The most wonderful time of the year, in the most wonderful place in the world

I would be tragically remiss if I didn't write a post (or several, LBO) about how amazing Christmas in New York is. First of all, Christmas is the culmination of my favorite time of year - it's like the cherry on top of a sundae made of gorgeous fall leaves, crisp weather, Halloween and Thanksgiving - and I've always had a childlike love for all the sparkly things that tend to explode at this time of year. And as far as sparkly Christmas decorations go, New York definitely has the sparkliest. I mean, there's a reason hundreds of Christmas movies have been set in the city; because when you walk around New York in December, you actually feel like you're in one.

Sadly, I haven't had a chance to do a whole lot of Christmas stuff yet. J, Z and I went to the Bryant Park ice skating rink the other night, drank $5 hot chocolate and perused the Christmas kiosks they have set up around the perimeter of the rink. Last night was the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center, which I would have loved to see, but unfortunately I was at the dentist getting a filling. Yeah, epic planning fail.

The thing about New York is that even if you don't make an effort to do certain things, sometimes replacement things find their way to you. Last night, on the train home from the dentist, numbed and mourning the loss of the tree lighting experience, I looked to my right and saw this.






















That's right! A Christmas tree on the 6 train! This is how people in New York transport their Xmas trees. In the South, it's custom to tie that puppy to the top of your oversized SUV, but in the city, it's a much more eco-friendly process. I was so excited that I got up and took a photo of him from the other side. Oh yeah, I did.






















I don't know why it made me so happy. I guess because I just imagined this guy lugging the tree home to his family, his kids proceeding to jump up and down with pure joy and excitement and all that amazing stuff that comes with being a child at Christmas, and then the whole family spending their evening decorating it, listening to Christmas songs and singing along and talking about what Santa would bring this year.

Speaking of, I fully expect to see Santa on the subway before the month is over. If I don't, I will be seriously disappointed.