christmas in the city

A lot of our Christmas traditions revolve around activities in the city, of which there are many. As our family has grown, we've had less time and energy to keep up with all of them each year, but December wouldn't be the same without participating in at least a few of them.

Santa was in fine form this year (he was seriously the real deal!), making sure to take time with each boy to not only ask what they wanted for Christmas and whether they'd been naughty or nice, but to firmly but gently remind them what it means to be good boys. All four of them were absolutely enthralled, which in turn made our visit absolutely magical. (It also helped that we only had to wait a half hour in line to see him.)

Santa insisted on some special Baby's First Christmas one-on-one time with Daniel. It was pretty precious.

Garrett particularly liked the solar system-themed windows at Macy's.

Meanwhile, what Matthew thought was a touch screen actually wasn't. But that didn't keep him from trying.

The origami Christmas tree at the Natural History Museum.

My paper-loving boys only wish they could fold like this!

 The annual holiday train show at Grand Central is a must-see favorite of ours.

 Its enchantment never fails to enthrall.

The Great Hall of Grand Central Station is magical any time of year, but it feels especially so when it's filled with the rush of holiday travelers.

On our walk up Fifth Avenue, we noticed that Patience and Fortitude were all dressed up with nowhere to go.

The magic of the Lord & Taylor windows is in how detailed their miniatures are.

I especially loved the cardinals.

Fairies and butterflies.

The Saks Fifth Avenue windows this year followed an enchanted theme, with classic fairy tales set to New York City circumstances with some pretty funny poems.

The crowds at the Rockefeller Plaza were heavy, but more manageable than some years we've been.

Plaza angels.

 The tree, all spruced up for Christmas.

Waiting for skaters to fall down.

The windows at Tiffany's may be small, but they are always very elegant.

The Bergdorf Goodman windows are always my favorite, and this year did not disappoint. Each window was themed to a different branch of the arts.

 Literature

 The window dedicated to calligraphy was understandably my favorite.

 Theater

 Painting

 Music

 Dance

Sculpture

Film

Architecture

Between the two separate excursions into Manhattan that it took to see and do all this, we pretty nearly wore ourselves out. But, crowds and exhaustion notwithstanding, it was worth every minute. This city is absolutely magical this time of year.