Christmastime is Here

Christmas has now come and gone! I hope that everyone had a fantastic Christmas. Rich and I had a hectic few days trying to squeeze as many Christmas traditions in as possible. I arrived in New York on Saturday night and we spent some time enjoying the season here in the city. On Monday we headed to New Jersey to celebrate with Rich and his family and now we're back in New York for a few days to get some work done before the new year!

 Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to take 

pictures around Toronto because I was so busy 

marking exams, but I got this one shot. Toronto 

loves to get dressed up for the holidays just as 

much as New York! 

 Traditionally, each year Rich and I take a walk down

5th Ave. to look at all the lights and decorations.

Although the windows as Macy's are the most famous...

 Rich and I prefer the opulence of 

the windows at... 

Bergdorf Goodman's on 5th Ave. They do a wonderful

job of highlighting both the artistry of window dressing

and the clothing and accessories they sell. 

Busy 5th Ave. is an amazing sight during the holidays--

The streets are full of sparkling light shows, 

people from all over the world, and vendors 

selling savory and sweet treats to the passersby;

And of course the famous 

Rockefeller tree!

Even the Empire State Building gets decked out 

for the holidays. 

Against our better judgement, Rich and I stopped 

in Macy's. Fortunately, it was not as 

crowded as we expected (most likely 

because we visited at 10:30 pm).

Back in New Jersey, Christmas 

trimmings and tidings were 

a little more tranquil.

This year Rich gave me one of the most thoughtful

gifts I've ever received: an original fixture from 

the Swarovski crystal chandeliers at the Metropolitian

Opera, one of my favorite places in the city.

To top off a great Christmas day, we had a 

wonderful Christmas dinner full of 

good food and laughter (and 

tasty meatballs!). 

That is all for now. Rich and I will be busy for a few days, getting in some work before we head off to spend New Years with some college friends. I wish everyone a peaceful and happy end to this year and a wonderful beginning to the new year!