Christmas in NY

Every family seems to have a different way of celebrating Christmas.  Each one has special traditional Christmas foods, special Christmas traditions and customs, different ways of giving gifts, and Father Christmas or Santa Claus has many different names.

From November onwards, it is impossible to forget that Christmas is coming.  Colored lights decorate many town centers and shops, along with shiny decorations, and artificial snow painted on shop windows.  In streets and shops, 'Christmas trees' (real or plastic evergreen 'conifer' trees) will also be decorated with lights and Christmas ornaments. 

Shopping centers become busier as December approaches and often stay open till late. Shopping center speaker systems will play Christmas 'carols' - the traditional Christmas Christian songs, and groups of people will often sing carols on the streets to raise money for charity.  By mid-December, most homes will also be decorated with Christmas trees, colored lights and paper or plastic decorations around the rooms. 

In New York, the hustle and bustle of the shopper-filled streets, the beauty of ice skating in Central Park on a sunny day, the elaborate decorations in store windows and, of course, the giant tree at Rockefeller Center are all a part of the holiday spirit.

The Rockefeller Center tree will be lit this year on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2003 at 8:50pm following a 2-hour presentation. The tree will be lit through Jan 6, 2003. Hours are daily from 5:30am to 11:30pm. Millions of New Yorkers and tourists come to see the tree while many get to ice skate on the rink.

This Christmas tradition began in 1933 making 2003 the 70th year! By 4:30 pm, the winter sun has set and visitors can truly appreciate the time and effort of stringing the 78,000 lights. Your lighting job at home may not seem so tough after seeing this! 

Everything is lit up beautifully and although it gets a little crowded throughout the plaza, be patient and take your time. The Christmas spirit can easily be lost if you let the jostling get to you.  One of the most prolific New York City holiday traditions has to be the beautiful department store windows. Each year designers transform these showplaces into miniature holiday worlds attracting passersby to gaze in awe...and hopefully do some shopping!