: First Christmas in New Jersey :
For most people, it's Christmas Day, but in my mind, it's the day after Christmas - which is nice because I need the break from what has been the most fun-filled and up-and-down emotional Christmas I've had in a long time. The emotional stuff is too complicated to go into, but in case you're wondering, I don't think it was compounded by my being off hormones for the past week in preparation for surgery. As for the fun stuff, read on...
On Saturday we left in the early afternoon for the Met to see the magnificent Christmas tree they put up every year in the medieval art wing. The tree itself is decorated simply with candles and ornate figurines of angels. At the base of the tree are dozens and dozens of intricate figurines, each about 10-12 inches in height, depicting scenes of daily life in biblical times. There were figures of merchants, peasants, noblemen, children and all sorts of animals, each rendered with incredible detail and skill, down to their brightly colored clothes made from real cloth and faces painted with the most realistic expressions. At the front of the tree was a nativity scene, with Joseph and Mary flanked by more angels. I would have loved to take a picture, but they were strictly enforcing a "no pictures" policy, although that did not stop several persistent people from sneaking shots, only to be loudly chastised.
After visiting a new exhibit on sculptured heads and some of our usual favorites, we took a cab downtown to Town Hall in the heart of the Broadway District just off Times Square. After a hurried meal at Burger King, we went inside to see Garrison Keillor's live radio broadcast of "A Prairie Home Companion," a special Christmas edition he does every year in New York. The show is so down-home that they hand out gingerbread cookies for free as you leave. It was a wonderful musical performance, with lots of spoken and musical comedy thrown in.
After the show we walked a few blocks uptown to Rockefeller Center to see the huge Christmas tree above the ice rink. The entire area was packed with tourists and sightseers, but we pushed through and marveled at the 88-foot-high tree, topped with a Swarovski Star.
We also watched the musical light show on the side of Saks Fifth Avenue, which consisted of massive snowflake lights flashing to the tune of the "Carol of the Bells" played over loudspeakers. Then we went into St. Patrick's Cathedral to light candles and visit our favorite places in that beautiful church, which was decorated with wreaths and poinsettias for the holiday. Coming out of St. Patrick's we got a cab and drove back to the Met to pick up Yoshi and drive back home.
On Sunday I went to my family's house and we spent all afternoon opening our presents and telling stories about what each one meant to us. I got some wonderful things, including Neil Gaiman's Absolute Sandman, Frank Miller's 300, Alan Moore's From Hell, The Police's Message in a Box 4-CD set, and Porcupine Tree's Arriving Somewhere concert DVD.
After all the gifts were opened, dinner was started - a magnificent Vegetable Wellington with mushroom gravy that was wonderfully delicious, even without my usual application of hot sauce. We ended the evening with chocolate cream pie and by then it was almost 3 a.m. Consequently, I didn't get out of bed this morning until about 2 p.m., and yet I seem to be still lethargic and drowsy. Hopefully another good night's sleep will refresh me enough to go to work tomorrow.
On Saturday we left in the early afternoon for the Met to see the magnificent Christmas tree they put up every year in the medieval art wing. The tree itself is decorated simply with candles and ornate figurines of angels. At the base of the tree are dozens and dozens of intricate figurines, each about 10-12 inches in height, depicting scenes of daily life in biblical times. There were figures of merchants, peasants, noblemen, children and all sorts of animals, each rendered with incredible detail and skill, down to their brightly colored clothes made from real cloth and faces painted with the most realistic expressions. At the front of the tree was a nativity scene, with Joseph and Mary flanked by more angels. I would have loved to take a picture, but they were strictly enforcing a "no pictures" policy, although that did not stop several persistent people from sneaking shots, only to be loudly chastised.
After visiting a new exhibit on sculptured heads and some of our usual favorites, we took a cab downtown to Town Hall in the heart of the Broadway District just off Times Square. After a hurried meal at Burger King, we went inside to see Garrison Keillor's live radio broadcast of "A Prairie Home Companion," a special Christmas edition he does every year in New York. The show is so down-home that they hand out gingerbread cookies for free as you leave. It was a wonderful musical performance, with lots of spoken and musical comedy thrown in.
After the show we walked a few blocks uptown to Rockefeller Center to see the huge Christmas tree above the ice rink. The entire area was packed with tourists and sightseers, but we pushed through and marveled at the 88-foot-high tree, topped with a Swarovski Star.
We also watched the musical light show on the side of Saks Fifth Avenue, which consisted of massive snowflake lights flashing to the tune of the "Carol of the Bells" played over loudspeakers. Then we went into St. Patrick's Cathedral to light candles and visit our favorite places in that beautiful church, which was decorated with wreaths and poinsettias for the holiday. Coming out of St. Patrick's we got a cab and drove back to the Met to pick up Yoshi and drive back home.
On Sunday I went to my family's house and we spent all afternoon opening our presents and telling stories about what each one meant to us. I got some wonderful things, including Neil Gaiman's Absolute Sandman, Frank Miller's 300, Alan Moore's From Hell, The Police's Message in a Box 4-CD set, and Porcupine Tree's Arriving Somewhere concert DVD.
After all the gifts were opened, dinner was started - a magnificent Vegetable Wellington with mushroom gravy that was wonderfully delicious, even without my usual application of hot sauce. We ended the evening with chocolate cream pie and by then it was almost 3 a.m. Consequently, I didn't get out of bed this morning until about 2 p.m., and yet I seem to be still lethargic and drowsy. Hopefully another good night's sleep will refresh me enough to go to work tomorrow.
