Perth isn't as Christmassy as say New York City. Sure you find decorations in the CBD streets (which this year thanks to Mayor Lisa Scaffidi seems to have taken on a distinctly traditional Nativity theme), tinsel hanging in Coles and tacky santas and reindeer in shopping centres but nothing that comes as close as to how NYC celebrates Christmas.
In Dec '06 I was engulfed in the Christmas spirit in NYC. There were Christmas markets in every park we passed through. In Bryant Park we warmed up by eating cinnamon waffles and drank hot cider whilst watching skaters glide across the ice rink. On my 21st birthday I watched the NYC ballet perform the Nutcracker at the Lincoln Center, complete with falling snow on stage.
At Grand Central Station a very special holiday hologram display lit up the walls causing even the most rushed commuter to stop to take it all in.
And then there's Madison Square Garden. Home of the biggest outdoor Christmas tree I had ever seen. There was a strange lull surrounding the space, everyone is smiling and you forget that its cold because...well it's Christmas.
This year at home it doesn't feel so Christmassy. We aren't hosting lunch and without visitors the mammoth task of putting up the tree and its hundreds of decorations has fallen by the wayside. But I can still reminisce on my perfect NYC Christmas visit.
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