New York at Christmas Time
Giant Christmas Trees, Ice Skating and Christmas Lights
Everything you’ve ever seen in American movies about the holiday season is most likely true. A Santa Clause on every corner, Mariah Carey and Wham playing over stereo in the streets and extravagant Christmas lights in residential areas. Charlie experienced that and more first hand when she spent a December weekend in New York.
Walking along 34th Street up to Times Square on a Saturday morning felt like a stroll through Christmas Wonderland. Every other person in the street was dressed up as Santa Clause and you didn’t have to look very hard to find generously decorated trees of all sizes. Every bike carriage that was passing by was playing well-known Christmas songs. The lights and music were as if Charlie had just been transported into one of those 90s-movies where a little boy accidentally ends up at the Plaza in New York or Kris Kringle is officially recognized as Santa Clause.
Christmas Trees and Ice Skating
The first destination that comes to mind when thinking about New York at Christmas is the Rockefeller Centre with the big tree and the skating rink. Charlie went there on her first day in the city and apparently, she wasn’t the only one who had this idea. It was crowded.
The tree was big enough to be seen from anywhere around, but there was no chance to even get close to the ice skating rink. Instead, she went to Bryant Park. She had seen a Christmas market there from the Hop-on-hop-off-bus in the morning and wanted to check that out. Winter Village at Bryant Park was indeed like a real Christmas market with plenty of stalls and food options. There was an ice rink in the centre in front of a Christmas tree and facing the backside of the library. When Charlie sent a picture to a friend of hers, she thought that it was the one at the Rockefeller Centre.
The ice skating had to be booked online in advance so Charlie couldn’t do it at that time. She booked for a few days later. Prices vary according to the time you choose. Charlie paid $40.00 including skate rental and a locker for her backpack. It was magical sliding over the ice, surrounded by a Christmas market and beautiful melodies.
Dyker Lights
Charlie remembered another movie where the entire street was decorated in the most extravagant lights. One family decided to skip Christmas that year and it had a big impact on their social standing in the area. Did you ever wonder whether Americans truly decorate their houses in that way? They do! Charlie went to the part of Brooklyn that has become famous for its Christmas lights: Dyker Heights.
It is a wealthy part of Brooklyn where the houses by themselves are already beautiful to look at. For the month of December, the area becomes a tourist attraction that even led to some special laws that prevent tourist buses passing through and prohibit street vendors.
There are two theories on how this tradition could have started in the 1980s. The first is the story of Lucy Spata who put up lights in memory of her mother. When the neighbours complained about the light pollution, she put up even more lights and it grew from there. When you stand in front of her house now, you will certainly believe that story. She must have added a lot more lights since the early days.
The second theory is that of Alfred Palizzotto who wanted to spread cheer to children due to is own illness with cancer. The house is exactly opposite of Lucy’s, but was under reconstruction when Charlie visited.
Today, a lot of houses in the neighbourhood make it a tradition to decorate their houses generously and some even engage professional decorators and spend a lot of money each year. Some also collect money for good causes. Charlie bought herself a T-Shirt as a souvenir and the proceeds went to a children’s hospital. Of course, there are also plenty of houses that don’t join and even try to prevent it because it brings a lot of people to the area. In some ways, it is understandable why the so-called “grinches” don’t want their neighbourhood to be a tourist attraction. The Dyker Lights have become famous after a documentary on Television in 2001.
PS: Did you guess all the movies? Here’s the solution: Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone 2 and Christmas with the Kranks.
