Bing must have been dreaming of last Christmas, because despite his voice resounding all over the city, there is not a snowflake in sight this year. However, the mist from the holiday heat wave ( it will reach 12*C tomorrow ) is creating fantastic foggy effects around Gotham’s highest, accentuating the festive sparkle in ways only NYC could. Shoppers may have overcrowded Macys this week causing their escalators to be shut off, but the real spectacle was further uptown. In Bryant Park coordinating colors bounced from the Christmas tree to the tower above Times Square, crooning momentarily into the clouds before lighting up Rockefeller Center and that famous Norwegian spruce. Skaters had more space on the rink than visitors shuffling for a selfie, while Saks just over the road on Fifth Avenue turned everyone’s attention around. The whole front of the store became a visual spectacular, with shadowy renditions of the Rockettes in ‘An Enchanted Experience’. A few blocks north, the light show at Tiffanys was more gem oriented, and beautiful to watch. But the best of all, again, were the windows of Bergdorf Goodman. This year the pivotal theme was inspiration. Over 100 craftsman contributed their skill to create windows celebrating various art forms like music, literature, theatre, architecture and film. Each window is art in itself, and the inspiration it comes from is again given out. This is Christmas after all, and this is New York City, where the giving and receiving of inspiration never sleeps…
TheFitzyreport 
Dear Gabrielle,
What magnificent photos you have given us, as they portray the vibrancy only NYC can possess! Merry Christmas.
And to you Peter – New York misses you!
Ho Ho Ho Gabrielle , a hugh Thank You for another fantastic year of your reports from New York and wishing yule and most Beautiful Christmas Noel with all the joy , peace, love, luck ,happiness ,good health and abundance for a sensational year ahead. God Bless you .
Thank you for your rich message Paul – if only one of your wishes comes true I will be a very lucky woman. Sending all the best back to you with many thanks for listening and looking forward to a truly sensational year…
Wow Fitzy, great photos…put ours to shame…how on earth did you get those photos of the Saks light show..that’s a fast shutter speed….
It’s all so gorgeous. So glad the rain stopped for last night. We had a great time walking around and oohing and aaghhing at all of the upper Midtown decorations.
Merry Christmas, Jennyx
Great to hear Jenny – wow, you are really breaking all records with your trips to NYC – good for you! I hope you find lots of new discoveries and that the adventure continues. I think I got lucky with the photos, I use both my Nikon and my phone depending on the urgency. And I also have a lot that don’t work…!
Just listening to you at eleven o’clock Christmas Day your time Gabrielle speaking to Rod Quinn here in Aussie land. You have inspired me so much with your description of the happenings over there Gabrielle that I have to go there to enjoy that Christmas spirit. We are about to start the shopping splurge here in a few hours. It is 4am on Boxing Day morning but 5am in New South Wales. Don’t know how to handle the crowds though…fancy needing security to stop inter floor foot traffic…that is scarey.!!!!!
Love your photos. I can imagine the oohs and aahas’ss from being present on NYC.
Maurie,Toowoomba, Queensland,Australia.
Yes, it is certainly a beautiful time to be in New York Maurie, the lights are spectacular and the atmosphere is special. Just so long as you stay away from Macy’s! Thank you for listening and have a fantastic new year.
Spectacular Photos
Thank you for being there, and for your relationship. I literally had to be dragged to New York. Its now become my defacto “home town”. I’ve made the pledge to try and spend a Christmas in Manhattan, its on my “bucket list”. Have a great season, and a quality 2015
Thank you Ron – I think your story is the same for many people, because we tend to think NYC and the US are the same thing. But this is so not the case. NYC is a world of its own, and especially at Christmas time. So keep working on your list and I’ll keep working on the enticements from this end. Wishing you all the very best for 2015. ‘A quality 2015’ – I really like the sound of that!
Gabrielle, listening to you on the ABC made me want to see NYC, so two years ago, we went. Absolutely LOVED it, and will definitely go again. Thank you for all the wonderful photos and stories (which I forward to my sister, who’s also desperate to visit). I wish you a very happy new year, and hope you had a lovely Christmas Day yesterday. Mandy, Melbourne, Australia
Thank you Mandy – and to you! It makes me very happy to hear you were inspired to come to NYC and are planning another trip. It will keep me on track to keep finding new treasures to share. All the very best for 2015!
Hi
I hv been been reading yr blogs after my sister emailed me to say she heard u on the radio in australia.
I too am from port lincoln but now live in adelaide.
My family and i are presently staying with s good
Oops sorry
I am staying with a good friend called julie harvey in sun valley in idaho. She too is from lincoln.
I and my family are coming to nyc on 29.12 so i look forward to reading more of yr blogs
Ah, good to hear Mark – we Port Lincolners are great travelers! Sounds like you are having a great trip and I hope you all have a fabulous time here in NYC. It was 14*C today – perfect for a bike ride, but by the time you arrive it’s supposed to be in single digits. But if you are coming from Sun Valley, this should be perfect. Have fun!
Greetings Gabrielle, from a very hot Kerang (and extremely dry) in the Mallee country of north-western Victoria. The contrast between how we celebrate Christmas (and indeed the coming of the new year) and how it is depicted in New York City is both remarkable and assuring. The basics seem the same, mostly, that of family gatherings, a shared meal and of course being aware of the meaning of Christmas. Fortunately, this time of the year still endures despite its many attempts at ruination and fabrication, and your report reminds me of that endurance.
In Kerang, Christmas was a modest affair but sincere, the local Lions Club and other community organisations including our Churches, put on a wonderful carols night at one of the local schools, replete with a spectacular fire works display. Pretty good for a town of a couple of thousand residents (I reckon 80% of them attended). In addition we had a number of performances by one of the locally based Choirs, who sang superbly and brought glad tidings to many. It’s a simple pleasure to ride one’s bike along the flat streets and see people delighted in their doings without the craziness that sometimes seems to permeate the season. A stroll around Kerang and you can view the Christmas lights & displays that the locals have put up. Not as ‘fancy’ as what you have in NY but fascinating just the same – these never fail to delight! And, came Boxing day (the 26th Dec) we had the Kerang Horse Races – a super day. We only have 2 race meetings a year (the other on Easter Saturday) but the Club officials and volunteers put on a terrific show that is always well attended. It’s a chance for the locals and visitors to put on some swish clobber, have a few drinks, place a few bets and be treated to some great horse racing – importantly, it’s a family day as well, with children equally welcomed and involved. An honest day’s outing..
Add to that, we enjoyed the Geminids (I hope I have that correct) meteor shower before Christmas, which across our uncluttered night sky was a marvelous experience. I, along with my cousin’s son, sat atop a nearby (well 40 kilometers away) granite outcrop and was amazed at what we saw under the night time summer sky – we could have been the only two people in the world for those few hours.
Again, thank you for another informative report resplendent with photographs that illuminated the words. To see how folks participate in their community from literally the other side of the world intrigues and informs.
Kind regards (it’s nudging 40C (well over 100 Fahrenheit in the old lingo and a hot northerly is up)
from Terry Lee at Kerang.
Terry thank you for this most personal and poignant message. The Kerang festivities sound fabulous, not least because they generate from your shared energy and enthusiasm for celebration. You don’t need Times Square to have a party! And how lucky you were with the Geminids – they are still on my list. Anticipation of a big sky, absolute quiet and balmy temperatures will make it all the more special when it happens. Until then keep cool and have a rich and rewarding 2015…