Christmas in NYC
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Lindsay and I have so much travel scheduled over the next few months, that we just couldn’t swin
g it. For the first time in our lives, we did not go “home” for Christmas. And while this was our third Christmas in the city, it was our first Christmas in the city.
We decided to get a tree. Like, a real one. Here it is strapped to our car.
O wait, that’s not a car. That would be my person. For like, ten blocks.
A real Christ
mas tree might be the least eco-friendly thing you could do for Christmas. Why do people say “save a tree” when they save a piece of paper? You could save a tree much faster by, well, saving a
tree.
To ease our East-coast consciences, we agreed to allow our tree to double as a source of nutrition for our cats. They also helped themselves to water from the tree stand. Oh yeah, and feel free to make your bed wherever you please, Oliver.
Family and friends sent us a bunch of wonderful gifts, like this one from our parents:
Um, awkward. We are Christians, true. But prudes? Not so much.
(relax, it was just a candle)
We did not get a white Christmas here in the city, but it came with a fury just a 
couple days after. For many stranded travelers, this was a real bummer. For us, it was an excuse to stay inside and watch a bunch of movies and eat chocolate. In other words, it was one of the best days of my life.
The blizzard was also a bummer for drivers. This was one of those rare times when we were really glad we no longer own cars. Here is a picture of a car in our neighborhood.
Can’t see it? Exactly.
We missed our families badly, but we had a great Christmas, and hope you did too. Of course, all things come to an end. Here is our beautiful tree atop a mound of garbage outside our building.
I’ve grown so accustomed to mounds of garbage heaped as tall as I am that it took sticking a tree into one to remind me you don’t really see that in other parts of the country.
Life in the city is in many ways more difficult. It is also better, though, for us. So many different kinds of wonderful people. The Christmas village at Bryant park. People bustling around with packages and wrapping paper and sleds and shovels. Shepherd’s pie at Tea & Sympathy downtown. Looking out at the 
snow-covered park from our neighborhood cafe, a short walk from home. We have our little band of friends that are forming into this new church. And we have all the joy, mystery, and hope of the birth of God on earth, here in a place where so many people haven’t met him yet.
I sincerely hope you’ve had a very merry Christmas, and have a Happy New Year!
