Christmas 2009 was not only my first year living in the Big Apple, it was my first year living in a big city – and wondrously, it was the first and only year where Christmas was celebrated with festivities instead of presents. There can be nothing more exciting for a rural kid to find himself relocated to the big city and its towering forests of steel and construct, its winding pathways of busy streets and the quintessential atmosphere of cars, life and lights. It was the first time in my life I saw a whole city raised with lights and decorations and festivals of its own. On Christmas Eve I went out with my four best friends to celebrate Christmas alongside those festivities for an experience unlike any to this day.
The Rockefeller center was the highlight. I have never craned my neck so high to look upon a tree so covered in tradition. And much to my amusement, the famed Rockefeller ice skating rink was a relatively small and relatively pricey novelty rink smaller than those in my home town – but that made the majesty of the tree all the merrier. We dined, we drank (responsibly), and we celebrated the holidays with the eight + million other New Yorkers. It was a magical experience out on the ‘town’ – figuratively speaking!
