Gingerbread Village

 The gingerbread house has long been a holiday fixture. In many families it's a special activity to be shared between children and their parents or grandparents. Who doesn't love a decoration that can later be demolished and eaten? A few years ago, the Anthropologie store in Manhattan chose a pastry theme for its windows. They featured  faux-gingerbread villages, a gingerbread lover's fantasy. I still think about those windows, a reminder of what can be created from flour, sugar, spices and a bit of imagination.

The Christmas House

Before Thanksgiving, people began draping lights over bushes and wrapping garlands around bannisters. They were more than ready to create some holiday cheer. Now even the slowpokes have reindeer on the lawn and icicles along the eaves. In every neighborhood, residents look forward to the one or two truly spectacular houses, the ones so bright that you can see the glow from blocks away. Children stop here to count the snowmen and name the sea creatures swimming in the "water." Take a walk at dusk and enjoy the lights in your neighborhood. Thanks to everyone who makes the effort to brighten the darkest time of the year. 

Jeweled Dinosaurs, Bergdorf Goodman

Normally, I would have spent the week in New York, visiting museums and gaping at the windows along Fifth Avenue. Nothing about this year has been normal. This restricted holiday season is an opportunity to revisit past adventures and give them more thought. A few years ago the windows of Bergdorf Goodman celebrated New York’s museums. How would you represent your favorite museum? Bergdorf’s gave us dinosaur skeletons covered in rhinestones to honor the Natural History Museum. With stores large and small closing as the pandemic wears on, let’s hope there will still be room for a few over-the-top fantasies to brighten our future.

Sunset and Bare Trees

 One day last week, the clouds began to break up quickly after a rain. I watched them moving across the sky and grabbed my jacket. Gray turned to violet as I trotted up the street to the highest point in our neighborhood. I reached the top of the hill just as the edges of each cloud began to glow. Skyscrapers flattened into silhouettes, trees transformed themselves into lace and homes reflected tints of yellow and pink. This may be a rough year and yet there are fleeting moments of magic. Put on your jacket and go enjoy them.