Last summer, when Anwyn headed off to NYC for a little vacay, she arranged her own trip rather than going on one of those package holidays New York deals. Still, judging by some of the the photos she posted it certainly sounded like she had the whole Big Apple experience.

So, naturally, I wanted to claw her eyes out.

Okay, that might be exaggerating things a bit, but I am jealous. It’s been years since I’ve visited NYC. Over twenty of them, in fact. Back then I was dating a guy whom I’d planned to dump shortly after he slept through the first-ever Thanksgiving dinner I’d cooked. But then he pointed out that his parents, who lived in West Nyack, had invited us to visit for Christmas… and they were paying for our plane tickets, too.

Who was I to pass up a New York holiday, eh? It was gorgeous, I’ll say that: there’s something magical about New York City when it’s blanketed in snow. Walking around Rockefeller Center in the incandescent glow of the Christmas tree, with carolers singing in I-kid-you-not Victorian velvet garb and street vendors hawking roast chestnuts, just like I’d read about as a kid, it was one of those experiences where I felt like I’d actually stepped into a screenplay of the ideal New York holidays.

I’ve no doubt that, were VH and I to take the kids there this winter, our experience wouldn’t at all resemble the one I had 20+ years ago. After all, these days the Mayor’s Christmas tree is (not solar powered. With Wall Street crashing and most of us pinching pennies, I’m sure Bloomingdale’s Christmas window displays are no longer nearly as lush as they once were. Given how drastically Times Square has changed since I last saw it, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn NYC’s also banned the roast chestnut cards and other street vendors in favor of it’s new squeaky clean image.

But it’s still New York City, a place I’d love to visit over the holidays — this time with a man I know I’ll be keeping.

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