I’m fortunate enough to live in the lower Hudson Valley, where my home is in a rural-leaning suburban area that also gives me easy access to Grand Central via a quick train ride. Luke and I go down to Manhattan whenever and for whatever reasons, but we always have a “city day” during the Christmas season.

This tradition actually started with my mom when I was a teenager. We always went down to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Ave. and 82nd street. We’d go specifically to see the Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Creche. The tree is displayed in front of an 18th century Spanish choir screen in the Medieval Sculpture Hall. Once Luke was born, he joined us – he was only a tiny six-week-old baby on his first trip to see the Christmas tree at The Met. It has now become our shared tradition to make this special trip down to The Met at Christmastime.

The tree is is a twenty-foot-tall blue spruce surrounded by a large base decorated with an 18th century Neapolitan Nativity scene. The scene happens to be smack in the middle of the busy Mediterranean harbor village of Naples, Italy that’s bustling with activity. Figurines of people and animals going about their day, blithely unaware of the miraculous event unfolding at the front of the tree. They’re selling goods from market carts, working, or simply lounging, while the Three Wise Men and their entourage regally ascend the steps of some Romanesque ruins to greet the baby Jesus.

Not quite the setting it was supposed to have actually taken place in – but still fun to look at. And, well…artistic license, I guess!

From the tree, beautiful angel figurines in flowing silk robes and delicate wings float above the scene. The figurines and details of the seaside village are strikingly realistic and beautifully done – each section of the base is a little vignette, a frozen moment of “daily life” of the people in this eighteenth-century vision of Naples.

We usually wander around The Met for a few hours looking at new exhibitions, the permanent collection galleries we like best and always a stop to hang out in the Astor Chinese Garden Court and the Temple of Dendur before departing and heading down 5th Ave towards midtown.

The closer you get to Rockefeller Center, the more brightly lit and festive 5th Avenue becomes. The storefronts and the avenue are festooned with glittery holiday lights and decorations. The most prominent store is probably Saks Fifth Avenue. Not only do they have a series of ornately themed window displays, they also put on a holiday light show set to music that illuminates the entire front of the building every ten minutes.

And then, of course there is the iconic Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Plaza – this year a 75-foot Norway Spruce lit with over 50,000 multi-colored lights. It was donated by a family from East Greenbush, NY.

The first tree at Rockefeller Plaza was displayed in 1931, while the building was still under construction. That year, construction workers at the site pooled their money to buy a twenty-foot balsam fir, which they decorated with garlands made by their families. It was meant as a symbol of holiday spirit and hope during the Great Depression.

The Rockefeller Christmas Tree became an annual tradition starting in 1933, complete with an official lighting ceremony and a 50 foot tree that was illuminated with 700 lights.

We always make a stop in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which sits directly across from Rockefeller Center. Built in Gothic Revival style, construction began in 1858, but for various reasons, the doors didn’t open until 1879. The two iconic spires were added in 1888. The cathedral takes up an entire city block and has become a major New York City landmark. It’s still an active church. Luke and I usually find an empty pew and sit for a bit, looking up at the towering ceilings and stained glass windows. Sometimes, if we’re lucky, we’re treated to a choir or two performing Christmas carols – which sound amazing in the cathedrals acoustics.

A visit to St. Pat’s is usually our last stop before walking back to Grand Central to catch a train home. 5th Ave is generally jammed with people this time of year – walking and actually getting anywhere can be a bit of a challenge – so we often slip a couple of blocks over and walk down Lexington Ave instead. It’s a quieter scene and a calm walk, dotted with the occasional brightly lit tree. The Helmsley Building, directly north of Grand Central, is lit red and green.

I love walking into Grand Central at the end of a day spent wandering around the city. Looking for the next train home, watching commuters and tourists rush off to their tracks or out to the city streets. Taking a slow stroll through Grand Central Market if time allows. It’s a beautiful old building – opened in 1913. It’s a lovely place to wander, even just to admire its Beaux-Arts architecture. But that’s a subject for another post.