Sunday, December 29, 2013

The Last Christmas

Post, that is :-)  I promise that I will move on after this.. I just can't' help myself - in case you haven't noticed yet - I loooooove Christmas! I try to get into the spirit way before and try to preserve the spirit way after. It is about the peace, love, family, friends, traditions, taking it easy, being relaxed and enjoying the moment.  These pictures are hodge podge of our Christmas - a little stroll at the Americana mall to check out Christmas decorations on Christmas Eve and to get some fresh air before dinner, relaxing by the fire on Christmas Eve, playing with presents on Christmas Day, and my favorite Christmas decor from our house. 
















waiting for Santa!

Santa and Buddha happy together

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Tree Love

I can't imagine a Christmas without a Christmas tree. For many years I insisted on a real tree, and because we often traveled at Christmas, we put it up soon after Thanksgiving, usually the first weekend in December, in order to have time to enjoy it before we left. So by the time Christmas actually came, the tree was old and scraggly, and when we got back home from our vacation, there wasn't much beauty or freshness left. I eventually relented and to the relief of my husband (whose job it was to depose the dried up tree) we got a fake tree. Our tree has always been the more is more kind of tree. Every year we collect a few more ornaments to hang on it. There really is no rhyme or reason to the ornaments, no theme, and definitely no plan. Everything goes, as long as it's not very easily breakable. The kids decorate the tree, so the ornaments hang on three levels… But that's the whole beauty of it. Maybe eventually when the kids are all grown up we will have one of those very sophisticated and elegant Christmas trees..but until then..I'll just love our more is more tree.








Friday, December 27, 2013

New York City at Christmas Time Part II

Here are a few more pictures from New York City's Fifth Avenue Christmas lights. It is a family tradition to go take the Fifth Avenue stroll once around Christmas time to take it all in. This year we did it quite late in the season and the crowds were crazy. It was also 67 degrees and drizzling.. All I could think about was the line from the Finnish Christmas song "No onkos tullut kesa nyt talven keskelle…". 

Tommy Hilfiger

Hollister

Ferragamo

Cartier's famous bow and panther - there every year that I can remember




Saks department store has the light show reflected on its building to the tune of the music from the Nutcracker. The show plays every few minutes and there is a wall of people watching. Not a good place if you can't handle crowds. 




Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

Rockefeller Center angels and snowflakes. So pretty year after year. 



Saks was a winter wonderland inside. And thankfully not as crowded as outside. Although, the 8th floor shoe department was pretty run over… no pictures from there though. These are from the ground floor. 


Thursday, December 26, 2013

New York City at Christmas Time

Grand Central and the Metlife Building

Walforf dressed for Christmas too



The throngs of people on Fifth Avenue are so thick you can hardly move.. 

The Bergdorf Goodman windows are always so beautiful. This year the theme was holidays on ice.. this one was Valentine's Day


Love the star hanging on top of Fifth Ave. 



Harry Winston



Fendi had these cute little elf/present/whatever they are waving at passersby