We went to see a matinee Broadway show today, and afterwards, we walked up Sixth Avenue to see all the Christmas lights and decoration that gets put up every year. There are the Christmas “tree lights,” the red Christmas ornament balls, the many nutcrackers and trees that line up at the entrance of the corporate buildings along the avenue. Then, there is also the Rockefeller tree that has yet to come out and be lit. It was the first day of December today, and Sixth Avenue was packed with people, some tourists, some semi-locals. It felt so crowded, a bit too much so as we walked through the endless hoards of people trying to take selfies, posing for photos taken by other strangers with the various Christmas lights and decorations in the background.

“This is what makes New York New York,” Chris declared, as we zipped through the crowds.

Yes, the crowds are what make New York New York, this city that I’ve called home now for over ten years. But there are so many times when I absolutely hate the crowds and would really like to just appreciate these decorations with no one around and in near silence. That’s probably what this area might be like if we came back at midnight on a weeknight, or extremely early in the morning any day. After a while, the crowds really do wear on you here. I can tolerate it when I’m visiting other new cities as a tourist myself, but here, it can really get to be unbearable, especially in the cold. But this is Christmas in New York, and we definitely do it well here.