One thing I noticed while in New York was everywhere you went people had headsets on.  Either they were listening to music or having conversations with persons unknown.  There were times when I thought they were having conversations with themselves only to see the blue tooth headphones in their ears.

Traveling in the subway was much worse.  Mostly everyone riding the trains had their head buried in their phones.  Tap, tap, tap as passenger’s texted back and forth or just surfing the web.  How strange it is to see our society so dependent on such a small device.  How did we survive without one less than 20 years ago?  People are sitting across from one another in restaurants not having a conversation but staring intently at their phones.  Is the art of conversation really dead?  When my kids were old enough to get phones the number one rule was no phone at the dinner table.  That was family time and that precious time wasn’t about to be taken away this piece of technology.

There are definitely pros and cons when we dissect the advancement of modern technology.  Alexander Graham Bell would not believe how prevalent his idea of a phone would be in today’s society.  On one subway trip into the city, I sat across a young woman who was on her phone.  For one quick second, she lifted her head to give me the most basic form of human contact – a smile and I smiled back.

This is our first Christmas in our 5^th wheel.  From my husband’s perspective, it’s great!  No stringing lights on the eaves with a ladder. Multiple trips up to the attic to retrieve my many boxes and bags of Christmas decoration are non-existent and best of all no drill sergeant commands to vacuum, mop and get ready for company.

From my perspective, no Christmas tree to watch each night as the lights twinkle.  No crackling fireplace or stockings hanging from the mantel.  Multiple trips to the grocery store getting ready for Christmas dinner are a thing of the past.  For some, this may seem like a dream come true.  For me, it leaves me yearning for my house.  Going to NYC during Christmas lifted my spirits but I couldn’t take any of it home with me.

My husband knowing how much I adore this season put the holiday spirit in our 5^th wheel.  Not having space for even a mini tree, he was creative in putting lit garland along the top of one of our slides.  It looks absolutely beautiful and at night the lights twinkle.  This fills my heart with happiness.  Sometimes it’s the little things that bring the greatest joy. I know Christmas is where the heart is and my heart is where my family is.  I have both my children, my husband and the majority of my family for Christmas and that still makes Christmas a special time of the year.

Last weekend, we were in Manhattan.  It’s been a while since our last visit but the Big Apple did not disappoint.  It was a whirlwind with us taking over 18,000 steps daily which kept our fit bit pretty happy.  First stop, lower Manhattan.  We visited the diamond exchange to repair some jewelry then onto Chinatown and Little Italy.  In Little Italy, we stopped in a restaurant for dessert and had the most delicious crème brulee.  Worth the trip just to enjoy the smooth, creamiest of this luscious dessert.

The main reason for our visit was the many holiday markets throughout the city.  The biggest was housed in Bryant Park.  Little booths lined the park with a variety of food, crafts and a multitude of items for those seeking Christmas gifts.  Bryant Park also had an ice skating rink in the middle of the park which set it apart from the other holiday markets.

The highlight of the trip was a visit to Rockefeller Center in upper Manhattan.  The magnificent Christmas tree with its many lights brought back many memories for me.  My parents use to take us there and from a child’s perspective, the tree seemed to be one that touched the sky.  Saks 5^th Avenue put on a beautiful light display choreographed to music.  One would have thought they were in Disney especially with the crowds of people who also wanted to enjoy the wonderful feeling of Christmas.

There is no shortage of places to go or see.  We went to a German tavern that had the entire inside decorated with so many items you didn’t know where to look first. Another first was a visit to a rooftop bar with plastic igloos.  Each lighted a different color, only in NYC.  Another place that left us in awe was the revamped Wall Street station.  They did a spectacular job in building the new station after the tragic event of 9/11.  The architecture is unique and extremely impressive in all white marble.

Prices in NY were outrageous.  We made the decision to stay in an Airbnb in New Jersey and take the subway into Manhattan each day.  Not too bad of an experience but I will save those thoughts for next week.