In this post I resolved to follow New York Magazine's footsteps and make "Things to Love About New York" a weekly thing here on Ummm Now What?. This week's is: Where Christmas Goes to Die.
It's no secret that New York does Christmas up big. And that even if your the biggest Scrooge in the world, you can't help but smile when you see the tree at Rockefeller Center (or its smaller counterpart in Washington Square Park), or you pass an advertisement to the Christmas Spectacular or some old lady who has their poodle in a Christmas sweater.
What I didn't know about New York is that the week after New Years, there is literally a purging of Christmas spirit. On Wednesday night, I slept at my Aunts' apartment uptown (after my grandmother's birthday celebration AND the meeting of the puppy...more to come on that later). Yesterday morning, I walked the five or so blocks from their apartment to the 2 train (which was legit the worst train experience of my life) and was met by Christmas vomit on the street (see photos).
Look at all those trees! And that beautiful wreath (have I mentioned I'm a sucker for a good wreath?)! I was moderately depressed as I walked past the Walgreen's filled with angst about whether or not I needed to buy a new Chapstick (mine has VANISHED at work).
Christmas is OVER, I thought to myself! Woe is me, no more JOY! Then I thought that I have never before seen the above mentioned Christmas vomit.
Maybe I've just never noticed before (or maybe where I grew up everyone just had fake trees like us) but New York provided me with actual closure about the end of the holiday season. The decorations didn't just vanish, no, no NOT in the Christmas capital of the world. The decorations died a painful and crushing (in the back of a garbage truck I saw on Amsterdam) death right in front of my very eyes!
Am I moderately traumatized after my first Christmas purge? A little. But I think New York knows that we're tough enough to handle it, and that in the end its probably good for us. Also, the Christmas purge makes it nearly impossible to be lazy and keep you're tree up until March, because everyone on your block will judge you as you drag it to the curb on St. Patrick's Day.
So thanks New York, for closing the 2011 Holiday Season and for preventing your residents from being lazy, slothful embarrassments.
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