It's (or was) Christmastime in the City

The holiday season is definitely magical in New York City. We have had such a blast exploring the Christmas activities around the city. Hannah is the perfect age to really get into the anticipation of Christmas, and she loves everything about it, whether it's talking to Santa (she's not afraid at all this year!) or learning more about "Baby Jesus, Mary, and Joviss."

Here are some of our favorite things (some things we enjoyed so much that they were repeated several times!):

1. We are believers in the Winder house! Hannah wrote Santa a letter detailing her wish for a stroller for her baby. Also for playgroup, we watched the "Miracle on 34th Street" puppet show at Macy's to get the kids excited about Santa. All the effort paid off - Hannah can't get enough of Santa this year!

So we went to Santaland at Macy's to see him...

...and see him again...
...and see him again!
And we can't forget the Turkish Santa we met at St. Paul's. I think this guy was literally 100 years old. He was from Turkey, liked carrots instead of cookies, and somehow got Hannah to talk to him despite freaking all the kids out at first! The next day, Hannah told me, "Mommy, Santa doesn't like cookies. He likes carrots and turkey!"

2. Christmas Trees. We've seen so many amazing Christmas trees around the city. Some of our favorites were (top left) the tree lighting at Lincoln Center, (bottom left) the amazing origami tree at the Museum of Natural History, (middle) the mixed breed tree at South Street Seaport, (top right) the tree in Washington Square, (bottom right) and of course the huge twinkling tree at Rockefeller! We also loved the Baroque tree and Creche at the Met, but we saw that one after my camera was stolen!
Hannah somehow decided that such beautiful trees deserved some beautiful posing!
And of course we love our own tree! Hannah decorated the whole thing (and told Daddy where to put the ornaments that went up high).

3. Holiday Markets. We love the little shops set up all over the city. Our favorite market was in Union Square, but we also enjoyed the markets at Bryant Park, Columbus Circle, Grand Central Station, and the South Street Seaport. There are awesome independent vendors and yummy treats.

4. Trains. Despite our girl-dominated home, we love trains! Our first Holiday Train adventure was at the NY Transit Museum at Grand Central. It was awesome! The model trains traveled through NYC to the countryside to the North Pole. Hannah and Lucy were totally enthralled!
My friend Jenna and I took Hannah and Davis (and Abbie slept through it all!) to the Holiday Train Show at the NY Botanical Gardens. Our trek to the Bronx was totally worth it! The trains went through famous NY landmarks, all of which were made out of leaves, branches, and flowers. The details were perfect! My favorite display was Midtown with the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Radio City Music Hall, and so on...

As part of the holiday exhibit, we also got to learn about gingerbread spices and decorate cookies!
Then on the way home, the girls and I were waiting to transfer to the F train when the Holiday Special Train (circa 1930) arrived on the track! Of course we jumped on and rode it as long as possible! Even the people on the train were dressed in period clothes!

5. Holiday Shows. Even with a 3-year-old, there are great options for holiday shows. We loved the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular (thanks to Kristi for the free tickets!). Hannah was on the edge of her seat the whole time. She really enjoyed watching the dancers and especially loved the live nativity (with camels!) at the end of the show.

The Nutcracker Ballet performed at the World Financial Center was perfect for a group of preschoolers. It was an hour-long performance with great costumes and entertaining dances.The window displays along 5th Avenue are amazing! Our favorites are the color-coordinated animal displays at Bergdorf Goodman.
6. Treats. It wouldn't be Christmas without treats (actually, it wouldn't be any day of the year for me without a treat!). We've had some great ones this year!

Hannah decorated this whole gingerbread house all by herself while her friends ate their candy! Cupcakes seem to be the treat of the month. We couldn't resist a shop named Baked by Melissa. The cupcakes were small enough that they weren't dry at all (my biggest complaint with cupcakes).
My friend Erin knew how I feel about cupcakes and knew that cupcakes from Mollie's on Bleecker Street would change my mind. She was SO right! The peach cobbler and creme brulee cupcakes were amazing!
Playgroup at Ellen's Stardust Diner in Times Square was so fun (Hannah sure looks like she was enjoying it!). The wait staff are Broadway-quality singers that perform between taking orders.

7. Watching Abbie get big. Our little girl is growing up so fast! So is a smiley baby and loves to see what's going on. She's such a great sport and is willing to be packed around anywhere!
Our sweet girls!

Our Christmas day pictures will come later. My camera was stolen in Rockefeller Center on the 23rd, so I'm using my friend's camera but don't have the software to load them on my computer yet!