PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
How many selfies will be taken during the holiday season in New York?
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Posted on December 13, 2016 at 9:48 a.m.
Updated at 9:48 a.m.
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The Big Apple knows how to party 365 days a year, but the city is never as festive, bright and bustling as it is in the weeks leading up to Christmas. A little guide for families (and others) to enjoy the magic of Christmas without losing sight of the north.
«It’s the most wonderful time of the year…»
Elvis, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra all sang Christmas songs, but in New York, it was this ritornello recorded by Andy Williams in the 60s that has become the almost official anthem of the holiday season.
Normal, New York is fueled by superlatives, especially during “the most beautiful time of the year.” Bigger, higher, more beautiful. For Christmas, Manhattan puts on his 31 and is adorned with flashing lights. The windows of department stores become works of art. Children dress like princes and princesses to sit on Santa’s lap. Everywhere, music resonates, adding to the concert of horns.
Here, excess is the norm and in front of the gigantism of this wrapped city, one begins to think of Disney.
Because New York fully plays the card of nostalgia, as if to make people forget the worries and the ambient gloom under a thick layer of red and gold icing.
And the magic happens, especially if the kids are traveling. They do not see the big strings that hold this movie set in place. They marvel at the smallest tree with three balls; imagine when they find themselves at the foot of the giant Rockefeller Center! And as long as they have kept a little candor, the adults get caught up in the game and find themselves whistling Jingle Bells through the crowd on 5e Avenue (true anecdote).
It should not be forgotten that many North American traditions associated with Christmas were born in the Big Apple.
It was at Macy’s in Herald Square that, for the first time, a Santa Claus moved into a department store to welcome children. That was in 1862. The same Macy’s also started the tradition of Christmas window displays in 1870. Since 1891, Salvation Army volunteers have been raising funds on the sidewalks of New York for a Christmas worthy of the name. to the most disadvantaged …
New Yorkers cherish these traditions that have stood the test of time. They attend in large numbers, year after year, the Christmas show presented since 1933 at Radio City Music Hall. Some numbers have not changed for 84 years and spectators await them with obvious enthusiasm. They religiously make their pilgrimage in front of the decorated windows of department stores. Put on the skates to do a few pirouettes on the ice rinks in Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center or Central Park.
Christmas would not be Christmas without these timeless classics and it is to bathe in this atmosphere a thousand times seen in the cinema that tourists arrive en masse in Manhattan in December.
However, these passing visitors are not alone. Unlike what happens at Disney World, the city is not theirs. As soon as the Thanksgiving turkey is digested, All-New York takes over the streets, shops and parks-turned-Christmas-markets, swelling the already dense crowd.
Integrating this human tide can sometimes be nerve-wracking. Patience is strained when you have to go up against a flood of curious people on the 5e Avenue. The travel budget should also be adjusted accordingly. Room prices skyrocket in December. The only exception: December 24 and 25. “With business tourism at a standstill during these days, several hotels are offering discounts on rooms,” said Christopher Heywood, vice president of communications for the New York City tourism office. Several activities are offered during these two days. The department stores are open on December 24, the skating rinks too and, on Christmas Day, no less than 12 shows are presented on Broadway. ”
In short, New York never slows down. Not even for Christmas.
Christmas in New York by the numbers
5 million: Number of tourists expected in New York between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
8 km: The length, in kilometers, of string lights wrapped around the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
75 million: Number of spectators who have attended the Rockettes Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall since 1933.
300,000: Number of pairs of skates rented each winter at the Bryant Park rink.
35,360: Number of hours devoted to the creation of the Lord & Taylor storefront by a team of 73 people.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Two princesses, ready to meet Santa Claus, in front of the window of Macy’s department store.
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