Last week, I travelled with my family to New York, just two days shy of New Year's. Lucky for us, the Christmas decorations were still up! I went with my family to support my sister playing in her basketball tournaments, so it was a nice way to end the Christmas Holidays. With the Christmas Holidays still on my mind, there was only one item on the agenda I wanted to accomplish no matter what: see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. I needed to see this--I have been to New York City a few times, but never around Christmas; the best time of the year. Plus, a part of me wanted to feel like Macaulay Culkin standing in awe of this gigantic symbol. I love Christmas Trees (who doesn't?), & I just wanted to take in the full experience of everything this Tree was.

So, here's how I met the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree:

So, on a freezing cold day last week, my family, the basketball team, & I wandered around Fifth Avenue for some shopping (FAO Schwartz & I grew very close). We had to meet at the bus on 49th in one hour (which is 10 blocks from where we were...& may I add ONE hour to shop on Fifth Avenue? Note to self: Don't go to New York City with basketball players). Fifty minutes had passed, & my parents & I were trying to keep up with the team walking 10 blocks downtown New York (they are athletic & in shape; we had just eaten candy in FAO Schwartz. We were in trouble!). I'm the last in line taking pictures of the tall buildings surrounding me, taking it all in, saying, "do we hafta go?"...meanwhile my dad is last with me pushing me along. We start walking faster to keep up, sweating in 10 degree weather, focused on the streets ahead & hitting the green lights. We're approaching 48th...almost there...when I glance over to my right, & a half a second next look again to realize what sparkling, gracious, big, breathtaking, colorful, bright, big, glittery, big, Christmas tree stand before me. I leap beside my dad to get his attention, "Dad! Look." He turns to the right to see what "other monument" I'm telling him to look at, except this time he says, "Oooh my gosh." The traffic stopped. We saw nothing but big sparkles & stretching branches nestled between surrounding sky scrapers, bright lights, & a glowing row of angels (I think they were really singing). It was a moment.

My first ever Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree experience was a moment.  

To answer your question, yes, I felt like Macaulay Culkin--I was awestruck, & still am. It was bigger than I ever imagined, & oh, so sparkly. So very sparkly.

To catch a glimpse of what I saw, you can see a video I captured on Vimeo here (tip: go to full screen mode, & hopefully it won't buffer for too long!). It doesn't quite do it justice, but maybe this little video will have you as hooked as I am. I can only hope to see it every year, now!

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Sparkles from Lindsey Buck on Vimeo.