Happy Holidays!

Happy Christmas/Hanukkah/holidays everyone! I'm all packed up and ready to board the flying kangaroo home to Oz, where for 2 weeks I get to play pirates with my nieces, swim in the ocean (hopefully) and catch up with old friends and family. My suitcase weighs a ton with all the godchildren gifts, but I am happy, happy happy because the anesthetist is coming home for the big family intro! Wish us luck and have a wonderful break. Until 2012!

Happy Christmas

It's early Sunday morning, I am up to day 3 in bed with some obvious travel lergy and I leave for Oz on Tuesday (ears willing)!

Usually I look forward to going home for Christmas. It is a time of warmth - literally - laughter, friends, family and fun. This year looks a little different. I have a 90 year old father who will come out of hospital after a back op and will need 24 hour care, an 80 year old mother who is about to collapse from the sheer emotional weight of being the sole carer, and a darling friend and mother of two who faces the long and scary battle against an invasive breast cancer. How quickly life can change. I guess in light of all this I have a lot to be grateful for. And I really do.

As I look back on this year's blog, I realize that it has taken a back seat to my real life. So many wonderful and fulfilling things have happened this year that I have wanted to really 'live' life rather than ruminating on it. Plus of course, the work travel has been ridiculous. So next year I want to try and organize my time better so I am spending less time living out of a suitcase between travel overseas for work and across town to stay at my partner's place, and more time at this blog. We shall see.

In the meantime, I have a pile of books ready to take to Melbourne in the slim hope I will find time to swing in the hammock under a gum tree. This is where I wish I was a kindle lover, but sadly, I prefer to smell the ink on a new hardback! My pile includes the following, some old, some new:

• A separate Peace: John Knowles
• My sister my love: Joyce Carol Oates
• the hare with the amber eyes: Edmund de Waal
• The garden in the clouds: Antony Woodward
• The pages: Murray Bail

I light candles on this page in thanks for a wonderful year and in thought to all those facing hardship, struggle and pain. Happy Christmas and may 2011 be an easier one for you. x

Going Nuts for the Nutcracker

It's official. The US is obsessed with the Nutcracker. Every year at this time, there is some version of this beloved ballet playing somewhere around the country - from the heat of Hawaii to the potentially snowy Manhattan.

I remember the first time I saw the Nutcracker. I was 15 and my Dad took me to watch the Australian Ballet dance it in Melbourne. It was my first ever ballet and I was enchanted by the music, the fake snow - I had never seen real snow - and the costumes. I didn't love it enough to want to actually don a tutu myself, but it conjured up all that is good and sweet and fun about childhood.

The first Nutcracker was performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg in 1892. Tchaikovsky was commissioned to create a double-bill program including an opera and a ballet. The Nutcracker was an adaptation of E.T.A Hoffman's story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.

Original production, St Petersburg

Although the premier performance was not considered a success, through various iterations, it has continued to flourish up until today. And nowhere like in the US.

According to New York Times ballet critic Alistair Macaulay, the Nutcracker is loved nowhere else in the world like the US. The Russians have not  kept this ballet in their longstanding repertoire like they have with Giselle and Swan Lake. And Covent Garden declared a "Nutcracker-free" zone for 20 years. It is estimated that almost half the Nutcracker productions each year occur in the US.

This year, there are 3 companies in New York alone dancing different versions of the ballet. And don't think it is only performed in its original form. Apparently there is a Jewish Nutcracker, a production with a chinese dragon, another with hip hop and still another Lesbian/Gay Freedom and and Dance-Along Nutcracker in San Francisco! Take your pick. Whatever your taste, this ballet has become an American institution. Macaulay is so enamored with the ballet, he is running what he calls a "nutcracker marathon" this season, taking in 20 productions around the country.

For myself, I prefer the original Balanchine version. Tchaikovsky's score is partnered with all the Nutcracker wonders you know and love;  mischievous mice, marching toy soldiers, the Land of Sweets, a gorgeous big Christmas tree and of course, the Sugarplum Fairy. I look forward to being transported back to my childhood this Christmas.

Images: new york times

Bergdorf Windows 2010

Ahh Bergdorf. Your holiday window dressing is as exquisite as ever. Perhaps a little too detailed this year with the props taking over from the fashion, but a delight nevertheless.
The theme is "Wish you were here" and focuses on fantasy travel to far-flung places, in many an exotic mode of transport. From a caboose to Equus to a magnificent flying machine, these windows transport us not only into a world of heavenly fashion, but also to some fantastical destinations.

Day tripping

Full speed ahead

Ready for takeoff

Wish you were here

 And here's a video taking us behind-the-scenes of the making of the windows.

Images: bergdorf goodman

Merry Christmas/ Happy Holiday

And so it is tomorrow that I board the flying kangaroo and hope that it hops safely over the Atlantic to take me home to the "land girt by sea".

I can already smell the eucalyptus, hear the kookaburras laughing and feel that dry heat on my skin. Twelve months without being on aussie soil is too long. I love this concrete metropolis with the relentless horns and sirens and neon signs and ear piercing subway train brakes, the snow that turns to brown slush, the throngs of tourists along Fifth Avenue, Bergdorfs and Central Park...the list is endless. But for me my real home is where family and good friends are, old haunts and the wonderful uniqueness of the Australian bush. That is where I will be for the next 2 weeks.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday, depending on your religion. I hope to see you back here in Jan 2010. x

Festive Season Part II

This city never ceases to amaze me. My Christmas Top 10 "To Do's" was by no means exhaustive, so some further wonderful activities have now come to light that I must share:

1. When feeling grumpy, go and stand in Grand Central Station on the half hour and be mesmerized by their Holiday Light Show.

2.  Whilst at Grand Central, visit the Holiday Train Show (not quite sure why New York is so obsessed with train shows.....)

3. Don't just listen to Handel's Messiah this year, sing it! For the past 41 years, the National Chorale has provided 4 professional soloists and  17 conductors to lead nearly 3000 music-loving New Yorkers in this holiday favorite at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Centre.

4. If you like something more intimate, pretend you are in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and wander through Greenwich village with members of the West Village Chorale, singing christmas carols.

5. When in need of warmth, visit the butterfly exhibition at the National History Museum. 500 live tropical butterflies flit through a 1300 foot temporary conservatory in one of the museum galleries.

6. I tried to avoid this one because it is so touristy, but if you want to pretend you are stepping out of a film like "autumn in New York," skip Bryant Park and skate at Rockefeller centre.

Or if it snows, go to Central Park (where IS the snow this year?)

7. Pop into the New York Public Library to view Charles Dickens' personal copy of "A Christmas Carol" from which he gave his public readings, along with an original photo of Dickens' nephew who is said to be the model for Tiny Tim. There is also other christmas miscellany on display such as festive greetings from James Joyce, E.E. Cummings and Jack Kerouac.

There are so many things to see and do, I hardly know when there is time to finish the Christmas shopping!

Images: Manhattan about, maestro artist, telegraph, cool butterflies, fox travel & tours, ronsari, New York Public Library

Happy Hanukkah

The annual Jewish Festival of Lights, also know as Hanukkah or Chanukah, begins tonight. Being the "goy" that I am, this holiday bears no relevance whatsoever to my life. However, given I live in one of the most highly populated Jewish cities in the world and work for a Jewish company, I thought it was in my best interest to at least know a little bit about it. So here goes:

Around 200 BC, the Jewish people in Jerusalem were living under Egyptian rule but were free to worship as they pleased. In 175 BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes took the Syrian throne, invaded Egypt and desecrated Jerusalem.

He outlawed Judaism and forced the Jews to worship Greek gods, banning all Jewish rituals upon threat of death. In 168 BC, he seized the holy Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and dedicated it to the Greek God Zeus. Mattathias, a Jewish priest and his five sons led a revolt against the Syrian army. Lasting three years, they emerged victorious,  recaptured Jerusalem and liberated the holy temple.

Judah Maccabe

According to the Talmud, the high priests ordered the lighting of the menorah, the eternal flame, to re-dedicate the desecrated temple to the glory of God. However, they found the Syrians had defiled the olive oil required to keep the menorah burning. All they found was one small jar - enough to light the menorah for 1 day. Miraculously, the menorah burned on for eight nights, giving the priests enough time to find more oil. An eight day festival was declared by the Jewish priests to commemorate this miracle and today the menorah is a symbol of the indomitable faith of the Jewish people.

The current menorah holds nine candles, with the centre candle used to light the other eight over eight consecutive nights. However, typically it is a seven branched candelabra and has been the symbol of Judaism for over 3000 years and is the emblem of Israel. The Jewish Museum in New York has an amazing collection of menorahs throughout the centuries, ranging from a 16th century Italian lamp to Richard Meir's interpretation in 1935.

Italy, 16th Century

Germany 1706

Ukraine, 1787

Eastern Europe, 19th century

Bauhaus menorah, 1922

Richard Meir, 1935

The world's largest menorah is erected each year on Fifth Avenue opposite the Plaza. It is so large it is lit each night with cherry pickers.

Finally, Hanukkah would not be complete without dreidels or spinning tops. These wooden toys have a hebrew letter on each of the four sides which together form the acronym for "a great miracle happened here". It is thought the dreidel began during the reign of Antiochus, when the Jews gathered together in secret to study the torah. If soldiers arrived, the Jews could pretend to be gambling. Today it's a game played by the kids during the Hanukkah celebration.

I'm not sure I'm ready to give up Santa Claus and my Christmas tree yet,  but I am happy to now understand a little more about the eight-flame candelabra that sits on reception at work.

Images: liverputty, bible-history.com, haifa-israel.co, nycgov.parks, jewish museum, all things jewish

Bring on the Festive Season

Now the ten ton 76 foot Norway Spruce at the Rockefeller Centre tree has been lit with 30,000 energy efficient lights, it is officially the most beautiful time of year in New York - the festive season!
There are very obvious signs in New York when Christmas is around the corner; the ice skating rinks are open, the store windows are decked out in holiday regalia, Christmas trees are sprouting, the Salvos are ringing their plaintive bells on every corner of Fifth Avenue and Handel's Messiah is being performed around the city. Here are my Top 10 Christmas "To Do's" this year, in no particular order:

1. See the baroque Christmas tree at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

2. See the origami tree at the Natural History Museum

3. Get tickets to George Balanchine's Nutcracker. It has been performed every Christmas since 1954
by the New York City Ballet

4. Visit the Holiday Train show at the New York Botanical Gardens. A conservatory is taken over to model an extensive collection of toy trains and over 140 replicas of New York landmarks - all made out of plants and natural materials

5. Get tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular to see the famous Rockettes

6. Hear Isaac Mizrahi recite "Peter and the Wolf" at the Guggenheim along with the Juilliard Orchestra and installations by renowned New Orleans-based collective Ya/Ya.

7. Go ice skating at Bryant Park

8. Go shopping at the Holiday Christmas markets

9. Get tickets to Irving Berlin's "White Christmas"

10. View Charles Dickens' original manuscript of "A Christmas Carol" at the Morgan Library and Museum

Now all we need is the snow!

Images: Associated Press, gomanhattan, dailynews, Morgan library and museum

Curiouser and Curiouser

Ahh Bergdorf. Store of my dreams and aspirations. You are to me what Tiffany is to Holly Golightly. You welcome me into your parquetry and chandelier-clad embrace to tempt and enchant me. This holiday season is no exception. You've outdone yourself again.

Inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, this year's holiday windows on Fifth Avenue feature the Cheshire cat, the Queen of Hearts, the White rabbit and more. The detail is so intricate it is almost too much to take in. But the images below give you some idea of the wonderland created. There are a couple of close-ups so you can see the detail. It's all a great teaser before Tim Burton's take on Alice comes out next year.

The windows below along 58th have nothing to do with Alice, but they are still dreamy!

Images: Comicmix, Rudy Pospisil at about.com.manhattan