John Boy Never Forgot Grandma
Grandparents Day is Sept. 11. Does anyone care?
By Bette Dewing
The flash of lights etc. are ready for Hurricane Irene, expected to strike New York the day after tomorrow (the end of last week, the time of this writing). And yes, I am anxious, but grateful it’s happening before the 10th anniversary of 9/11, which is also Grandparents Day. Not unrelated is the appearance of The Waltons’ Mary McDonough and Richard Thomas at the Barnes and Noble at 82nd Street and Broadway on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. They’ll discuss McDonough’s memoir Lessons from the Mountain. Unfortunately for me, Sylvia and her son Ira, who told me about the event, the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association meets the same night at 6 p.m. at the City University building, located at 80th Street and East End Avenue.
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A Holiday Tonic
This year, why not try singing the blues away
Almost every day I see another newspaper article or blog about how to stave off the holiday blues (an affliction irritatingly known in some circles as WHAD—“Winter Holiday Affective Disorder”). Upon perusing the list of dos and don’ts, I discover the usual directives: Go out with friends, don’t get too isolated, do nice things for yourself, etc. These are all obvious if effective; I mean, everyone knows that if you go out and have a lovely evening with a friend, you are going to feel better. But what about those times when your friends are too busy, or you have no money for that nice thing you want to do for yourself? Read more
City Week: December 24 – December 30
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24
Mayumana—The Tel Aviv-based theater company fuses physical movements with beats and rhythms in its production Momentum. New Victory Theater, 209 W. 42nd St., 646-223-3010; 2 p.m., $11+.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo—Celebrate the holiday season with the Trocks when these dancer-comedians parody classics like Swan Lake and contemporary pieces like Patterns in Space. The Joyce Theater, 175 8th Ave., 212-242-0800; 3 p.m., $10+. Read more
Christmas Birthdays Forgotten in the Mix
People born on Dec. 25 are overshadowed by the holiday
Last year’s cause célèbre was the name-changing of the towering spruce in front of 30 Rock to “The Tree.” This year, the title’s been restored to the “Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.”
With at least that War On Christmas battle behind us, I would like to take up a new banner: sensitivity to the segment of our population who are always overshadowed by the holiday festivities because they share their birthday with Christ. Read more
Cocktails For Your Angry House Guests
Classic holiday drink recipes sure to stoke the palate and political arguments
By Josh Perilo
Monday lunches, for me, are usually spent stocking and ordering wine, a tedious task that can be the bane of any wine director’s existence. Afterward, I’ll often sit at the bar and have a bite to eat in the quiet of a Midtown Monday post-lunch lull. Across the bar from me is the usual Monday bartender, Jesse. Read more
Gift Guide 2010
$10 and Under
Christmas with the Puppini Sisters
$10.99 at Barnes & Noble, 33 E. 17th St. (betw. Broadway & Park Ave.), 212-253-0810
We can’t decide if the Puppini Sisters are sultry goddesses of music sent to save us from a season of hellishly dreary hymns. This trio has reworked dusty old carols into playful, jazzy exercises of honest-to-goodness holiday cheer. Lone original composition “Step Into Christmas” could force a smile on any Scrooge’s face, even if he was being suffocated by a crush of last-minute shoppers. This is one pop-jazz holiday record actually worth a listen. Read more
CENTRAL PARK LIGHTING CELEBRATION
Central Park will host its 14th annual holiday lighting event from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Dec. 5, in the Charles A. Discovery Center, located at 110th Street in the northernmost part of the park. Read more
Meaningful Holiday Traditions
To quote the greatly missed Fred Rogers, “We’ve got a lot to talk about.” Like the still-glowing-through-mid-January Park Avenue Memorial Trees, the city’s most meaningful holiday tradition. After sundown, you just must experience this reverently beautiful scene. Again, because so many still don’t know, these trees honor all who made (and are sadly still making) the ultimate sacrifice in this nation’s wars. Lest we forget, this sacred tradition was begun by several city mothers who lost their beloved sons in World War II. Read more
Ask The Vet: Pets as Presents
Remember that neat gadget gift you got last year from your friend? I’ll bet by now it has lost it appeal and is either collecting dust on a shelf or has been re-gifted.
Imagine if that “gadget” were living, breathing and had four legs and a tail? Now what? Read more
That December Glow
“I wish that glow would never fade away,” is a line from the lamentably overlooked Perry Como song, “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Forever,” featured in all his Christmas shows. It is a CD I most heartily recommend.
It’s all about the glow December bestows—in the lighting, the music and more frequent smiles and kindly exchanges. Whatever our background, we are affected by places, sounds and social mores whether we know it or not. Read more
