Amy Newmark - Christmas is in the Air: 101 Stories about the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Is in the Air

101 Stories about the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Amy Newmark

Published by Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC www.chickensoup.com

Copyright 2020 by Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

CSS, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and its Logo and Marks are trademarks of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC.

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the many publishers and individuals who granted Chicken Soup for the Soul permission to reprint the cited material.

Front cover illustration of buildings courtesy of shutterstock.com/Shafran ( Shafran), illustration of Santa courtesy of shutterstock.com/AVA Bitter ( AVA Bitter), illustration of snowy hill courtesy of shutterstock.com/Nopi Pantelidou ( Nopi Pantelidou), illustrations of children courtesy of iStockphoto.com/Vect0r0vich ( Vect0r0vich)

Back cover illustration of snowy hill courtesy of shutterstock.com/Nopi Pantelidou ( Nopi Pantelidou), illustrations of children on sled courtesy of iStockphoto.com/Vect0r0vich ( Vect0r0vich)

Back cover and interior illustration of Christmas tree courtesy of iStockphoto.com/Maria Voronovich ( Maria Voronovich), interior photo of Santa hat courtesy of iStockphoto.com/ZaharovEvgeniy ( ZaharovEvgeniy)

Photo of Amy Newmark courtesy of Susan Morrow at SwickPix

Cover and Interior by Daniel Zaccari

Distributed to the booktrade by Simon & Schuster. SAN: 200-2442

Publishers Cataloging-In-Publication Data

(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

Names: Newmark, Amy, compiler.

Title: Chicken soup for the soul : Christmas is in the air : 101 stories about the most wonderful time of the year / [compiled by] Amy Newmark.

Other Titles: Christmas is in the air : 101 stories about the most wonderful time of the year Description: [Cos Cob, Connecticut] : Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, [2020]

Identifiers: ISBN 9781611590708 | ISBN 9781611593044 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Christmas--Literary collections. | Christmas--Anecdotes. | Miracles--Literary collections. | Miracles--Anecdotes. | Gifts--Literary collections. | Gifts--Anecdotes. | LCGFT: Anecdotes.

Classification: LCC GT4985 .C456 2020 (print) | LCC GT4985 (ebook) | DDC 394.2663/02--dc23

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020942115

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Feeling that Christmas Spirit

Christmas in New York

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.

~Hamilton Wright Mabie

W hen my daughter Jessica and daughter-in-law Kathy proposed an early December trip to New York as my Christmas gift, I jumped at the chance. A life-long Midwesterner, Id never been to the Big Apple but had always dreamed of visiting.

As we planned our itinerary, I discovered that New York was a prime Christmas destination, which meant bookings filled up fast. This knowledge doubled my excitement but added a touch of apprehension. Ive never been fond of wall-to-wall crowds, even back then before the pandemic. If thousands of strangers crushed into one small area, would it make our visit a less pleasant experience? I didnt mention my worry to the girls, and we penciled in activities for every moment of our brief stay.

On departure day, we waited at the gate to board a full flight. A group of women around my age chattered non-stop. They wore matching green T-shirts printed with the New York skyline and Girls Trip 2019. I struck up a conversation with one of them. She said, We do a Christmas trip every year. This one has been on our bucket list for a while. We began to compare notes on what we planned to do. By the time our plane landed in New York City, I felt like the ladies had morphed into friends.

After checking in at our hotel, Jessica, Kathy, and I headed for Times Square. The place was crammed with people, but that didnt interfere with me admiring the huge video billboards that surrounded us. We snapped selfies on Broadway, and I ogled the ball that drops every New Years Eve. Then we moved along with a sea of people to Rockefeller Center, where an enormous decorated evergreen tree astonished me. A stranger from Japan took photos of us in front of the tree, and we did the same for her.

We met a British couple and a family from Mexico. Id never heard so many different languages in one place. French, Italian, German, Japanese, British English, and Spanish were all represented, plus languages I couldnt begin to identify. Despite the crowded conditions, people smiled and waved as though they were recently connected family members. The girls and I joined the throng as we bustled through famous department stores that I never dreamed Id see in person. We oohed and ahhed in front of countless windows decked out in holiday themes as we walked down Fifth Avenue, and then we strolled down legendary 34th Street toward Macys.

One evening, the girls and I bundled up against the crisp night air to make our way to Radio City Music Hall. The Rockettes put on a captivating show to a full house. Everyone in the audience was given a Santa cap to wear. We all had something in common a funny hat and a huge smile.

The next day, we embarked on a whirlwind trip through the city on the upper level of a double-decker bus. We tourists scootched over to make room for each other and then all of us craned our collective necks to see the sights. Once again, we helped each other. Language wasnt a barrier at all. Someone would point to a camera and grin. Everyone got the message. At the end of the frosty ride, most of us ended up in the same place a crowded restaurant serving cups of steaming hot chocolate topped with fresh whipped cream.

On our final afternoon in the city, the girls and I waited for a cab to take us to the airport. I got emotional and a bit teary. The past few days had been more than an amazing experience. Id been given the unique opportunity to meet fascinating people who represented more countries than I could count. Here we were, all of us together celebrating the most wonderful time of the year in one of the most iconic cities on the planet. No barriers. No politics. No arguments. Only a sense of peace and joy.

In the soft glow of the season, my small-town Midwestern heart learned that even an ocean of people could become companions instead of strangers. We were fellow travelers who shared the same path, creating countless memories in the magical yuletide spirit of one unforgettable Christmas season in New York City.