ABC Wednesday—X is for "Xmas"

I love to walk around my "brownstone
Brooklyn" neighborhood and see
how people have decorated for the holidays.
I like all the white lights on this house
(and even the random leftover pumpkin)!

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Home for the Holidays

The mood is festive at Penn Station in New York, 
as the decorations welcome visitors 
(and those of us returning home) to the 
city during the holiday season.

[Linking back to Blue Monday 
 at Magical Mystery Teacher.]

Deck the halls with . . .

berries and bulbs and . . . orchids.
I pass this flower shop near Grand Central
Terminal nearly every day.  They
always have orchids on display, but for
the holidays they add all this plus

glittery white branches and
poinsettias too.  Their
windows are always a bit over
the top—in a good way.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday
and Our World Tuesday.]

It's all about the ribbon

I love wrapping gifts (can you tell?)—I'm
a happy girl when I'm in the presence of presents.
Hope all of you who celebrated yesterday
had a very Merry Christmas.

And Happy Boxing Day to all my "British Empire" buddies.

[Linking back to Pink Saturday.]

Happy Christmas!

Another Fifth Avenue holiday window.
If you're celebrating today, I hope 
you're having a blessed Christmas—and one
filled with family, good food, and fun.

[To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

This is the Graybar Building (more about
their "rodent problem" after the holidays)
—all lit up for Christmas in New York.

[To see more Weekend Reflections,
visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge

This Thursday Challenge is meant to be
another of my favorite photos, but instead
here's one of my favorite moments of
this day—the anticipation when the presents
are all wrapped and just waiting for the
family who will arrive any moment to spend
the day here at my house.
A very merry holiday to all of you!

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.] 

Colors of the Season

They've washed the whole place in red light 
here at the New York Palace Hotel.
(I love it when New York goes a little bit 
overboard with holiday decorations.)

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

How the Parisians deck the halls

Or, more exactly, how they decorate one
small section of the Champs-Elysées.

[To see more Blue Monday posts, visit Smiling Sally's meme.]

Cyclamen

Given my choice of Christmas flowers
(well, the ones I associate with the holidays—
poinsettias, paperwhites, Christmas cactus),
I'll take these bright pink cyclamen, please.

[To see more of Today's Flowers, go here.] 

The Weekend in Black and White

iPhones and iPads and laptops—oh my!
The Apple store in Grand Central Terminal
has been doing a brisk business lately.
(Although, honestly, it can look pretty much this
crowded on any given weekday of the year.)

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.
Also linking back to the B&W Photography Project at PODcast.]

Weekend Reflections

One more image of the season—this year, Bloomie's
gave their holiday windows an international
flair.  This ode to Italy was my favorite.

[To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

9 days 'til Christmas . . .

Most of the cards are written, some presents wrapped,
the tree is up (thank you, Katie, my strong, tall girl!),
and waiting patiently to be trimmed with the
ornaments we've collected over many, many years.
So much to do, so little time!

[Linking back to Monday Mellow Yellows,
Macro Monday, and Mosaic Monday.]

Getting ready at Rock Center

Passed through Rockefeller Center recently
on my way to work.  These guys were busy setting up
the angels in the Channel Gardens while others were putting
the 30,000 lights and 550-pound Swarovski star on
the tree—which will be lit tomorrow night.
(And I will not be among the anticipated tens of
thousands who will attempt to witness it!)

[See more Ruby Tuesday posts here. To see
more of Our World Tuesday, go here.]

Christmas at Cartier

No, it's not the "red light district"—it's the
high-rent district!  The Cartier store on
the Champs-Elysées is awash in holiday color.

[It's Ruby Tuesday. To see more, go here.]

Happy Holidays . . .

. . . to all of you, wherever you are,
from me here in New York City.
(Hope you enjoy this colorful view
looking south down Park Avenue.)

[Today is also Ruby Tuesday.  To see more
posts with a lot—or just a bit—of red, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
but it's not in the forecast—which
is probably just as well. After all, I want
my family to be able to get to my house!

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Tower of Flowers

And this isn't even the only 16-tiered poinsettia 
tree  in the lobby of this midtown skyscraper.  
I just love the city all decked out for the holidays!

[It's Ruby Tuesday. To see more, go here.]

'Tis the season . . .

. . . to put up the tree and fight with those
strings of lights again (if they still work
since you put them away last year, that is).
I finally got a good fake that has the lights already 
installed. Now these old lights live under a glass 
globe year-round and they're all tangled up on purpose!

[To see more Mellow Yellow Monday posts, go here.
To see more Macro Monday pics, visit Lisa's Chaos.]
  

Merry Christmas

Hope you're having a lovely holiday,
filled with family and friends and good cheer.

[Today is also Shadow Shot Sunday. To see more, go here.]