'Tis The Season

I have never been a big fan of the Christmas season. When you grow up without you learn to appreciate the little things. We did not have much money so Christmas wasn't really an exciting time of the year. In fact for a young girl it was very stressful. "What did you get? Where did you go? were the questions following the winter break. I usually did not go back to school for a few days and my answer was always the same, "I just wanted clothes" My daughter is spoiled and it is all my fault. I never wanted her to grow up with the same complexes I had to endure. Now I am a better person for it but as a child I never thought not having money would better me as a person. It has and I never take anything for granted. In the summer, I try to catch as many sunsets as I possibly can. I stand outside in rainstorms and sit by the shoreline just to watch the waves roll in. Living in the city can be tiresome and noisy so I tend to spend my days reflecting in the parks. These are my moments, these are the things that soothe me. I can hold a sunset in my mind forever. The newest iphone will be replaced with a newer version in mere months but you can always count on that sun rising and setting everyday. As I said before my daughter is spoiled. There aren't many teenagers that walk into their mothers bedroom, plop down and say "I haven't been to a broadway show in ages, maybe we can take one in." Now in her mind she doesn't realize each ticket will cost close to $200.00. In her mind, Mom will get the best seats and take her to see whatever show her little heart desires. She would be right too. Will she get that new iphone....No! I have priorites and so will she. My child is given the gift of NYC and all it has to offer. At fourteen she has spent more time in the city, in Central park and in the museums than most adults have. A  show is culture, sleeping in the Museum of Natural History is an experience most people will never get to enjoy, but she has. it is one of the reasons I still live here. It upsets me when I hear people are bored. I am a jaded New Yorker, all its novelty has gone away. I don't like the tourists, the stigma surrounding New Yorkers annoys me and I have seen and done all there is to do. Am I proud of living here? Of course I am proud of growing up here but I am still saddened that I continue to live here. I am reminded of the stories of small town people who want to get out of their one horse town. Shake the dust off their clothes, pack up their bags and their hopes and dreams and head over to the big city. I see them daily trying to change my city into something more acceptable for them. They will never really fit in as much as they try to. You can spot them oohing and ahhhing at sites. I don't know about you but if you have seen one skyscraper you have seen them all. Times Square can be quite a sight when you first see it, but not as much if you saw it 20 years ago. Now thats a sight! I kind of miss the grimy, tawdry and scandalous Times Square. I do miss my days in Central Park though; You can go a thousand times to Central Park and still discover something new. It is truly our city's greatest attraction. I stay in Brooklyn mostly and hope to one day leave the city and move to the West Coast which is the small town dream of this city girl. No more winter, no more trains and no more snow! This Christmas as I do every Christmas, I will be giving my daughter the gift of being a New Yorker and we will go see a show, have dinner and make fun of the tourists. We no longer travel by mass transit so afterwards we will get our car from the lot, battle traffic and head back to our small town we lovingly call Bay Ridge. We will talk of shaking the grime and grit of the city. There will be hopes and dreams of a small house with an actual yard, with real grass, close to a beach. Someday we will say, someday we will escape this concrete jungle and the City will only be in our memories. Merry Christmas!