Results tagged “christmas”

       

Last week the new Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrived at 30 Rock after being torn from its roots in Easton, Connecticut. It will now have until December 2nd to be adorned with lights (last year folks were not impressed by the energy-efficient LED lights), before being plugged in for holiday revelers to enjoy. Here's some history on the tree tradition, which started about 77 years ago — and a look back at trees of the past (in 1938 there were two!).

It's not even Halloween yet and Christmas has already popped up on Court Street in Brooklyn! Pardon Me For Asking has photos of the festive decor, have you seen any more around? Send us your photos of any over-the-top or way-too-early holiday decorations. We haven't spotted nearly enough haunted houses this year.

A Queens couple received an unexpected visit on Christmas Eve after putting their four young children to bed. But instead of a joyous drop-in from Santa Claus, the two men at their door were in what appeared to be NYPD uniforms. And yet instead of taking care of official police business, the pair broke into the couple's home, tied up and pistol-whipped Robert Kapovic and then robbed his home while whispering to his wife things like, "Do you ever want to see your kids?" The happy ending to all this is that police were able to track down Nicholas Papaleo and Constantino Christo after Kapovic broke free once they left the almost four hour robbery and led police to them with his OnStar while tailing the burglars. Cops were able to recover all of the couple's loot along with the two bullet-resistant vests bearing the NYPD logo, two BB guns resembling NYPD-issue pistols and two authentic-looking badges. The News headline calls the pair "home-invading Grinches" and thankfully Queens DA Richard Brown clarifies, "They acted like the Grinch in the Dr. Seuss classic, 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas.'"

Two men were shot in the head and found dead just after midnight on Christmas in front of the apartment of one of the victims in the Jamaica section of Queens. Police are still investigating and have not revealed any motive behind the shootings of 42-year-old Andre Stokes and 34-year-old Jamel Griffin, both of whom the Daily News notes "had troubled pasts with numerous arrests." Griffin left behind a young son and was expecting another. Murders and shootings have risen in Jamaica this year. Griffin's grandmother, who previously lost a 15-year-old son to a shooting said, "There is nothing worse than losing your child to a gun."

If you were too scared to see what, say, Target looked like earlier this week, Brownstoner has some shots of their Atlantic Center outlet on December 23rd—and it ain't pretty. While the empty shelves and picked over clothing racks might make them wonder "what recession?"—we wonder if it's because prices were really low or if the store didn't bother to stock back up. Either way, it's likely to look the same today: Black Friday 2!

    

There is actually quite a lot out there for tourists and locals seeking diversion in New York City today. Many Broadway shows are still performing, though at different times than usual, and TKTS in Times Square will be selling discounted theater tickets from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (The Brooklyn and South Street Seaport locations are closed.) There are also a couple performances of The Big Apple Circus scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. And the Radio City Christmas Spectacular isn't about to let a national holiday get those gams down; there are three performances today at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Merry Christmas! It's bright and sunny in New York, with a high of 45 degrees (it may be windy). We hope your enjoy your day.

             

Click on each image for more on this week's releases.

To celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah, you may have noticed that the Empire State Building's lights have been split: Two sides are blue and white (for Hanukkah) while the other two are red and green (for Christmas). The lights remain split through January 6, 2009.

The Times takes a look at a tradition followed by the city's 45 marshals, who take a break from evicting tenants for two weeks every year around the holidays. The unofficial "eviction moratorium" isn't sanctioned by the city, and the marshals insist it has more to do with year-end paperwork than any Christmas spirit. But one marshal, 31-year veteran Danny Weinheim, admits to having a bit of a heart: "Could you go into an apartment with a Christmas tree and evict everybody and be Scrooge? I wouldn’t do that. It’s Christmas Eve. I’m Jewish, but it’s still Christmas Eve." The article also gives an insightful peek at the makeup of the city's marshals: two have Ph.D.’s, one was an exterminator, and another was a haberdasher before taking up one of the most hated occupations. And one unnamed marshal will be breaking ranks and carrying out evictions this week (it's said he has a heart two sizes too small).

Last night Top Chef celebrated the holiday season, and even though the episode was filmed sometime in July (check out the cheftestants summertime gear)—Christmas miracles were abound! Or at least forced down viewer's throats like Sous-Vide Duck with avocado foam.

[UPDATE BELOW] A reader sent us this photo, taken by a friend, of a special edition Starbucks menorah cup, which supposedly contained the chain's "Hanukkah Blend." This individual claims he bought it at an unspecified location on the Upper West Side, where the barista told him "we're serving it at Starbucks in Jewish neighborhoods for the next two weeks."

          

Every Christmas residents of the predominantly Italian-American community of Dyker Heights in Brooklyn try to outdo each other for the most epic light display. And they're certainly not about to let a little economic meltdown spoil the festivities; this year's displays are as spectacular as they were in the year 2000, when the hilarious documentary Dyker Lights was filmed. (It airs again on PBS Thursday night!)

              

Once a year a large troupe of handmade Saint Nicks flood the city with red, white and green. SantaCon is taking place right this second, after being kicked off at 10 a.m. at 33rd Street and 6th Avenue. Expect for these marathon Santas to pop up on the subway, in the bar and of course the city sidewalks. As the site notes: "They will shrivel at the end of a frantic 15 to 48 hour life cycle, gorging on booze, fornicating, and spreading an overwhelming stench of cheer." Here are some photos from the scene so far today...

It's that time of year again when everybody's looking for a handout, and those of us with means are expected to dole out extra cash to the help as thanks for simply doing their jobs. And just because this sucker's going down, that doesn't mean you're off the hook when it comes to holiday tipping, or so says the rich liberal elitist media. Despite citing surveys that at least 30% of respondents plan on tipping less (or zilch) because of the recession, the latte sippers at WABC insist "you've got to do your best to give something, particularly cash."

      

While some folks were out en masse to encourage New Yorkers to "Buy Nothing" yesterday, the Volunteers of America kicked off the holiday season by sending their Santas down Fifth Avenue for the 104th Sidewalk Santa Parade in hopes of discovering the spirit of generosity as the holiday season got underway.

While most retailers are worried that Black Friday will leave them deep in the red, Christmas tree sellers are now sounding sanguine, with a perfectly objective source at the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association telling the Post, "In times like these, it's natural to fall back on events that are comfortable, like traditional holiday celebrations." Adding to the optimism is the fact that lower gas costs will mean cheaper trees than last year. And then there's the green angle; one forestry professor opines: "Purchasing a real Christmas tree is a great way to make a positive impact on the environment." Of course, trees are great for the environment when they're alive, so many environmentalists recommend buying a living tree. Which doesn't really fly in New York, since most of us don't have a place to plant them. So here are details on the city's annual MulchFest.

If the the tanking economy or decline in Santas and Christmas trees isn't enough to take the yuletide spirit out of your holiday shopping this year, a mall in Staten Island has found a new way to spruce itself up for the season: putting up mug shots of shoplifters. The Staten Island Mall is giving everyone a look at thieves who were caught stealing there by placing the crooks' photographs up on advertising boards throughout it. DA Daniel Donovan has developed a program that digitally mixes the images of shoplifters in with ads for shops within the mall.

       

Barney's went back in time a few decades, while Lord & Taylor kept it traditional, but what are other department stores choosing for their holiday window themes? The Macy's windows were unveiled last night, with all elements seeming to emanate the magic of Christmas! The AP notes that the company was going for "a behind-the-scenes look at the magical ways the elements of Christmas such as snow, stars, tinsel and ornaments are created." Take a look, and if you see any smaller scale holiday windows in your neighborhood, be sure to tag your Flickr photos with "Gothamist"!

Those blissed-out Christmas tree sellers from Quebec who camp out on every other corner this time of year are worried that the economic tailspin is going to seriously harsh the holiday vibe. Scott MacKinnon of Elite Balsam Products tells the Daily News that everyone's "a little bit nervous." In order to appeal to budget-conscious tree buyers, vendors have cut prices by 25% by buying cheaper trees. But other sellers are exhibiting unshakable faith in New Yorkers' need to fill every cranny of their apartments with balsam fir needles. One big seller in the city, Dr. Jane Waterman, insists that after three decades in business, her best season was right after 9/11: "In bad years, we find people buy trees and cut back on what they spend on gifts." Plus, "We're thinking everyone is so excited about the end of the Bush regime and the election of the first black President that they'll buy trees."

Patchogue's annual holiday-timed parade will not have fireworks this year after famous fireworks company Grucci (which does the Macy's July 4th show) has pulled out, upset that the parade lost "Christmas" from its name. Newsday reports that last year's Patchogue Christmas Boat Parade (named so at the request of Grucci, which donated $5000) is now the Patchogue Holiday Boat Parade, after complaints that the parade wasn't being inclusive enough. Grucci VP Philip Butler took offense, saying, "They are using all the themes of Christmas and plagiarizing all those themes and not using the name." Yes, like a Santa on a yacht! The Patchogue mayor isn't too upset, "When I think about fireworks, I don't think about Christmas anyway - I think about the Fourth of July."

It's the first day of Fall and Target is already counting down the days to Christmas. One shopper spotted this jolly 'ol snowman, amongst the other seasonal characters, just a row or two down from the Halloween candy. Sure, shops are notorious for getting lots of play out of the profitable holidays, but according to Santa's clock, there are still 93 days to go til the big day.

Don't have a Valentine's Day card yet? Print out this page, cut out the cards and give it to yourself! You can also download EPS versions of these Valentine's Day cards immortalized on the Simpsons' episode, I Love Lisa, at deconcept.

MUSIC: Come enjoy the Whitney after dark tonight as the museum's live showcase series invites Dan Deacon (pictured) to the stage. If you haven't seen Deacon before, get ready for some Casio keyboard electro-rock compositions and an art dance party.

Commemorative sweatshirts and hats haven't been so popular since... the Yankees won the World Series in 2000! All around the region, Giants Super Bowl XLII Champions clothing and doodads attracted long waits and some empty hands.

When it comes to sushi our tastes skew authentic. Mackerel. Amberjack. Occasionally a tuna and natto hand roll, not Christmas or Dragon rolls. Nevertheless, Gothamist remains a sucker for a gimmick. So when Sakae Sushi, a Singapore-based kaiten – or conveyor belt sushi restaurant – recently opened its first New York City location we couldn’t wait to tear open our disposable chopsticks and begin grabbing tasty morsels as they paraded down the runway. Midtown Lunch’s sneak peek and a perusal of Sakae’s 30-page menu, with everything from typical nigiri-zushi to oddities like corn salad sushi, as well as ramen and yakitori added to the intrigue.

Last night, the G'Day USA Australia Ball was held at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, concluding Australia Week festivities. But the week held sadness, after Australian actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his Soho apartment on Tuesday. At the ball, Australian Counsel-General John Olsen read an unexpected letter from Ledger's father Kim:

"Heath is, and always will be, an Australian.

Continue reading "Father Remembers Heath Ledger "With His Skateboard, a Canvas Bag and His Beanie""

Thank goodness the weather is warming up this week - who knows how many kids will decide to see if their tongues will really stick to a frozen flagpole? Because that's what two boys in Indiana did. It's unclear if double-dog-dares were involved.

Another pot farm bites the dust: A small fire in Queens led the Fire Department to over 200 marijuana plants growing inside a home.

Looks like someone took that pirate trend a little too far. The NY Times is reporting on Brian Markey and Owen Cahillane, who are sailing the high seas in their floating abode. Okay, no sailing is involved, but the two roommates, recently transplanted from New Orleans and channeling the spirit of Davy Crockett, live day in and day out on a houseboat in the Bronx.