The Jolly Season

Christmas is upon us. The signs are every where. After two weeks in the USA I arrived home yesterday to find our Christmas assembled and taking pride of place in the living room. Garry had clearly been busy while I was away. I was able to complete its decoration with a special purchase from New York – a large, silver star from Macy’s Department Store’s Christmas Shop.

Earlier in the week I’d dropped into Macy’s to purchase some leather gloves. The store was decked out in all manner of Christmas garlands including a spectacular central aisle on the ground floor. The aisle had been transformed into a glittering red carpet lane framed by row after row of red ribbon arches and potted poinsettias.


Macy’s Christmas Shop was simply dazzling. Dozens of brightly decorated Christmas trees lined another red carpet aisle, each displaying a unique seasonal theme. Here you could purchase a traditional tree tastefully covered in delicate silver baubles; or perhaps a tree smothered in tiny Santas, porcelain angels or any other combination of glittering ornament. The Yuletide fare on offer was staggering.

Perhaps the most unexpected display in store was New York’s famous New Year’s Eve Times Square Ball. For 99 years, at 11:59pm, a giant ball has descended a mast atop the One Times Square building counting down the final moments of the old year. Millions of America's traditionally welcome in the New Year by watching the event on television. To mark the ball’s 100th anniversary, Waterford Crystal has created a spectacular new ball for 2008.


This new ball is made from 672 crystal triangles crafted in Ireland, each lit by a sophisticated LED coloured lighting system. The new system allows the ball to project 16 million vibrant colors and billions of unique patterns. The resulting light show is truly mesmerizing.