The Bucket List: Christmastime in NYC

Everyone knows I’m a small-town kid.  City life just isn’t for me.  I tried it on for size in my college days, but as soon as I could get my butt back to “the sticks”, I did so.

That doesn’t mean I don’t occasionally like to visit, though.  Shopping trips, movie trips, dinner trips… As long as I don’t have to stay long, I do enjoy a foray into the city once in a while.

Lately, I’ve been dreaming of an extra-special city trip that has made its way onto my Bucket List.  I don’t really have much on my Bucket List, but there are a few things on there – a trip to Hawaii, a trip to Memphis to visit Graceland, seeing Bruce Springsteen live in concert, and most recently, going to a taping of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

A year ago, the Jimmy trip wasn’t even on my radar, but as you all know, it was around this time last year that I started falling head-over-heels madly in love with him.  Without even intending to do so, I caught him hosting the Christmas episode of SNL (the first time I ever watched a whole SNL!), and from then on, I was hooked on Jimmy.  I started PVR’ing Late Night, and then, of course, transitioned to The Tonight Show when he moved on up.  I never miss an episode.

All year, I’ve thought of how much I’d like to go to NYC to see a live taping of The Tonight Show.  But in recent weeks, I’ve decided the NYC trip also needs to happen at Christmastime.

The inspiration hit me when I heard them running a contest on the New Hot 89.9 to send a lucky winner to New York City for the lighting of the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center.  That’s when it struck me… If I’m ever going to see Jimmy Fallon, I want to go at this magical time of year.  I mean, my favourite Christmas movies all seem to take place in New York City – Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York… And there’s a reason why!  That city just oooooozes with Christmas spirit! I love the idea of being in NYC at this time of year.  The lights and the window shopping and the ice skating… it would simply be a pure Christmas miracle for me!

I have been to New York City once before – on a school trip, in Grade 10 - and ever since, I’ve said I’d like to go back again some day, but on my own terms.  As it turns out, I think “my own terms” definitely means going at Christmas.

So yes, that has now become a big item on my Bucket List.   Perhaps the biggest thus far.  I want to visit NYC in December, when the city is alight with Christmas magic.  I want to go to a taping of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on a Friday, when he does his Thank You Notes, and maybe even during The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters.  (In a perfect world, I would actually WIN the Christmas sweater and have Jimmy slip it on me, of course.  Oh, and he’d play the hot sax, too.) 

I would want to visit all the main attractions – the big tree and skating rink at Rockefeller Center, window shopping on 5th Avenue, sit on Santa’s knee at Macy’s, and strolling through snowy Central Park.  I want to EAT at COOL PLACES.  I might even try to figure out how to get into the audience for that Christmas episode of Saturday Night Live.

I don’t foresee this trip happening anytime soon.  It’s gonna take some coin to make this Christmas Trip to NYC happen, and, let’s face it, that’s a department I’m severely lacking in.  But honestly, it’s something I would LOVE to do.

That’s what I’m dreaming of on this Eve of Christmas Eve…