‘Twas the night after Glöggfest, when all through the flat, not a creature was stirring, not even a rat.”

Holidays in NYC are not milquetoast Middle America. They are citified, but not necessarily fancified. In New York, rats and Ratkings live alongside Whos and Sugarplum faeries. But we all make merry in our own way…and sometimes the inexplicable vortex of good spirit (if you’ve spent some time here, you know what I mean) brings us all together at the same time, in the same place, in a singular festive mood.

The 106thstreeters have been ‘Tising and ‘Twasing much during this holiday season. Partly due to the well stocked bar we keep here (from Absinthe to Zoco), and partly due to the fact that we are shameless holiday nerds, our long winter’s nap following Glöggfest 2010 led us to the 4pm reading of A Visit from St. Nicholas/The Night Before Christmas at the evocatively named Church of the Intercession. The Episcopalians do many things right–priests can marry (straight/gay/lesbian); rituals that satisfy those prone to extravagance; a great musical tradition (some of the best organs in the country and lots of singing).

December 19th brought the 100th annual reading of A Visit From St. Nicholas by actor Malik Yoba, followed by a passeggiata of the over 700 glow stick wielding ‘Twasers to the Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum and the grave of Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863) who penned the poem. Hot chocolate and wine flowed following our return; truly something for everybody. And one of everybody was in attendance. A Noah’s Ark of humankind. Ah, New York. Say Amen.

Even St. Nicholas walks everywhere in New York. C. Nelson, 2010.