Christmas chill

I have my annual bout of man flu contracted from a severe lack of sleep and staring into the bottom of too many empty glasses. Despite me eulogising the virtues of the Bermudian weather last week, it has got decidedly chilly and the temperature is expected to bottom out at below 50 (10°C) at the weekend.

Contributing to my sorry condition was this last weekend in New York, where the winter has truly settled and I did myself no favours by getting wrapped up in a humungous night out on Thursday. My daughter must have been very proud of me as she crawled around the hotel room bathroom while I clung, sweating, onto the toilet seat Friday morning. Added to this, work has finally taken off again, after too long of a quiet spell.

My punishment Friday was lining up in Macy’s waiting to see Santa Claus. I couldn’t look him in the eye when he asked me if I’d been good but he was kind enough to let me sit on his knee.

Christmas shopping had to be systematic and business like as 1-year old daughter was not in the mood for mooching up and down 5th Avenue. Despite the recession, increased air fares and a weaker pound, English shoppers were out in force but hopefully they managed to break themselves away from the department stores and catch a glimse of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree (photo), the skating rink at Bryant Park and the wonderful Christmas Market in Central Park, where early Sunday morning film crews were recreating the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade for next year’s movie Tower Heist starring Ben Stiller.