As I mentioned (and you may have seen on Instagram), we’ve just spent a week in New York. We had a wonderful time visiting favorite old haunts and taking in all of the holiday decorations; it was so nice to spend a week in a city we know so well. It definitely made it easier for us to go at a toddler’s pace without any regrets about skipping over some things. Still, I can’t lie: it has been a rough transition home for Hudson! I’m not sure if it was the time change or the consecutive weeks of vacation, but coming off of this trip has seemed more jarring than most. So it’s nice to look back at these pictures this morning, and remember why this is all worth it!
Because the trip felt like a bit of a homecoming, and because I’ve posted about many of these places before, I’m going to be referencing a lot of previous links where you can find more details if you’re planning a trip of your own.
I had some initial hesitations about making the trip to Santaland: the New York Christmas tradition is notorious for long lines, crowded elevators, and over-eager elves. And then there was the high probability that our toddler, who most likely wouldn’t remember any of this by the following year, would cry at the sight of that big, bearded fellow in a red suit.
And yet, in spite of these very reasonable reasons to stay away, Aron and I felt compelled. How often will we be in New York City with a young child at Christmastime? We had to see it! Natalie Wood and little Ralphie… David Sedaris and a singing Zoey Deschanel… they all compelled us.
Here’s the thing: Activity-wise, it was possibly the highlight of the trip!
The weekend before Thanksgiving, we paid a repeat visit to Miller’s Citrus Grove—a 5-acre citrus farm from where we’ve (for years) been gifted, and from where we’ve (now) purchased delicious, sweet Mandarins. It’s always a pleasure to go to the source—which, in this case, is about 40 minutes away in Placer County, roughly 30 miles east of Sacramento. The fruit is left to ripen on the tree, so it’s exceptionally sweet.
As with the previous year, something in the golden, setting sun said fall, while the start of the mandarin season beckoned winter.
