Memories to Create By

Walking home from Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street to 72nd and First Avenue was quite a walk. I was a young woman and was so thrilled to be living and working in New York City in the winter that I hardly noticed the chill in the air. My first Christmas living in Manhattan was so exciting, my roommate and I were planning the office Christmas party at a wonderful club and we had the most beautiful Christmas tree in our new apartment.




We spent our Saturdays ice skating at Rockefeller Center, and looking in all the decorated store windows. We dreamed of romantic dates with our boyfriends riding through Central Park in the Hansen cabs parked in front of the Plaza Hotel.


Every night I would walk home from work along Fifth Avenue until I reached Tiffany's and then head toward 72nd Street. I turned down Madison Avenue so I could walk passed the wonderful stores. My favorite was a shop called The Gazebo and they sold the loveliest things and very crafty looking Christmas ornaments, which were hanging on my own tree that year.






My birthday is in December, and I will never forget when my boss took me to Tavern on the Green for lunch to celebrate. The Crystal room is a beautiful room surrounded by floor to cathedral ceiling windows. It looks like a crystal fairytale and the Christmas garland is hung in such a manner that it frames the room like icing on a wedding cake.


That year the Crystal room was decorated in soft pastels and the tree had ornaments reflecting the same soft colors. Snow cascaded through and around each branch on the Christmas tree, which stood in the center of the room. The accents of the aqua, pink, silver and mint green ornaments looked like a dream. I even remember that on that day I was wearing winter white slacks and I had on a white angora sweater with a design made up of the same pastel colors that were all around me in that room. I remember memorizing each detail and embracing that moment.















Every year during this season I begin making things for Christmas. This Christmas I designed a canvas with White Christmas scenes celebrating the same soft pastel colors that I remember from my lovely Christmas memory. Tinsel and garland add the sparkle that I remember so vivivdly at the Tavern on the Green. I used sheet music and snowflakes as the background to try and capture the magical feeling of that special White Chrismas.


It always takes my breath away when I walk though a beautiful memory tucked safely within my heart. The memory can be brought back to life in a new creation and I can find the music to complete the image, like today's creation reflecting the beauty of a very special White Christmas. The music for this post is White Christmas, and this version seemed to truly embrace the same thrill of Christmas that I felt that year.


Now I am off to make more canvas winter wonderland scenes for Christmas presents and to get lost in beautiful memories.