It's difficult not to get carried away by Christmas in New York. On prominent street corners, Christmas trees are massed for sale, sending the bracing fragrances of pine, fir and spruce into the air. On the streets, vendors roast chestnuts and brew spiced apple cider. The stores try to outdo each other with lavish window displays. Almost every building is decorated with a big, red bow or an enormous wreath.
Shoppers jostle for space, carrying glossy packages.
The Salvation Army Santas ring their bells. Sometimes it even snows. If you're an Australian and your idea of a Christmas tree is the scraggly bit chopped off the top of a pine, the array of different foliage available in New York is utterly tantalising, although it doesn't come cheaply. And then there are the decorations - it's unacceptable to bung on a bit of tinsel and hope for the best. People spend weeks planning their tree-trimming and then they throw a party for it.