The autumn leaves may have fallen but the Christmas lights have definitely been put up. With Christmas songs softly bringing me in and out of sleep, I flew into New York City with festive spirits.

I’m a lucky girl to get to experience the city that never sleeps just a few weeks before Christmas. Manhattan is always buzzing but the city’s energy level is turned up 10 notches around the Holidays. With the stores busier than ever and window displays that look like they came out of a Christmas morning special on TV, December is truly a magical month in New York.

My time there began in the evening, after a lovely dinner at Spice Market in Chelsea Market, NY. After a delicious dinner and a round of drinks at a nearby pub, I headed to the Christmas tree and ice-skating rink at the Rockefeller Center. The rest of the night was spent admiring the decorations adorning the shops on 5^th Avenue. When my friends and I tired of that, we lingered beneath bright billboards in Time Square until midnight hunger pains prompted us to visit the nearest Chicken and Rice food stand. Although it was 2am when I returned to the hotel, the night was still young in New York City.