The reason that New York City is so crowded during the Christmas and holiday season is that there is so much to see and to do! The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is one of the things that you don’t want to miss. It’s a classic. That’s why I was so excited when my family attended a special MSG Entertainment sponsored bloggers’ party followed by watching a performance of the Spectacular.
There were several bloggers at the event whom I had never met before along with some of my favorites – Isabel, Kelcey, Onica and Victoria. It was fun for my entire family (my husband doesn’t attend a lot of things) to be able to see some of the people that I interact with on a consistent basis. As I typed that last sentence, I realized that my husband holds out for the best events…hey! Anyway, there were a bunch of fun activities at the party.
-The kids took photos with Santa and the Rockettes. Before we went, Michael declared that he was not going to go anywhere near Santa. However, he was one of the first kids to go jump on Santa’s lap. (Normally, I would be concerned if my son was so eager to sit on some stranger’s lap, but it was alright this time. It was “Santa”.) Later, Santa and one of the Rockettes stopped by our table. It was cute to see the kids whisper what they wanted in his ear. They don’t really believe in Santa, but I guess that they figure the more people that they tell what they want, the better chance they have of receiving it. (It just so happened that Santa Daddy and Mommy are getting them what they desired with one exception. On a total side note, does anyone know if the Sunny Patch Kids television show has toys? Sean keeps asking for one, but I don’t think that they exist!)
-Then they decorated cupcakes from Magnolia bakery. My sons primarily like the frosting on any cupcakes. Once the frosting is finished, they are too. Oh well…I liked the entire cupcake.
-Lastly, they were able to make some crafts with ideas and materials from Kate’s Paperie. I LOVE Kate’s Paperie stores. They are like drug stores … I could spend all day in one of them. As the kids created cards (Michael did a “Thank You” one for his aunt while Sean did a “?” one for my visiting mom), I realized that I need to expand their art drawer. There were so many adorable stamps, blank card stock and such that I had to pull myself away.
Then, it was time to go and see the show…
I mentioned on an earlier post that my husband had seen the Spectacular as a young kid. (It really is a New York tradition.) We were waiting for our kids to be a little older so that they could enjoy the show. I asked one of the organizers what was the best age to start bringing kids. She responded, around three. I would agree with that. Sean (who is almost three) enjoyed the show equally as well as Michael (who is almost six).
Before I went to the show, I read this interesting article which provided a Jewish perspective: A real showstopper. Prior to reading the review, I though that the show was all about Santa, the Rockettes and the Wooden Soldiers. I didn’t realize that at the end it actually showcased the true reason for the season (the birth of Christ). I could see how it would be disconcerting if I were a viewer that did not believe in Christ. However, as a Christian, I was excited to see the portrayal. I was not disappointed. My family loved the bright lights and splashy numbers during the majority of the show. (There’s even a 3-D element to the show this year!) I was also really impressed by the Christmas nativity scenes at the end. It wasn’t long, but the depiction was beautiful. My kids asked, “Is that baby Jesus? Why is everybody staring at Him?!” As a Christian, that is the point of Christmas – to “stare” at Jesus/ to remember that He was the greatest gift of all time. That is why I am so glad that my family was able to experience this together. (If that message is not what your family wants to share with your kids, I totally agree with the Jewish writer’s perspective. You would probably want to leave after Santa leaves the stage near the end of the show.)
I have already shared one Spectacular discount on this post. They also gave me the following discount for Mom in the City readers:
Now through Sunday, December 6th we’re offering Orchestra tickets starting at $49.99! This offer is valid for 32 performances of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular playing between now and December 13 at the legendary Radio City Music Hall. Use code NOV when purchasing tickets. If you’d like to see a full listing of the valid performances, click here: http://www.radiocity.com/tickets/promotion.html?p_id=NOV
(I would advise comparing the two offers and seeing which one makes the most sense for your family. Enjoy!)
Thanks to MSG Entertainment for the event, show and gift bags for my kids. This was an amazing NYC experience.
