Christmas Eve Past & Present – Caroling under the Washington Square Arch This Christmas Eve, December 24th, 5 p.m.


An annual tradition, Caroling under the Washington Square Arch, will take place Thursday, December 24th, 5 p.m.

Last Christmas Eve, I stopped by the Caroling under the Arch. The door was open on the right side of the base of the Arch where there are stairs that lead to the top. It was hard to resist the urge to dash up! As the caroling ended, it began to rain and people dispersed quickly.

I wrote at the time:

The rain held off until just as the music ended. Afterwards, a woman with her children (maybe they missed the caroling?) sang their own carols under the Arch. Two people appeared practicing Tai Chi against the inside ‘legs’ of the Arch. There was basically no one else left at this point.

This photo was taken afterwards; it had started raining and the crowd had dispersed but there was something almost meditative and redemptive about the rain against the backdrop of the decorated tree and the magnificent Arch(now out from under its gates), amidst the close-to-deserted Washington Square Park on Christmas Eve.

Looking for some holiday spirit? Get some via this delightful video featuring the Mounds, children sledding and a snow-covered Washington Square Park, from last year’s Christmas Eve blog entry.

Note: The Mounds are currently under construction and will be recreated in Washington Square Park Redesign:Phase II with some (controversial) new features, including the use of artificial turf.

Have a great holiday and best wishes in the New Year!

New Blog Postings Resume in the New Year 2010.

Photo: Cat

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