I'm relieved this week is over. Well, not in real life. More in the blogging sense. I don't know how many times I can post about not celebrating Christmas. Thankfully, I live in New York City and this city celebrates Christmas enough for all of us. 

It's impossible not to view the holidays in NYC as a little magical, especially when you are viewing them through the eyes of a three-year-old. That's Mazzy up top getting her first view of the tree in Rockefeller Center. 

Wondering how I got her there? Did I brave the subway and the crowds with a toddler and a newborn on foot?

NOPE.

Grammy picked me and the girls up in her car, drove us to midtown, and then dropped Mazzy and I off. While the two of us raced around Rockefeller Center taking in the sights (ice skating rink, tree, Sak's 5th Ave Holiday Light Show, the Lego Store, etc.), Grammy and Harlow circled the area in the car.

When you've lived in New York as long as I have, you learn how to make things happen in the most efficient manner possible. Toddlers have a short attention span anyway. 

What else did Mazzy see in NYC this holiday season?

That's the Helmsley building all lit up on Park Avenue, Christmas tree shopping on 1st Ave outside of St. Marks Church, a hot chocolate booth in the Union Square Holiday Market and a random marching band playing Christmas tunes we stumbled across in the neighborhood.

Speaking of the neighborhood, the East Village has become ground zero for New York City's SantaCon. If you've never heard of it, SantaCon is a bar crawl where all the participants wear Santa suits. It's gotten exponentially bigger in the past couple of years, to the point where we can't leave our apartment without getting trampled by a pack of drunken college kids in fat suits.

This was our neighborhood on Decmeber 15th:

Here's Mazzy watching Toy Story with her friend Charlie on the Upper West Side. Charlie's mom finally made her childhood dreams come true by getting a pink tree. Mazzy approved wholeheartedly and deemed it "The Pinkalicious Tree".

Last Friday, we decided to leave the city and spend a few days (including Christmas) at my father's empty summer house in the Hamptons.

Coming from a two bedroom apartment in Manhattan, the house felt tremendous and we honestly did not know what to do with all the space. Here's Mazzy being literally dwarfed by her surroundings…

She even found a huge stuffed bear in the basement which quickly became her best buddy. Although, you'd never know it from the side eye she is giving him in the picture below.

At the house, there was no tree, no decorations, and no presents but we had good friends to visit out there and plenty of electronic devices to keep us entertained.

That's Charlie and Mazzy again watching Team Umizoomi, in a photo I have entitled, "Is this even legal?"

In fact, I believe the defining part of our whole vacation was that we did away with all screen time restrictions (for both Mazzy and us) which might make us terrible parents but gave us a much needed break.

The other thing that gave us a break over the holidays was my decision to get a baby nurse. (Harlow's acid reflux was putting me in a bad place; more about that next week.) We only had the nurse for two nights but it was enough to bring back my sanity, save my marriage and stop me from wanting to lock my children in the basement, which is all that counts.

To top it off, it even snowed on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, it started after Mazzy went to bed and was gone by the time she woke up. But I've got photo evidence…

If you want to read more about my holidays (or lack there of), I was rather prolific on Babble this week. Check out…

I Got a Baby Nurse for Christmas

'Tis the Season When Electronics Have No Limits

Celebrating Christmas with Your Kids When You Don't Celebrate Christmas

If you've heard enough about the holidays and would prefer to read about something else, you might want to check out…

Who Said Motherhood is Beautiful?

What Mazzy's Been Up To

If you don't want to read anything else, especially anything ABOUT ME, I'll just leave you with one more photo of Mike and Harlow on Christmas morning…

Even without presents and a tree, the holidays can't get much better than that.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you back here next week!

— Mommy Shorts