There was no Santa Claus at the flagship Macy’s store, no Rockettes dazzling audiences with sky-high kicks at Radio City Music Hall. Broadway stayed dark…
View More New York’s Pandemic Christmas: Muted Cheer, but Some Stick to TraditionsTag: Christmas
Images of Light: Christmas Services Penetrate Darkness Around the World
Christmas falls on one of the darkest days of the year, coming soon after winter solstice. This year, it also came during a dark time…
View More Images of Light: Christmas Services Penetrate Darkness Around the WorldScenes From a Pandemic Holiday Road Trip
The roads were icy in Frostburg, Md. In Jolly, Texas, the mood was somber. Still, despite a season filled with challenges at every turn, by…
View More Scenes From a Pandemic Holiday Road TripWhy Virtual Religious Services Aren’t Enough
When our congregation, Church of the Savior, moved to online services some nine months ago, our family tried to keep things normal. We had the…
View More Why Virtual Religious Services Aren’t EnoughHow the Virus Stole Christmas
Our attitude toward Christmas evolved, in America, into an all-out everything but the gifts. For most people, I suppose a gift exchange is the point.…
View More How the Virus Stole ChristmasFor Christmas, Pastors Offer Comfort and Joy in a Somber Season
When the Rev. Timothy Cole learned he had Covid-19 in early March, it was the first known case of the virus in Washington. Mr. Cole,…
View More For Christmas, Pastors Offer Comfort and Joy in a Somber SeasonThe Forgotten Radicalism of Jesus Christ
Jesus must have understood that we human beings battle with exclusion, self-righteousness and arrogance, and have a quick trigger finger when it comes to judging…
View More The Forgotten Radicalism of Jesus ChristDear Santa, Why Are You Behind Plexiglass?
Santa Claus is different this year. He wears a mask and his lap is mostly off limits. Outdoors he waves to boys and girls from…
View More Dear Santa, Why Are You Behind Plexiglass?A Middle-Aged Christmas
Marching toward middle age is sequence of older-than moments, when you realize that you’ve passed some famous age that seemed impossibly distant as a child.…
View More A Middle-Aged ChristmasHow New Yorkers Are Coping with Holidays Alone
On March 12, I took my last subway ride home from work. I was listening to John Cale’s “Dying on the Vine” while standing in…
View More How New Yorkers Are Coping with Holidays Alone