SantaLand.

i love christmas in new york.

i love walking around the city...the crisp, cool air...

walking past the windows...



watching the skaters in rockefeller center...



walking past st. patricks cathedral...and radio city music hall...



browsing the craft fair in union square...



but more than anything...i love going to visit santa in SantaLand!!



this is casey.

she also loves SantaLand.

although she is confused whether SantaLand is one word -- or two

i am confused by plastic elves with automated phelanges...



but i do enjoy a good fish pop...



for those of you may be unaware...SantaLand is conveniently located in the heart of New York City...

Macy's.

Eighth floor.

Right across from Au Bon Pain.

this is where Natalie Wood first met Kris Kringle...



and discovered the true meaning of christmas.

this was especially meaningful to casey in her childhood because casey (aka cassandra) is Puerto-Rican and natalie wood played one of her people in the film version of West Side Story.

so we set out to find santa and discover the true meaning of christmas.

we walked into a little train car...with motion-simulated windows...



and arrived in the north pole...right at the entrance to...



we then continued on a path through a magical world filled with ice-skating bears...



enchanted trees...



dancing canadians...



and an inexplicably stationary polar bear...



but we were thrown a little off track by an unpredictable jack-in-the-box...



and these people...



but we knew we were getting pretty close to santa when we passed the elves busy at work!



we were almost there...



a friendly elf led us around a corner...and there he was...SANTA!!!



santa asked us what we wanted for christmas.

casey told santa that she wanted a new bicycle. and tapas.

i told santa that i didn't really know what i wanted...but that i would be unemployed in march, so a new job come spring would be nice.

then santa gave us puzzles.



what a great day at SantaLand!