The Chosen: Season 1, Episodes 1-4

**All photos and videos used in this post are courtesy of The Chosen. I do not own any of them.**

Thanks to all you read my last post. I didn't know if anyone would actually take the time to read it. I get passionate about some things and pour my heart into talking (writing) about it, then realize that other people might not care. Lol. 

Sorry for the delay. It took me longer to do this recap than I thought. I kept going back and forth how I wanted to post them. At first, I was going to do one episode per post, but that would take forever, so I'm going to do four episodes a post. Obviously, this post is going to have spoilers, SO, if you think you want to watch the show, I encourage you to watch the episodes first. Like I mentioned before, they have a free app (click here) where you can watch the episodes. I know season one is on Netflix and I think it's also on Amazon Prime.

If you want a detailed recap of the episode scene by scene, I'm sure you can find those online (just Google The Chosen episodes recap). My recaps are gonna kind of be all over the place but if you know me, this won't surprise you. I tend to be all over the place telling a story. Lol. 

If you are a person who doesn't care about spoilers (or if you have already watched the show), keep on reading. But grab some snacks first, because this going to be a long post. 

DESCRIPTION: Two brothers struggle with their tax debts to Rome while a woman in the Red Quarter wrestles with her demons.

We meet a lot of characters in episode one-which is one reason I got confused the first time I watched it. But also, to be honest, I wasn't paying super close attention the first time I watched it (because I thought it was going to be your typical "cheesy Christian" production). 

Here is a breakdown of some of the main characters we meet:
Nicodemus: A leading Pharisee from Jerusalem and a prominent member of Sanhedrin. 
Simon (Peter) and Andrew: Two brothers who are fishermen in Capernaum by day and gamblers the rest of the time. Like most of the Jewish community, they are drowning in tax debt.
Matthew: A young man who is a tax collector in Capernaum, because even back in the 1st century, the government demanded the payment of taxes.
Gaius: A Roman centurion assigned to guard Matthew's tax booth.
Quintus: A Roman magistrate in Capernaum and the Praetor of Galilee (AKA, the one demanding the taxes). Heads up- he's the bad guy you love to hate.
Eden: The wife of Simon (Peter). 
Shmuel: A Pharisee in Capernaum who studied under Nicodemus.
Zohara: The wife of Nicodemus. 

Lilith: A woman suffering from demon possession. 

Rifka: A friend to Lilith.

Jesus: I assume everyone knows who He is. :)

CLIFF NOTES SUMMARY:

The show starts with a flashback to a little girl talking to her father. When she says that she's scared, he has her quote scripture from the prophet Isaiah. "Thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." (Isaiah 43:1)

The scene flashes forward, and we see an adult Lilith covered in blood with no memory of what the demons caused her to do the night before. Meanwhile, the great Nicodemus is touring Capernaum with his wife and is stopped by Praetor Quintus. He wants Nicodemus to help him collect all the unpaid taxes from the Jewish community. 

Matthew is pushed and spit at as he walks to his tax booth, which is guarded by Gaius. He is considered a traitor by his fellow Jews and it becomes apparent he is liked by no one. Simon (Peter) and Andrew struggle with their tax debts to Rome and spend time gambling in hopes of making enough to pay off the debt. This gambling includes fighting with Eden's brothers. Nicodemus is ordered by Rome to go to the Red Quarter to perform an exorcism on Lilith. When it doesn’t work, he leaves saying only God himself can save her. 

When Andrew tells Matthew he is unable to pay his past due taxes, Simon steps in and tells Matthew that he has an arrangement with Quintus, so they don’t have to pay. Simon’s arrangement is to let Quintus know the Jews fishing on Shabbat (Sabbath) but Andrew disapproves, considering it a betrayal to their friends and fellow Jews. 

Lilith has lost all hope of ever being healed and is sitting in a bar. As she leaves the bar, she is followed by a man (spoiler- it’s Jesus). He then calls her Mary (of Magdala), and she stops. It's obvious that no one in Capernaum knew her real name. He quotes the same scripture that her father taught her many years earlier. He then places his hands on her head, freeing her from the demons that have tormented her. This scene is so powerful that I have to show a video and not a gif. This scene is when I decided The Chosen was going to be different than any show I had ever seen.

 

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

When I recommed the show to someone, I always tell them that the first time I watched episode one, I was confused, and it wasn't until the end when I was like, "oh, okay, I think I see what's going on." I know some people will start a show, and if they don't like it within 15 minutes, they will stop watching. KEEP WATCHING THIS ONE. This show is going seven seasons, so they take a bit of time introducing you to the characters. And yes, episode one is a little slow at first, but the show will pick up. Trust me.

Knowing what I know now, I think this episode does a great job of introducing the viewer to the characters. Yeah, when you first watch it, it's a little annoying that you don't quite know who is who or what is going on- but it will eventually make sense. I feel if they had rushed it in episode one, it wouldn't have worked as well. Of course all of this is in hindsight. And, as I stated in my previous post, the writers have added some content and characters that are not in the Bible. They are not trying to ADD to Scripture, they are just trying to make the stories come to life. Another thing I like about this show is that they don't speak in "Old King James" speak. For those who don't know what that means, this is Isaiah 43:1 from the King James version of the Bible: “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” They DON'T speak like that- they speak in "modern" terms and use modern phrases. They do that so people can relate to (and understand) the show. 

DESCRIPTION: Matthew validates Simon's claims with Praetor Quintus. Nicodemus investigates the miracle reported in the Red Quarter, and Mary receives surprise guests at her Shabbat dinner.

New characters in this episode:

Mary: Technically we met her in the first episode as "Lilith", but from now on, she's Mary (Magdalene).

James and John: Two brothers living in Capernaum who run a fishing business with their father. This James will later be known as "Big James". 

Zebedee: Father to James and John.

Barnaby: Friend of Mary Magdalene.

Shula: Friend of Mary Magdalene.

James: Student of the rabbi Jesus. This James will later be known as "Little James". 

Thaddeus: Student of the rabbi Jesus.

CLIFF NOTES SUMMARY:

Mary Magdalene (formerly Lilith) prepares for Shabbat dinner. Matthew confirms Simon’s agreement with Quintus is true. Simon continues to spy on merchants, all while buying them drinks at a local bar. He runs into fellow fishermen James and John, and their father, Zebedee. 

Nicodemus hears about a miracle in the Red Quarter. When he confronts Mary to see that she is indeed healed, he is surprised to hear that someone else was responsible for the miracle. 

Nicodemus leads a Shabbat dinner with the other Pharisees. Matthew approaches what we learn is his family’s home to observe Shabbat with them, but decides not to go in, and eats dinner with his dog. 

Mary hosts her first Shabbat dinner with her friends Shula and Barnaby. She receives surprise guests, two young men named Thaddeus and James. When Jesus shows up to the dinner, we discover they are students of his. After leaving Shabbat dinner early, Simon is approached by the Romans at the Sea of Galilee to spy on the merchants again. 

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

This episode definitely moves faster than episode one. For those who know the Bible, it's kind of exciting to see the disciples slowly introduced. While these back stories in the show aren't necessarily the true backstories of the disciples (because we don't know them), it makes you stop and think who they were before they met Jesus. The first time I watched it, I kept thinking, "This is a Jesus show, and they have barely shown Jesus." Don't worry- they show him more as the show moves on. The show is focused on showing Jesus through the eyes of those who knew him best, so we have to get to know those people first. I also like the humor that they throw in the show. While Barnaby is a minor character, he does bring "comic relief" to his scenes. *Note: This video isn't the best quality, but it was all I could find on YouTube. The actual episodes look better than this.*

DESCRIPTION: Jesus befriends and teaches the group of children who discover His camp on the outskirts of Capernaum.
New characters in this episode:
Some children from Capernaum. 

CLIFF NOTES SUMMARY:

Jesus has set up camp outside of Capernaum. A little girl named Abigail discovers the camp and is intrigued by all the tools and brings her friend Joshua to see it. Jesus befriends Abigail and Joshua, as well as their other friends. The children help Jesus on his work as he teaches them about love, prayer, justice, compassion, faith, and wisdom.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:This is a short episode but I thought it was good. If only we were so eager to learn from Jesus like these children were. :) The timeframe of this episode seems to be the same as the first episode, because there is a scene where the children ask Jesus where he was the day before, and he said he had to go help a woman in need. I assume we are to believe that is when he went to Capernaum and healed Mary Magdalene. Also, episode four picks up where episode two leaves off, so I feel that episode three takes place at a different time (and not right after episode two). That is something super minor, but I still felt like mentioning it.

DESCRIPTION: With his life and family under threat from Rome, Simon spends one last night fishing in a desperate attempt to square his debts. Andrew spots a familiar face waiting for them on the shores of Galilee. 
New characters in this episode:
John the Baptizer: A wandering preacher in the wilderness, who baptizes on the Jordan River. He is the cousin of Jesus. 

CLIFF NOTES SUMMARY:

Simon has a change of heart and misleads the Romans to save fellow Jews from being caught fishing on Shabbat. Shmuel tells Nicodemus about a baptizer on the Jordan River. Matthew tells Quintus that Simon is not reliable, so Quintus has Matthew follow him to keep track of his actions. 

Simon tells Eden they are in danger of losing their house if he doesn’t catch enough fish to pay off his debt. Andrew runs to Simon exclaiming that they are saved, as his rabbi John the Baptizer has identified the Lamb of God, but Simon (who called the baptizer "Creepy John") doesn’t believe him and leaves to go fishing. 

Later, Andrew, Zebedee, (Big) James, and John arrive to help Simon fish, but they catch nothing all night. In the morning, they think the Roman soldiers are there to arrest Simon, but it turns out to be someone teaching to a crowd. Andrew recognizes the teacher as Jesus, who asks to preach from their boat so the crowd can hear him. After the sermon, Jesus tells Simon and Andrew to cast their nets again. They catch so many fish that their boat starts to sink.

         

Simon surrenders himself to Jesus. Jesus calls Simon and Andrew, and James and John to follow him. They join Thaddeus, Little James, and Mary, who were all listening to Jesus teach. After witnessing the miracle, Matthew is shocked by its impossibility. Meanwhile, Nicodemus visits the imprisoned John the Baptizer to ask about miracles.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

The "miracle of the fish" is one of my favorite scenes in season 1. It was so well done. I watched the behind the scenes of the filming of it, and it's just amazing how it turned out. That video is here, but I recommend watching the scene first before you see how they made it. It just shows the quality in the production of the show. It's hard to pick a favorite character in this show (my favorite changes every time I watch it), but this episode is where I really starting liking Matthew. Yeah, he's hated because he was a traitor by being a tax collector (and for spying on Simon). Back in those days, tax collectors were the worst. Not only did they collect taxes that people owed to Rome, but they would charge them more and keep that extra money for themselves. So yeah, not a nice guy. But in this episode you can see that Matthew starts to question what he is witnessing. The wheels are starting to turn in his head. I should mention (because it took me until episode four to figure out) that they are portraying Matthew as having Asperger's Syndrome. This has been met with so much positive feedback by viewers and fans. I have family members and friends on the spectrum, and I like that they have a character that they can relate to. The actor who plays Matthew does a PHENOMENAL job in this role. I know I have given you a lot of videos to watch, but check out this interview with Paras Patel, the actor who plays Matthew. At some point, I'm going to have to do a post or two about the actors who portray these roles, because they are all AMAZING. I'm not just saying this because I like the show- I'm really blown away with the talent they all have. But I'll wait a while. I think after I finally recap all the episodes, y'all will want a break from me talking about the show. :)

Stay tuned for my next post where I wrap up season one with a recap of episodes 5-8. I mentioned before, each season has eight episodes. 

XOXO!
Rachel

Hello Blogging, My Old Friend

I have been meaning to post on here for a while (aka 10 months), but it seems my dedication to blogging isn't what it used to be. To be fair, when I started blogging in 2009, I wasn't really on social media that much, and this was my outlet to post "random" things. Now I do that mainly on Twitter and Instagram. That being said, I'm still keeping my blog around (so it's not going anywhere, nobody panic), and I hope that one day I'll get back to updating it on a more regular basis (I think I've been saying that for five years, hopefully one year it will stick). 

ANYWAY, now that the yearly pie crust promise of "I promise to blog more" is out of the way, let's move on.

So, if you follow me on social media, you might have noticed over the last 10 months that I'm a big fan of the TV show The Chosen. Quick shameless plug: Twitter- follow me here, Instagram- follow me here. I have a TikTok but am too old to figure out how to do cute videos, so I'm just on it to watch videos my friends send me. Lol. But if you want to follow me in case I ever figure it out, my user name is averyfan33 (because someone else had taken the handle of averyfan. RUDE).

To some people, my posting about The Chosen kind of came out of nowhere, so I want to give a little backstory on how I discovered it, why I waited so long to watch it, my reasons for watching the show, and then I'll eventually recap the episodes. Don't worry, it won't all be in THIS post. I figured if I started some kind of "post series" I would be more inclined to update the blog more. We shall see. So, let's get started!

Courtesy of The Chosen

A quick summary for those of you who are like "What is The Chosen?" The Chosen is the first multi-season series about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, told through the eyes of those who knew him. I know, some of you are going to stop reading here as soon as I mention it's a show about Jesus. You are saying "That's so Rachel" to talk about Jesus. I know, but stick with this post a little longer. Please. Don't make me beg. I spent a lot of time writing it.

Okay, THAT BEING SAID, the creator of the show, Dallas Jenkins, has stated MANY TIMES- this is NOT the Gospel word for word. This is NOT a replacement for Scripture. AND, they are NOT trying to ADD to Scripture. There are characters and accounts in this show that are NOT found in the Bible. At the end of the day, THIS IS A TV SHOW. Let me say it louder for those in the back. 

THIS. IS. A. TV. SHOW. 

They have made this abundantly clear from the beginning. They are just trying to bring these historical figures "to life" so they can be relatable to people today and encourage people to read the Gospels for themselves. Before the first episode, they even put up this disclaimer. **Side note: If anyone associated with The Chosen randomly finds this post, I hope it's okay that I use these images. I'll be sure to credit y'all.**

Courtesy of The Chosen

Rachel, how did you discover The Chosen? 

I'm so glad you asked. I'm going to be honest. I first started seeing ads for it pop up on social media in early 2020. Y'all remember 2020, right? The world was on fire and we were stuck inside, unable to appreciate getting out of our homes and living our lives? Just in case you forgot, I wanted to remind you. The ads starting popping up, and I kept scrolling (like I do with most ads on social media) so I wasn't even sure what it was originally. I eventually realized it was a show about Jesus. So hear me out. At first I was like, "no thank you." NOT THAT I DON'T LOVE JESUS, BECAUSE I DO. BUT, in my experience with watching faith-based movies/shows, they are usually, well, cheesy (sorry God). I've seen my fair share of Jesus movies (this comes with being a preacher's kid), and don't get me wrong, they have a good message and all, but they just ooze with, well...corniness. Jesus and the disciples are usually a group of white British guys speaking in old King James talk and just seem so one-dimensional. You can't relate to them at all. My other thought was if Hollywood was creating it, they would probably do something in the show that made me mad (because Jesus is rarely a priority in Hollywood), and I just didn't have time for that in 2020. Okay, I had a lot of time in 2020 because we weren't doing anything else, BUT I never have time for nonsense. 

Rachel, what made you finally start watching The Chosen?

Y'all have great questions. To be fair, I had several friends mention The Chosen to me for over a year. Probably closer to a year and a half. And I gave my typical "Oh I'll add it to my list" answer that I give anytime a show/movie is recommended to me. Sometimes I plan to watch it, sometimes I just say that to move the conversation along. DON'T ACT LIKE YOU ARE BETTER THAN ME AND DON'T DO THE SAME THING. I was in a wedding in June of 2020 and received a DVD for season 1 of The Chosen in my groomsmaid* gift bag. I went home and put it on a shelf, with every intension of eventually watching it (no seriously, I was going to watch it at some point). And it sat there. For a year and a half.

Fast-forward to November of 2021. I was visiting my folks for the Thanksgiving holiday and my sister Martha came over one evening (she lives next door to them). She said that she and her husband had watched a show called The Chosen and we should check it out. I said I had heard of it but had never watched it. So that night I decided to spare my dad of having to watch another Hallmark movie (which is usually what my mom wants to watch), and I suggested we watch this "Jesus" show. At that time, we watched it on an app that I subscribe to called PureFlix (more about that app on another day). Quick side note: I found out weeks later that The Chosen has it's own FREE app where you can watch the show. Stay tuned to this post, I'll talk about that at the end.

I will shamefully admit that the first time I watched episode one, I wasn't paying super close attention. My A.D.D. took over and I was on my phone and looking up every so often at the TV (because I still wasn't convinced that it wasn't going to be cheesy). I'll get into episode one later on in another post, but I will say, the ending of episode one made me go, "oh, maybe this is going to be better than I thought." We ended up watching the first four episodes that night, and finished season one the next day (there are eight episodes in each season).  

Rachel, you are borderline obsessed with this show, why do you keep watching it?

Whoa, hey now, "obsessed" is a strong word. The main reason I keep watching this show is simple- it's GOOD. It's not cheesy. There is even humor in it (because I would like to think that Jesus loved to laugh). The writing is superb and the production value is Hollywood quality (if not better). The acting is masterful (to quote my dad). Yes, 95% of the show is made up by the amazing writers BUT I don't take the episodes as Gospel truth and I don't watch the show in place of reading my Bible. It has made these historical figures I've been reading about my whole life even more real to me. Growing up, I have always thought of the disciples as being "old men". Mainly because that's usually how they are depicted in illustrations (I'm looking at you, Leonardo da Vinci). But in reality, the disciples were very young. Like in their twenties (maybe even teenagers). This series shows them as young men. And they aren't portrayed by a bunch of blonde-hair, blue-eyed actors either. 

Courtesy of The Chosen. This is Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew.

Also, I've always thought of the disciples as just followers of Jesus (which they were), but I never thought about the lives they had BEFORE they met Jesus. The show gives these characters a back story. While the ones in the show might not be completely accurate, they make the storylines something that could be plausible. There are some disciples that all we get is a name in the Bible, nothing else about them. Now we get to think about who they might have been. We see what their relationships might have been like as well. They weren't perfect. I'm sure they argued and got on each other's nerves. And they probably didn't like each other at first. I will also sheepishly admit that before the show, I couldn't remember all 12 disciples. I knew the big ones- Matthew, Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, and of course Judas Iscariot. But the others I was "iffy" on. Now I know all their names. 

Courtesy of The Chosen

I mentioned that The Chosen has a FREE app where you can watch all of season one and season two. Also right now it has the first five episodes of season three. This Sunday they will add episode six, and then later on episodes seven and eight will be added. They hope to start filming season four later this year. They plan to do seven seasons. Fun fact- they film most of the show outside of Dallas in a town called Midlothian. If you are interested in checking it out for yourself, go here. It will tell you how to download to your phone/Roku/Firestick/smart TV. Like I said, it's totally free. You don't even have to give them an email address if you don't want to. If you decide to watch it and want to discuss specific episodes with me, you know where to find me on social.

There are so many other things that I like about the show, but I'll have to divide those up over the other posts. This post has already gotten super long, and I don't even know if anyone is still reading. If you are, God bless you for sticking around. Much love.

*I know some of you probably saw "groomsmaid" and were like, what the heck? Well, when one of your guy friends gets married and wants you in his wedding, you get to be a groomsmaid. Basically, I was the only member of the groom's party wearing a dress. And I have to say, being in the groom's party is so much less stressful than being on the bride's side. I've been in 427 weddings (give or take) and being a bridesmaid/maid of honor can be SUPER stressful, especially the day of the wedding. On the groom's side, we were chilling in the groom's changing room, laughing and throwing back Dr Peppers for two before the wedding. I think I only want to be a groomsmaid moving forward. Lol.

XOXO,
Rachel

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm loving...

That I've stuck to working out multiple times every week so far this year. I've mentioned it before but I really like the app FitOn. It's free and has so many workout videos by different trainers (that way you don't get bored doing the same video over and over). 

Stats from last week

I'm loving...

That I've been able to see more friends lately. And even though I've been able to hang out with friends over the last two years (despite the pandemic), it seems more and more people are comfortable going out and doing things again. And pretty much everyone is hugging again!! NATURE IS HEALING!

I'm loving...

My new bobblehead. My friend Moose bought it for me months ago, but due to the high demand for it, it was just mailed last week. I love it so much! Oh, and side note, Norma's Cafe redid their menu, and I'm shook. Lol.

I'm loving...

This company- 1836 Farms. It's a local company near Dallas and in my opinion, their milk tastes better than any milk I've ever had. I found it at my local Kroger but per their website, they even deliver. I love the glass bottles. And I love that you can give the empty bottles back and get $2 off your next purchase. Although I have kept some of the bottles because they are super cute, and hello- they are TEXAS related. :) I will find a way to use them for decoration. Or maybe a flower vase. And yes, I, the chocolate milk snob who has NEVER liked pre-made chocolate milk, LOVES their chocolate milk. It's like drinking a milkshake. It's just amazing.

I'm loving...

That I found out that the Dollar Tree sells books. And yes, they are only $1.25 (because the Dollar Tree should now be called the Dollar Twenty-Five Tree). Lol. 

What are YOU loving today?

XOXO!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Well, 2022 hasn't been that great so far, but I want to try and focus on positive things, so I decided to try and get back into my habit of blogging more than once a year. I'm falling back on my old favorite, What I'm Loving Wednesday.

I'm loving...

That I've stayed on track with my workouts so far this year. Yes, I know, we are only three weeks in, but still, it's a start. I know I've mentioned it on here before, but I LOVE the app FitOn. It's free, and you get so many workout videos by different trainers (that way you don't get bored doing the same workouts over and over). You can select what type of videos you want: the area you want to target (abs, legs, arms) how long you want the video to be, the trainer you want, etc. I HIGHLY recommend them. All of the trainers are great, but my favorite is Kenta. He's amazing and he's so encouraging. 

I'm loving...

This Etsy shop: Crafty Crutch Stuff. I discovered them last year when I was on Etsy searching for Atlanta Braves stuff. I found a Braves gnome they had made and decided I needed it. I loved the quality so much I reached out to the owners to special order a Rangers gnome (which they made and sent to me in less than two weeks). The owners are super nice. I recently purchased some of their kitchen towels and another gnome. In one of my purchases, they threw in a free bar of their homemade soap, which smelled AMAZING. I highly recommend this shop. If you know me, you know I'm all about supporting small businesses. If you want a gnome with a specific sports team or design, you can reach out and ask for it. If you order anything from them, let them know that Rachel sent you! :)

I'm loving...

Mr. Ballen's YouTube Channel. My neighbor introduced me to Mr. Ballen last year and I binged watched all of his videos in like a week. If you are a fan of the strange, dark, and mysterious delivered in storytelling format, Mr. Ballen is for you! Here is a sample of his videos. And yes, he really is a former Navy Seal (the second video will explain that).

 
      

I dressed up as Mr. Ballen for Halloween at work last year. Lol.

I'm loving...

The Jurassic World Exhibit-I went last week and had a lot of fun. The last day for the Dallas exhibit was this past Monday, but if you ever see it near you, I recommend going. It is something that is enjoyable for people of all ages.

I'm loving...

That I'm finally working on all the scrapbooks that I've been talking about completing for the last 100 years (okay, maybe not that long). I've had stuff in a box for twenty years from middle school and high school and am excited to get it cleared out and in an album. 2022 is the year of organization for me!

8th grade Pep Squad Officer Rachel

What are YOU loving today?

XOXO!

Christmastime in New York City

I know, I haven't touched this blog in a year. I'm so ashamed. Here's hoping 2022 will be the Year of the Return of the Blog. I think I said that last year, but hopefully I'll mean it this time. :) 

But for now, I did want to post at least once in 2021, so I figured I would post about my trip to New York City from earlier this month. Unlike last year, I was able to take a few big trips this year.

My niece Alice and I (we are six years apart) starting planning a Christmas NYC trip in December of 2019. We originally had planned to go in December of 2020, but we all know how 2020 went. THANKFULLY we got to go about a week before things started shutting down again this month (because I would have been devastated if we had finally gotten there only to have everything get canceled on us). 

I had been to New York City twice before, in 2007 and in 2018, but had never been at Christmastime, and that was something on my bucket list. Yes, I have a long bucket list.

We landed mid-afternoon on Dec. 8 and had just enough time to check into our hotel before we headed out to meet my friend Cara for dinner. Cool story about my friend Cara- I "met" her last year when my friend Eric starting having Facebook video group calls with a few of his baseball friends. It was something to do during shutdown, and I was able to meet some amazing people. She and I realized we had so much in common and became fast friends. We were both super excited to finally meet in person. 

Me and Cara-the best of friends finally meeting in person!

We ate dinner at an amazing Sicilian restaurant called Norma (not the same as my Norma's in Dallas, but still good) and were able to get a mini tour from Cara around her part of NYC. While we were out walking, it started raining lightly. Alice and I were like giddy little kids when the rain turned to snow. It only snowed for a little bit, but we got to be in NYC in winter and it snowed. The trip was a success at that point, and we had only been there a few hours. Lol.

We were very happy we bought warm winter jackets for our trip. We definitely needed them for the majority of our trip.

Snow!

Since I had been to NYC before, I made sure Alice got to see everything she wanted to while we were there. The first stop on our first full day was the Statue of Liberty. I went in 2007 but was excited to go back. We booked tickets on the first ferry of the day. I highly recommend going early in the day- it won't be as crowded. Last time I visited the Statue of Liberty, the pedestal was closed, so I was looking forward to touring that. The crown is still closed, so that wasn't an option for us. Let me tell you-it was freezing. It was 24 degrees, the wind was blowing, and we were by the water. We decided not to complain about our 75 degree winter in Texas after that moment. 

On Liberty Island

When we got into the pedestal, there was a sign that said it was 176 steps to the top of it and we thought, "oh, that's nothing, we will take the stairs instead of the elevator." By the fourth flight of stairs, we were regretting that decision (as you will see in a photo below). Lol. But we persisted. The view from the pedestal was great, I'm glad we got to go up it. I bet the view from the crown is even better, maybe one day I get to see it. We also went to the new(ish) museum on Liberty Island, which was cool. The original torch is on display there, as well as a replica of Lady Liberty's foot (I did a comparison with my foot). I even earned my junior park ranger badge. This is a long story that started earlier this year on my baseball road trip with my friend Lisa. I'll try and recap that trip at some point so you can see how my goal to become a junior park ranger at national parks is now a thing. Lol. 

Liberty Island

We spent more time at Liberty Island than I thought we would. We had plans to meet my friend Eric for lunch, but we didn't leave Lady Liberty until almost 11, and we still had Ellis Island to visit. We told Eric lunch was going to be late. We didn't get to spend as much time as we could have at Ellis Island (honestly you could spend a whole day doing both). But it was still cool to visit again- some of it I remembered from my 2007 trip and some of the exhibits and layouts were newer and not familiar to me. And yes, I got my junior ranger badge. 

Top: My trip in 2007. Bottom: My trip this year.

It's crazy to think how many people passed through this room on their first stop in America.

Pretty sure if all the other park rangers aren't available, I'm in charge. Lol.

By the time we left Ellis Island, we were STARVING and ready to meet up with Eric. We decided to meet at the dining area of Grand Central Terminal, since it was near Eric's office. It was so good to see my friend Eric again. I met up with him during my NYC trip in 2018 and also got to see him this past July when he and our friend Rob came to Texas to visit me (I'll try and recap that visit at some point). Eric only had a little bit of time to hang out that day, but he was able to give us a tour of his office lobby, which is the building used as the Daily Planet in the 1978 Superman movie. It's a good thing we knew him because a security guard was about to kick us out until Eric said he was an employee. Normally you have to be part of a tour group to be there. Eric agreed to meet up with us the next day so we could hang out longer.

We had just enough time after saying bye to Eric to take the subway back to our hotel in Chelsea, change clothes, and get over to Radio City Music Hall for the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. Seeing the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall was a MUST for me on this trip and I'm so glad we were able to go. We saw them on Dec. 9 and by Dec. 17, they had canceled the remaining shows of the season due to COVID outbreaks. 

The show was amazing and better than I could have imagined. Now, I wasn't that person who took photos and videos during the whole performance (like the lady on the row in front of us), but I did snap a quick photo during the curtain call, just to get a photo of the stage. Everyone working at Radio City Music Hall was so nice- from the concession workers to the ushers. It was just a wonderful experience.

Not gonna lie, I teared up when the show started. I was so happy to be there.

After leaving Radio City Music Hall, we made our way to Rockefeller Center, because seeing the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was another MUST for me on this trip. Did I tear up again when I saw it? Maybe. You don't know my life. After we took all the photos of the tree, we walked around 5th Ave. and looked at the window displays and Christmas lights. We also made a stop at FAO Schwarz toy store. The doorman was dressed as a toy soldier and was so nice. He kept everyone waiting in line entertained (because yes, there was a line to get inside). 

Saks Fifth Avenue had a great Christmas light show on their building. I didn't take a video of it (because I always forget to take videos on my trips), but I found this video of part of it on YouTube. 

Friday morning we went ice skating at Bryant Park. We were told that ice skating there was better than Rockefeller Center because 1.) it was cheaper and 2.) it was less crowded. We didn't care where we were- we were ice skating OUTSIDE in New York City. And yes, those are matching Buc-ee's sweaters. You can take the girls out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the girls. :)

Yes, that S'mores hot chocolate was amazing.

After ice skating, we met up with Eric again and walked from Bryant Park over to Central Park and to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (we didn't go in though). Eric gave a great New Yorker tour of the city. I told him he should charge people (except me, of course) for these amazing tours. He also gave a great tour when I visited in 2018. 

We went by Tiffany's but didn't have breakfast. :)

After being able to spend a good part of the afternoon with Eric, we went back to our hotel to drop off some items we had bought, and then headed to Brooklyn to walk the Brooklyn Bridge and to see the Dyker Heights lights. 

We paid for a tour of the Dyker Heights lights and really enjoyed it. You could see them for free but since we were from out of town, it was nice to have a guide walk us through the neighborhood, and even give us insider information about some of the homes. There was security and NYPD around the whole neighborhood directing foot and car traffic. The tour ended with a cup of hot chocolate from John's Deli (we were told it was the best deli in the area). If you are ever in that area around Christmas, I highly recommend this tour. 

Bottom left: Our tour guide was actually a guy who portrays Santa in the area- he was super nice. Check out his Instagram page.

While on the tour, we passed by a house decorated all in green lights (to resemble The Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz). A man was at a table talking about his son Michael, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. We stopped to talk to him and give a donation. He asked where we were from and when I said Dallas, he said he was a huge Dallas Cowboys fan (yes, they exist in New York!) He was so nice, we became instant friends. I highly recommend checking out their webpage or Facebook page for more information on Michael and their non-profit.

New friends!

Saturday morning we were supposed to go to the Empire State Building but it was super foggy near the top and we were told we wouldn't be able to see anything. Thankfully, they let us inside to the second floor so we could switch out our ticket for the next day. 

A foggy Empire State Building

We did stop for a quick photo op before changing out our tickets. And yes, we were all about matching outfits this trip. We used to do that as kids, so we brought it back. Lol.

After the change of plans that morning, we were able to meet up with my friend John for a few hours. Yes, I have several friends who live in NYC and can't miss an opportunity to see them. He gave us a tour of his office (he creates costumes for musicals and plays), which was super cool. I don't want to post photos of those costumes without permission, but here is a photo of me and John. We've been friends for 25 years. :)

We decided to take in another show on our last night in town. We looked at getting tickets to a Broadway show, but decided we wanted to stick with a Christmas show, so we got tickets to 'Twas the Night Before...by Cirque du Soleil at Madison Square Garden. If you have never seen a Cirque du Soleil show, I highly recommend it. They were great! It was my first time to see one of their shows and I really enjoyed it. I found this on YouTube if you want to see clips from the show.

Sunday was our last day in town. Our flight didn't leave until 5pm and we used every bit of time we had before heading to the airport.

The last "MUST" thing that was on my NYC Christmas Bucket List was to get a photo with the Macy's Santa Claus. Miracle on 34th Street (the 1947 version) is one of my favorite Christmas movies so of course, that is what inspired this. 

You had to book a reservation online (no more than 5 days in advance) to get a photo with Santa. They don't even allow walkups to see him. We tried so many times to get a reservation, but there kept not being times available. I got a tip that they released time new slots at 5:30am EST every morning. The Monday night before our trip, Alice (who is an overnight ER nurse) logged on at 4:30am CST and was able to get us a reservation for that Sunday morning. Weehoo! 

Santaland was great-we got there five minutes before our reservation time and were allowed to walk right in. You went through a maze of decorations and photo op spots. Once again, everyone was super nice. And yes, we dressed alike once again. When we finally got to the room with Santa (fun fact: there were multiple rooms with a Santa so they could see more people) he was so friendly and asked us what we wanted for Christmas. I said I wanted the Texas Rangers to win the World Series and he chuckled (umph). We all had to wear our masks, but it was okay- we got our Santa photo. We were probably giddier than we should have been about it.

After our photos with Santa, we went down the street for our tour of the Empire State Building. It was a BEAUTIFUL day- I'm so glad we were able to reschedule our visit. We only went to the 86th floor and not the very top (102nd floor) but it was still a great view. I had never been before in my other two visits to NYC, so I'm glad we went.

Me: Don't be dramatic.
Also me: 

Our hotel was about a 12 minute walk from the Empire State Building. We were able to get a tour, visit the gift shop, and get back to our hotel by 2pm. A car service was picking us up at 2:25 to take us to the airport, so that gave us 25 minutes to spare. 

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn New York/Manhattan-Chelsea and it was a lovely stay. Everyone was super friendly and they provided free coffee and hot tea all day. People complained online about the rooms being small, but honestly, the only time we were at the hotel was to sleep, so it didn't matter. And it didn't seem super small to me. It was clean and we had no issues while we were there. It was a close walk to so much that we wanted to see, and we were one block from a subway station when we needed to take that. 

View from our room on the 19th floor

So that's a recap of my NYC Christmas trip. I'll try and recap my other 2021 trip by Saturday. If not, maybe next year. As always, thanks for reading!

XOXO!