GrowingOlderHopeWiser

Today is the day I’ve been waiting for over a week. Since Aunt Mary announced she had tickets for us, it’s December 1968, and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show, “The Lion in Winter,” will premiere, starring Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn.

The parts I like best are the cartoons and the Christmas Show.

I pick out my new wine-colored velvet dress, which my Aunt Mary made for me. I put on white leggings and my Mary Jane shoes.

Aunt Mary smells really good, and she lets me dab a little perfume behind my ears. We bundle up in our overcoats because it is cold outside, and we will have to wait for the show.

We take the subway to 5th and 53rd Street, then walk a short distance to the theater. The line is already around the corner, and we take our place. Hot Chestnuts and Hot Chocolate vendors are already working the line. The aroma of roasted chestnuts is nutty and sweet, and it feels really good to hold the warm bag in your hands. Aunt Mary buys a bag; she always does. We huddle close to the others in line for warmth. 

Finally, the line begins to move, and we enter this amazing theater. We find our seats, and the organ player is already playing gorgeous melodies. The place is abuzz with palpable excitement. You can feel the music reverberating in your chest. The organ player stops, and the lights begin to dim. The Shorts, the cartoons, and then the movie. 

There is an intermission where you can mingle for a short while or use the fancy bathroom with the attendant. 

The lights dim and brighten, signaling that the show will begin soon, and we have to retake our seats. The orchestra rises, and the show begins. Lots of movement, singing, and amazing dancing. The Rockettes are fantastic as usual, with their precision dancing, and it is over when Santa enters the stage. I hug Aunt Mary and thank her for this amazing experience.