Our W1, W2, and W3 weekend holiday party this year was a festive celebration full of laughter, good food, and great company!
We enjoyed a delicious potluck lunch with food and treats from all over the world.
What made the day truly special, however, were the wonderful performances from each class. Whether it was singing a holiday Wham! tune, karaoke to Jingle Bells, or sharing things we are thankful for, it was clear that the joy of the season was in full swing.
winter solstice – n., when the North Pole of the earth is farthest from the sun, the shortest day of the year
glittering – adj., sparkling, shiny
lavish – adj., fancy, elaborate
signify – v., to stand for something, to symbolize
struggles – n., difficulties
Stonehenge – n.place, a site of huge, ancient, carefully-arranged stones in England
doldrums – n., sad and bored feelings
renewal – n., newness, rebirth
The last months of the year bring winter, and winter brings cold and darkness. The days are short and the nights are long and chilly.
BUT – we are lucky that winter also brings holidays for almost everyone! Diwali, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, and winter solstice celebrations all bring warm cheer and shared joy. These holidays have different meanings for different cultures, but they all share one thing:
LIGHT!
The winter holidays begin with Diwali, celebrated by Hindus the world over, usually in November. It is a five-day-long party. A festival of lights and happiness, it falls on the darkest night of the year in the Hindu month of Kartik.
People celebrate Diwali by lighting their homes and streets with candles, dressing up in new clothes, exchanging gifts, and eating traditional food.
Christmas comes with candles, lights, and glittering tinsel. A shining star is an important part of any Christmas story. In America, people decorate their homes with lights, inside and out. Some of the lighting displays are lavish! Dyker Heights, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, is well-known for its Christmas lights. Map to Dyker Heights: https://maps.app.goo.gl/nKRPh96XcMsy7nAg6 Go take a look!
Kwanzaa has a tradition of lighting the kinara, a candleholder for 7 candles. One is lit each night for a week, and the different colors of the candles signify Africa and its peoples’ struggles and hopes. “Kinara” means “candleholder” in Swahili.
Hannukah celebrations include the lighting of a menorah, an eight-branched candleholder. Jews light Hannukah candles to remember victory in ancient battles, and the miracles that happened in those times.
Finally, the actual solstice, which takes place on December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, has been a special time of celebration since the Stone Age. This was a significant and dramatic moment in the year for many cultures. Because it was the darkest night of all, there are monuments and traditions that revolve around bringing light into this darkness.
Sunset at Stonehenge in England during the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere
No matter how you celebrate the solstice, use it as a way to replace winter doldrums with a sense of renewal. The winter solstice may signify the day the sun rises lowest in the sky, but it’s also the day before we start growing closer to days of more light.
Empire State – A nickname for New York, symbolizing its significance.
Culinary – Related to cooking or the kitchen.
Diverse – Having a variety of different elements or types.
Region – An area characterized by certain features, such as geography or culture.
Gorge – A narrow valley with steep sides, typically formed by a river.
Vineyard – A farm where grapes are grown for wine production.
Quaint – Attractively unusual or old-fashioned.
When you think of New York, you probably think about New York City. However, New York State, also known as the Empire State, is filled with diverse landscapes, rich history, and vibrant communities that go far beyond the city’s famous skyline. With a population of nearly 19.68 million, New York State offers a wealth of experiences waiting to be discovered.
Here are a few popular places in New York State to visit….
The Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are known for their rugged wilderness, large forests, and numerous lakes. For nature enthusiasts, the Adirondacks offer majestic mountains and pristine lakes. For outdoor enthusiasts, there’s hiking, camping, fishing, and of course, skiing.
Popular places:
Blue Mountain Lake, Lake George, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake
The Finger Lakes
A waterfall in the Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are known for long, narrow lakes carved by glaciers, with a thriving wine industry and scenic beauty with many things to do: wine tasting, lake cruises, hiking, visiting waterfalls, exploring charming towns.
Popular place:
– Seneca Falls: Known as the birthplace of the Women’s Rights Movement.
– Ithaca: Home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, it offers gorges and waterfalls that make it a beautiful destination.
The Hudson Valley
Storm King Art Park
The Hudson Valley is famous for its historic sites, charming towns, and scenic beauty along the Hudson River. Nestled between the Catskills and the river, the Hudson Valley is renowned for its picturesque towns and outdoor activities. It’s also just a short train or car ride away from NYC!
Popular places:
– Storm King Art Center: An expansive outdoor sculpture park that merges art and nature.
– Beacon, NY: A thriving art community with galleries and the popular Dia:Beacon museum.
– Culinary Institute of America: A premier culinary school located in Hyde Park.
– Sleepy Hollow, NY: Famous for Washington Irving’s famous story about the legendary “Headless Horseman.”
Whatever you love to do, New York has something for everyone!
Why do you need a New York City ID? Because it’s another great thing about living in New York!
Your IDNYC card is a widely accepted, official form of identification. IDNYC is accepted:
By City agencies to access many services and programs;
By NYPD for the purposes of issuing summons or desk appearance tickets instead of arrest;
For entry into public buildings, like schools;
For taking the high school equivalency exam in New York City;
By employers, when submitted with proof of work authorization.
Your IDNYC card also offers a wide variety of exciting benefits that make it more than just an ID card. Your card can help you experience everything New York has to offer.
IDNYC Benefits Guide
The IDNYC Benefits Guide is a multilingual brochure that provides an overview of the key benefits associated with the IDNYC card in English, Spanish (Español), Chinese (简化字), and Russian (Русский язык), as well as dozens more.
This link will lead you to NYC ID benefit providers. For the most accurate and up-to-date information about these benefits or if you have any questions about accessing them, please contact the organizations listed in the guide. IDNYC is not responsible for determining your access to these benefits.
Click a topic, or press the enter key on a topic, to reveal more information.
Museums and Cultural Institutions
IDNYC cardholders are now eligible for free one-year memberships at over 35 participating institutions in 2022. Visit the Museums and Cultural Institutions page to find out more about the Museums and Cultural Institutions.
Including free one-year memberships at:
The American Museum of Natural History
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Central Park Zoo
Museum of the City of New York
and many more…
Banks and Credit Unions
With your IDNYC Card, you can open a bank or credit union account at one of several financial institutions across New York City. Visit the Banks and Credit Unions page to find out more.
Libraries
You can use your IDNYC card at any public library in New York City. Visit the Libraries page to learn more about each library below.
Brooklyn Public Library
New York Public Library
Queens Library
Housing
Your IDNYC is the only ID card you need for affordable housing through NYC Housing Connect. With IDNYC, you don’t need a driver’s license, social security card or birth certificate to be eligible for housing on Housing Connect. Visit the Housing page to learn more.
Other benefits include discounts on prescription medications, fitness, groceries, and New York City attractions.
Field of Lighthttps://www.fieldoflightnyc.com/ Wander across 6 acres, through an installation of almost 19,000 spheres of light, and enjoy the beautiful shifting colors. With the skyline on one side, and the East River on the other – this will be a walk you’ll remember! (Now through the end of 2024.)
For some outdoor cinema fun, Movies Under the Stars – Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Friday, October 18th 7:00 – 9:00 pm
In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters.
In Kissena Corridor Park, Queens (at entrance – Colden Street and Elder Avenue)
We come together to consider foods that signify moments of togetherness. This fire feast is to give energies back, to consider our togetherness and how we strive for freedom of others.
Oasis – n., something or some place that provides refreshing relief
Wander – v., to move about with no plan
Stillness – n., quiet, absence of sound
Burial ground – n., a place where people are buried when they die
Lush – adj., growing thick and healthy
Enchant – v., to charm and delight, to put under a magic spell
Contemplate – v., to look at something for a long time, to think about deeply
Dazzling – adj., amazing, impressive
Perennials – n., plants that bloom every year
Abundantly – adv., large in amount or number; more than enough.
Neglected – adj., not taken proper care of
Decline – v., to go downward
Guerillas – n., a group of soldiers who do not work as part of an official army.
Rubble-strewn – adj., covered with rocks and debris, messy
Din – n., loud noise
Wonder – v., to feel admiration, surprise, or amazement
In these last few weeks of summer, what better way to spend an hour (or two!) than discovering a green oasis in the middle of New York City? If you need a break from concrete and steel, we recommend a visit to one of these special and precious places… to wander in or just to sit and savor the stillness of the late-season beauty.
M’finda Kalunga Garden
The name of this garden means “Garden at the Edge of the Other Side of the World” in the Kikongo language.¹ It is named in memory of the African American burial ground that was located on nearby Chrystie Street between Rivington and Stanton Streets. There is dense and lush growth everywhere, with little paths winding through the trees and shrubs. Flowers bloom, chickens roam, and the fish pond will enchant you as you take a bench and contemplate the peacefulness.
Relax under the trees in the M’finda Kalunga Garden.
LaGuardia Corner Garden
LaGuardia Corner Garden is an award-winning community garden in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. It is a place of natural beauty, where the visitor can find an oasis of calm in urban surroundings. During the growing season visitors can enjoy a dazzling display of daffodils, tulips, irises, peonies, roses, and other perennials, as well as shrubs and fruit trees.
The gates may be open at other times when the weather is fair. You can go in whenever you see the garden open!
Lilac blooms abundantly in the LaGuardia Corner Garden.
Liz Christy Bowery-Houston Garden
This was the first Community Garden in New York City, founded in 1973; it is located on the northeast corner of Bowery and Houston Streets in Manhattan.
In the 17th century, this site was part of a large farm owned by Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor of New Amsterdam. Hundreds of years later, in the 1970s, this “bouwerie” (the Dutch word for ‘farm’) was neglected and filled with abandoned buildings; a neighborhood in complete decline.
In 1973 a local resident named Liz Christy and a group of gardening activists known as the Green Guerillas were planting window boxes and vacant lots with ‘seed bombs.² They saw the large rubble-strewn lot as a potential garden and in December went to the City to find a way to gain official use of the land. Volunteers hauled the garbage and rubble out, spread donated topsoil, installed a fence and began planting.
In 2002, it became one of the protected community gardens by law. The garden feels like a private place despite the din of traffic. Two ponds are home to fish and turtles, there is a perennial lotus, a native plant habitat, vegetables, herbs, and many flowering plants. The tallest Dawn Redwood tree in the city is located in the garden.
Perfect for a bit of wonder, a little relaxing meditation, a moment of peace…bring a snack, a sun hat, and yourself to a garden before the warm weather ends!
¹ Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Angola.
Seed bombs are little clay-covered mounds of seeds and growing soil. They’re often used to help reseed natural plants to wild areas, and they were first made popular by guerilla gardeners, people who use public space to grow things.
