Lobby of the Plaza Hotel

It’s that most wonderful time of the year. That’s our mantra and we’re sticking to it no matter what. If you’re feeling a little Grinch-like, a stroll on Fifth Avenue will get you in the spirit.  Check out our little Fifth Avenue video. And there are many wonderful events like music at the Met Museum, holiday brunch at the Met Opera, a classic version of Handel’s Messiah, and a very hot gospel version. If Art Basel is a little too rich, check out the Art Student Leagues’ Holiday Art Sale. And one of our favorite Great American Songbook singers is Steve Tyrell and he’s back at the Café Carlyle. And hurry and get tickets to Carnegie Hall for tomorrow night’s “Christmas in Italy” with Cristina Fontanelli.

A Little Stroll Down Fifth Avenue

Here’s a little video of our stroll this week. It will get you in the spirit!

Now – Dec. 30. Holiday Sunday Brunch at the Metropolitan Opera

The Grand Tier’s Sunday brunch is back for the holidays! From November 18 – December 30, experience Chef Diamonte’s classic dishes like the Pâté de Campagne and Benedict Royale while enjoying live performances from rising stars at the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Pair it with endless Grand Tier Bellinis and it’s the perfect way to celebrate the holidays.  The $45 two-course prix fixe menu includes brioche French toast, wild mushroom risotto with porcini, Taleggio and truffle butter, a Benedict royale and classic smoked salmon with accompaniments. A portion of sales supports the Lindemann program. Two seatings for two performances, at 12:15 and 2 pm, run until December 30. Get the details.

Dec. 15. Music at the Metropolitan Museum – Handel and Lang

The Grammy-nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street—”blazing with vigour…a choir from heaven” (The Times, London)— returns to The Met with a stunning double bill. Dixit Dominus(The Lord Said), Handel’s powerful setting of Psalm 110, is paired with David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Little Match Girl Passion, a “tender and mysterious” (New York Times) contemporary choral work based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. 7 PM Performance. Tickets are $65 and includes admission to the museum. Bring the Kids for $1.  Have dinner in the Met dining room overlooking Central Park.

Dec. 10-21. Holiday Art Sale

More than 425 works will be on sale at the Art Students League of New York for prices as low as $50. Every December, art-lovers and gift-givers bring home great values, choosing from a wide variety of works by emerging artists. Paintings and prints—landscapes, portraits, still lifes, and abstractions—sell for no more than $1,000. Prices for sculptures are capped at $1,500. (Open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekend, 215 W. 57th St. between Seventh Avenue and Broadway).  Get the details.

Dec. 15. Too Hot To Handel: The Gospel Messiah

Watch the video  because you’re going to want tickets this ‘Messiah’, unike any other. The United Palace brings a new holiday tradition to Washington Heights with Too Hot To Handel: The Gospel Messiah. Infused with Latin rhythms, jazz improvisation, and gospel harmony, Too Hot to Handel has been hailed as “ingeniously re-imagined” by the Chicago Tribune and “perhaps the jazziest, most soulful reinterpretation of Handel’s Messiah you’ll ever hear” by The New York Post.Guest soloists include Angela Birchett (The Color Purple, Smokey Joe’s Café), Djoré Nance (A singer, originally from Dallas) and up-and-comer Yancy Garcia. ($15-$75; 3 p.m., 4140 Broadway at 175th Street, unitedpalace.org)

Dec. 19. Handel’s Messiah at Carnegie Hall

https://youtu.be/yIDwphlix4o

For a traditional version of Handel’s Messiah, head to Carnegie Hall to hear The Musica Sacra Chorus and Orchestra perform with a 30-member chorus and 20-player orchestra. The performance of Messiah includes the award-winning baritone John Brancy and a stellar cast of soloists, complete with baroque bows and a focus on period performance practices. 7:30 PM. Get tickets.