December (The Last Month of 2025 and what has happened) (Part 1!)

December 2025 was a defining month for me. 

December's been an mammoth month! There were loads of things I did to prepare for this year.

I thought I share some fun moments from December. 

1. Distillery Christmas Market/'The Christmas Song' music video

I was at the Distillery Christmas Market a handful of times. One time, they were closed (around 10 pm ish?) and the market was quiet. Usually its busy, packed with people crowding to take photos of the Christmas tree and buying ornaments. Using this opportunity to have this quiet space, I decided to release the cover of this song, 'The Christmas Song'. 

With my phone out, recording the entire thing in one take, the song in my earphones; I hit it off in one go, with no rehearsals and no retakes. If you guys haven't seen it yet. Have a look at this! I'm hoping to do more music videos soon. 

I was inspired by my friend, Ella Clarens. I remember she made a music video for her song, 'Baggage'. And I was invited to come her Music Video release party. She brought along her friends, and the people who were behind the project. It was really cool to see people who worked behind-the-scenes during this. By talking to people, it hit me how hard it is to create music videos, and its not easy to even create a professional one. 

Unfortunately, my music video is not professional grade - but its something worth mentioning how cool it is with or without the tools. 

I wish more artists created music videos that extend out of their usual professional teams. It shows authenticity in themselves. 

Check out the music video below!

Here are some other photos of the Christmas Market: 

Saw an amazing 'Polaroids' stand and decided to take photos. 

My Friends, Jordan, Skye and I

My co-worker friends at the market. 

With the Distillery Christmas Tree

2. New York City 

A big highlight from December was going to New York. 

Remember the 'July (the month that changed me)' post, and I was talking about a trip to the Falls? 

I went with the same tour company, and in particular Medina Tours. (I highly suggest going with her as she is the best!)

It was captivating to experience New York during the Holiday season. Apparently and according to online, its the only time when New Yorkers are actually nice - you could say its the decorations, amount of travelers flocking to experience New York in all its glory, Mariah Carey. - In hindsight, they were playing, 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' several hundred times. 

When we were there, we witnessed the streets are crowded with people dressed up like Santa Claus, everyone flocking to see the highlights such as; Rockefeller Christmas Tree, The Rockettes show in Radio City Hall, grabbing drinks at holiday themed pop-ups, and just the amount of people walking, crowding up the streets. 

We were greeted with this tour guide (native New Yorker FYI) and he talked to us about the neighbourhoods, such as Soho, the Hudson Yards, Chelsea Pier, the rivers that formed around the island. SOHO (South on Hudson Street) is the neighbourhood that hosts a lot of art galleries (such as; Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Harding and Frank Stella.

The best part about this trip was that he took us to the 9/11 memorial site. Although my time I visited, I never went there before.

Even for someone, who has been to the City a couple of times, I never got a chance to visit there. Thankfully, I did. 

It was really fascinating to see this. 

World Trade Centre

 

The Oculus

The World Trade Centre

We were dropped off at Pier 84 for a boat ride. Inside, there was this bar was serving non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks and food. It was cold and blistery outside, walking out, we noticed there were balcony with chairs and a bar. We even had this tour guide to show us around the Manhattan Harbour. 

Brooklyn Bridge

The Skyline of New York City

Statue of Liberty

A fun time overall! Especially seeing the pigeons inside, was really funny. Very unexpected. Imagine if they brought Raccoons in the boat, that would be hilarious. And the part where the tour guide sang Christmas songs, it added a nice touch to the experience. 

In the afternoon, we went to Times Square leisurely for three hours. I decided to join my newly met friends and walked around Manhattan. We ended up at Macy's Herald Square (because I dragged them there). It was so busy there, even crossing the street felt like a nightmare. 

There were so many buskers out there, performing in front of a crowd, this makes it even worse to get by. Especially dealing with a massive crowd walking by. I found that tough to navigate. 

People were also raving for Raising Canes chicken and how its really good. We don't have this in Canada, but my goodness, after going there, and seeing a crowd at the restaurant, and the line ups. I decided it was best to leave. Even if Madina (our tour guide) said it was delicious, it was hard to even buy one. The self-checkouts was also packed which prevented us from trying it. 

Overall, would I suggest going to New York during Christmas? It depends. I'd say best to go New York for Christmas on a weekday. I find it less crowded and busy. You get to enjoy what it has to offer, without the massive crowds and people walking all over you. 

Here are some photos from my trip:

Trying out some tea served at Macy's

Us at the famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree

Pro Tip: What was really neat about this trip, the fact you can use your Canadian Credit Cards and pay Canadian dollars in select Macy's stores.  I spotted a store that was selling glass ornaments, and the fact that I remembered to purchase something for secret Santa next week, made me nervous. After picking out the gift, which was this New York Ornament, I purchased it. 

The card reader prompted me two options, an American flag, which I pay in US Dollars, or a Canadian flag, which I pay in Canadian Dollars. I find that so clever and fascinating.