New York, New York.

Probably my favorite thing about our wedding anniversary being in the middle of December is that it feels as if the whole world is celebrating with us. Everything is adorned with twinkling lights and sparkly baubles and fragrant with greenery, wreaths and swags and garland. Mistletoe mischievously drips from doorways, begging those perched underneath to pucker up.

We got married and honeymooned on a youth pastor’s salary in our very early 20s, but it still felt festive. We snagged a little cabin in the mountains outside of Gatlinburg, Tenn., where fresh snow blanketed the ground and sparkling strands of lights hugged the whole town. It was humble, but magical.

This past week, we celebrated our 20th anniversary, and since two decades of marriage seemed like no small victory, we decided to visit New York City for the occasion. Christmastime in the Big Apple has been a bucket list item of mine for as long as I can remember, and it’s only a three-hour train ride from D.C., so this was the perfect year to go.

Our train arrived on a Tuesday afternoon, and we walked our luggage the two miles to our hotel in Midtown East, passing Madison Square Garden, the Empire State Building, the New York Public Library, the elaborate store window displays of Fifth Avenue, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Once we dropped our bags at the hotel, we ventured out to perhaps the one thing I was most excited to see, the iconic Rockefeller Christmas tree.

There’s just something so special about that tree. I think my love for it dates back to the first time I watched Home Alone 2, in which nine-year-old Kevin McAlister tearfully reunites with his mother in front of that tree. The rows of angels blowing their horns leading up the walkway of the plaza are simply stunning. I may or may not have teared up as I gazed at the bundle of lights and evergreen towering over me, a faithful symbol of Christmas wonder. Being the week before Christmas, the area was a madhouse, but we managed to have a sweet moment in front of the tree as an older couple took our picture. (I’ve always heard that when you are allowing a stranger to use your phone, you should select someone you know you can outrun. So yeah, that’s what we did.) We decided not to attempt ice skating at the rink below (no one needed a broken ankle on this trip), but it was amusing to watch the bundled up skaters gliding across the ice.

After Rockefeller Plaza, we moseyed over to Times Square, just to say we did. It was immediate sensory overload, and I was both taken aback and a little flattered when a complete stranger tried to take my picture while Kelley and I were walking along the sidewalk. (Kelley threw his coat up in front of me to block the camera shot, while I resisted the urge to thank the guy for deeming this 41-year-old mom of three a worthy subject.) Besides, the women with the bare backsides flanking a dressed up Spiderman down the way would have made for much better pictures, I’m sure.

We quickly made our way through Times Square and on to the Bryant Park Christmas market, where we watched more ice skaters and perused the pop-up trinket shops. Then, we walked through Grand Central Station to sample some Doughnut Plant doughnuts. (We shared the vanilla bean and the blueberry cake; neither of them disappointed.) On our way back to the hotel, we stopped in a hidden gem of a pizza parlor, La Bellezza Pizzeria, for a traditional New York slice.

On Wednesday morning, we went to an excellent little spot called The Smith for brunch before we attended the Radio City Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular (a Christmas gift from our dear friends and adopted family in Pennsylvania). The Smith has a clean, modern vibe and some of the best miniature biscuits with honey butter I’ve ever tasted. We ordered the herbed omelettes with breakfast potatoes, and it was so delicious that we went back for breakfast the morning we left NYC.

The Rockettes’ Christmas show was, in fact, spectacular. Every bit of it, from the grand art deco architecture of Radio City Music Hall to the remote controlled frost fairies floating above our heads to the kickline finale. The show was riveting from beginning to end, but perhaps the most moving part of all was their rendition of the Christmas story. They introduced the three kings of Orient (or the three wise men, or Magi, whatever you want to call them) by name and location, and they described the gifts each king presented to Jesus and why those items were so meaningful: gold, for the new King; frankincense, for the high Priest; and myrrh, for the great Healer. They led live camels in their caravan, and live sheep and a donkey took their places in the nativity scene, where the kings, shepherds, and angels surrounded and worshipped the new King Jesus RIGHT THERE IN RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL. It was such a touching moment that I cried as I secretly took video footage of the elaborate, reverent display. The show was the highlight of our trip, and we were so grateful we had the opportunity to attend.

That night, we dressed up and celebrated our anniversary with an authentic Italian dinner at Toscana 49 and swooned over their homemade tiramisu and ricotta cheesecake for dessert. It was really a beautiful place, the cherry on top to our perfect anniversary. (Side note: it sure is a lot easier to be fancy on vacation when you do not have three kids and a 100-lb. dog in tow, and I made sure to document this fact, so when I’m feeling particularly stay-at-home-momish at our RV campground, I can remember a time when I looked a little more put together. Another pleasantry of this trip.)

On Thursday we enjoyed hand-rolled bagels from Ess-A-Bagel before meandering around most of Central Park and Bloomingdales before heading to Serendipity 3. (A word about the bagel place; it’s fantastic, and the bagels are delicious. Meaning: if you ever go, GET THERE EARLY to avoid the endless line that will inevitably spill outside the door and wrap around the corner. I ordered a breakfast sandwich on an everything bagel and a cinnamon raisin bagel with rosemary fig cream cheese. Oh, and a black-and-white cookie. And then I ate them like it was my job.)

This was our biggest walking day (taking public transit or ride sharing or Uber, etc., is pointless in NYC during the holidays; the streets are practically a parking lot). We saw the iconic Bow Bridge, Belvedere Castle, the Alice and Wonderland and Balto statues (and snapped some pictures for the kids), the Central Park Rangers, Turtle Pond, the Friends fountain, and everything in between. Then, we headed to Bloomingdales, where I bought a small box of Godiva chocolates that was on sale just so I could have the little brown bag. (Kelley offered to snag me a bag for free when the clerk wasn’t looking, but walking around with an empty one just seemed a little sad, so I bought the one thing I could afford in that store. And yes, I realize the silliness of this behavior, but it’s the little brown bag! When in Rome…)

The Bloomingdales Santa Clause, with his original emerald suit, took my breath away and immediately transported me back to my childhood, where I giddily grinned as he caught my eye and waved at me with his snow-white-gloved hand. It was a total MOMENT, and I’ll never forget it. I almost regret not getting my picture with him, but for one, I imagine that would have been an awkward social scenario that I was not prepared for, and two, our little moment was entirely sufficient, maybe even better.

Next came Serendipity. Yes, I’m a sucker for the movie, and yes, I realize this is probably an utterly basic white girl thing to do, but I don’t care in the least. The frozen hot chocolate was delicious (though the food was a little average, in my opinion), and it wasn’t until we were on the train back to D.C. watching Serendipity that we realized we sat at the exact same table Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack (and Molly Shannon) sat at in the movie, complete with the white-mantled fireplace and everything. It wasn’t even supposed to be our table, but one of the hosts sat another couple before us by accident, and we got rerouted, pretty auspiciously if you ask me, to Kate and John’s table. (I’m assuming that because I’ve sat where they have, we’re on a first-name-basis now.)

That evening we walked to Macy’s on W. 34th and enjoyed riding those antique wooden escalators (which were hard to figure out where you needed to place your foot, and I pulled a Buddy-the-Elf escalator maneuver more than once) all the way up to the ninth floor. We weren’t able to see Santaland; unfortunately, we didn’t realize you needed a reservation, but the whole store was still glitzy and glamorous, and it was fun to explore the indoor Christmas market and old replicas of past Macy’s floats. Then we tried a bouncy cheesecake from Keki’s Modern Cakes in Koreatown before having dinner at another slam dunk Italian place, Barolo East, near our hotel. (Basically, we just ate our way through Midtown on this trip and pretended like we’d never heard the words “gluten intolerance” before in our lives.)

On Friday, before we headed back to Penn Station, we ate breakfast (again!) at The Smith. So, cute little story, we asked for additional biscuits on our first visit (as we should!), but they were out of them. So, on Friday, we asked our waiter for some extra biscuits (they really are THAT good, y’all, and so tiny that you don’t feel bad eating more than one). Our waiter apparently ran into our first waitress, and she mentioned that we’d been in there before and requested (unsuccessfully) extra biscuits. So our waiter brought us a to-go bag with a container of biscuits and two containers of the honey butter as our consolation. He also brought us complimentary mimosas because we mentioned we were in town celebrating a milestone anniversary. Both visits, the food was excellent, and I would 100 percent recommend this establishment to anyone visiting Midtown Manhattan.

It started snowing that morning, and our train was delayed, so we headed to the station earlier than planned (by several hours) just to get out of the cold. Kelley decided to ask the attendant if an earlier train was available, and luckily, we were able to board one about three minutes later. I guess you could say it was serendipitous. (Wink, wink.)

This was by far the best trip we’ve ever taken as a couple (though there have been so few I could count them on one hand). The past two decades have not been easy, though what marriage ever is? We married when we were just a couple of kids; the downside of that is I can at least say for myself that I didn’t fully know who I was at 20 years old, and this led to some tumultuous times. But the beautiful upside of marrying young is that you get to grow up (and old) together. We have quite a few silvery white hairs on our heads and some delicate lines around our eyes now, but we fought to earn them and proudly display them as battle scars. We’ve been through a lot as a couple (who hasn’t?), but we’ve stood solidly beside one another, and it’s the challenges and trials that refine and deepen a marriage. Through it all, we’ve been able to hold fast to joy, be led forward together by peace, and are building a family that is the greatest gift we can be sure we don’t deserve.