Don't even think about something else except enjoying this magic month which will take you into a new year. Be it Vienna Boys' Choir in Carnegie Hall or candles in the desert, let your heart be full of joy.
Article continues below
New York City, USA
December 6, 2009
Imagine boys between the ages of ten and fourteen performing music from the middle ages, folk songs and the Beatles. There is just one choir in the world with that kind of repertoire. They are Vienna Boys' Choir, founded half a millennium ago in 1498 by Imperial decree of Hapsburg Emperor Maximilian I, exclusively for the court. They are the best known boys' choirs in the world, a true holiday for the ears and soul and the best possible choice to start the last month of this year with a joy in your heart.
On December 6th, Carnegie Hall in New York City will hosts Vienna Boys' Choir, without any doubt, the best boys' choir in the world. The choir counts about 100 boys divided in four separate choirs named by world's famous composers: Mozart, Bruckner, Haydn and Schubert. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the most famous wunderkind in the world, composed music for the Chapel choirboys, Franz Schubert sang in the choir.
Today, Brucknerchor has 22 members with an average age of 11 which makes them "the youngest" of the four groups. Haydnchor has 24 singers and it is "the oldest" choir of the four. If you like "Amazing Grace", "Ave Maria", "My Heart Will Go On", be in Carnegie Hall on December 6th and enjoy music of the best boys' voices ever.
Christmas Island, Australia
December 11, 2009 or January 10, 2010
The annual migration of red crabs to the Indian Ocean is an event you would like to witness, for sure. If you don't like rain but Christmas Island is in your tour, start "rain dance" on December 11th, imagine it if needed, because red crabs migration can vary between 9 to 18 days and it depends heavily on the rain and that is the tricky part of the event.
However, if you are one of those fortunate enough to be present at the event on time, you will witness masses of crabs climbing up and going down over all obstacles in their way including roads, which makes life of all who are on the island at that time of the year very interesting. If you can imagine carpet of red crabs crawling across roadways, cliffs and everything that stands on their way toward the coast, then that's it.
The various stages of the migration occur during the early morning and late afternoon and this is the best time to see them in action. Some estimations show that up to 120 million red crabs live on Christmas Island which makes them the most abundant species of all crab species on the island. Don't feel disappointed if you miss the migration this year because you will get a new chance to see them in a month, around January 10, 2010.
Valkenburg, the Netherlands
Until December 23, 2009
Christmas markets! Oh, yes, how joyful they can be and how predictable they can be too. When you visit one of Christmas markets no matter in which part of the world, you actually saw them all. However, it's December, the last month of the year and we all are hardly waiting to leave behind this year which was hard and full of unexpected turns in many aspects of life.
And you know what people say: Life is life, it can make us sad and make us laugh in a split of a second. That's how we found Christmas market which will make you enjoy the true Christmas spirit, so let's go visit Valkenburg, a beautiful little town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.
Valkenburg Christmas Market is probably the oldest and largest underground Christmas market in Europe which takes place underneath the town's ruined castle. That’s it, that’s what you are searching for! Labyrinth of ancient secret escape passages full of sculptures and mural carvings, elves, fairies, music parade and mystic that's surrounding castle's ruins, that's Valkenburg Christmas Market! Add to that Christmas spirit and what you get is - the best Christmas market in the world. The only thing that can make it perfect is - snow. So, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
December 10 - 30, 2009
Let Arizona desert be your final choice for the perfect end of the year. Think about the picture of more than 7000 lighted candles among 139 rare plant species from around the world situated in the middle of Desert Botanical Garden. The fantastic picture, isn't it?
Las Noches de las Luminarias, or the tradition of lighting candles placed in paper bags, is our last of "one of a kind" events for this year. If you want to see this magic, visit Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix every day starting with December 10th at sunset at 5:30pm, and feel the spirit of the desert while dancing flames lighten it and the air is full of scents of flowers.
Make this event even more attractive and spend the day in The Desert Botanical Garden Library, situated in Nina Mason Pulliam Desert Research and Horticulture Center to shorten your waiting, and learn something about the desert ecology. After that sit down in the Garden Patio Cafe and treat yourself with some food and wine and then visit the Plant Shop where you will find attractive garden decorations and, listen this, the unique perfume spray designed from a flower that blooms only one night each year in its native Sonoran and Chihuahan deserts. The perfect overture for the New Year's Eve, indeed. ■
