Saturday morning we drove to Palm Beach. Carols emanated from the large tree on Worth Avenue and Santa strolled the sidewalk past parked Jaguars and Bentleys. But the wind, whipping off the ocean, kept the crowds away.
After lunch, we drove to The Breakers but weren’t allowed in; the guard was very apologetic but said three conferences were currently at the hotel and he wasn’t letting visitors through, not even for a quick glimpse of the decorated lobby. It was, he insisted, a one-time thing. So we drove across the bridge and had tea and pastries at Johan’s Joe, where the staff were preparing for that evening’s Swedish Christmas dinner.
At home I got on my bike and rode to the New River. East of the Seventh Avenue bridge docked boats with Christmas lights appeared, including a tug that sported a marlin, a peacock, a pink flamingo and a Santa in a Hawaiian shirt. Farther along, I found people sitting in folding chairs in front of the closed Downtowner. More people sat past the Third Avenue bridge, and a man was making tacos in front of Masa & More, the restaurant with possibly the windiest outdoor dining in Fort Lauderdale.
Then yesterday afternoon we drove to Trinity Cathedral in Miami for the service of lessons and carols. A few of the lessons were read in Spanish; one of the carols was sung in French. Over a hundred people joined the Anglican Chorale on the familiar carols – “Joy to the World” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” – and for a few moments, there in the century-old sanctuary in the heart of Miami, all did seem wonderful and bright.
