The most overused and annoying phrase from talking heads of late is “in these uncertain times”. We have always lived in “uncertain times”. Remember crouching under small wooden school desks to escape Russian bombs? That which we are uncertain about may change, but worry and stress are not new to us.

 

By Mary Brennan Gerster

 

The most overused and annoying phrase from talking heads of late is “in these uncertain times”. We have always lived in “uncertain times”. Remember crouching under small wooden school desks to escape Russian bombs? That which we are uncertain about may change, but worry and stress are not new to us.

 

This Christmas season give yourself and loved ones the gift of beauty. It will ease stress, help put priorities in order, and provide a divine reprieve from the chaos of daily life. Unplug the laptop, turn off the iPhone, iPod, and iPad, and leave the virtual world for real time. Head to New York City, a mecca for museumgoers.

 

Take Metro-North and avoid the stress of traffic. Upon arrival at Grand Central, allow time to explore the abundant and diverse gift boutiques there just for the season. Stop and look upward to the light show of the constellations. Say a quiet thank-you to the late Jackie Kennedy and Brendan Gill who spearheaded the campaign to preserve this architectural treasure.

 

Topping my list are the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the annual Neapolitan Christmas tree. Set in the Medieval Hall, the tree is covered with magnificent hand- crafted angels. The Holy Family, shepherds, townspeople, and all the animals at the base of the tree are exquisite. There is a reverence in this space you will not find at Rockefeller Center, where the other must-see New York tree resides.

 

While at the Met, I always stop to see Duccio’s Madonna and Child, the museum’s most expensive purchase and worth every million. Spend just a few minutes with this painting and the 21st century blends into the 13th.

 

Also on Fifth Avenue are two museums with exhibitions your children, young and teen-age, will enjoy. At the Jewish Museum are the collages and stories of children’s author and illustrator Jack Ezra Keats. In the newly reopened National Academy Museum, another architectural gem, is an exhibit on Will Barnet at 100. Barnet’s flat, simple figures appeal to a broad audience and are a bridge to more abstract works found at MoMA. There, a deKooning exhibition will make devotees like myself swoon and will move even ardent anti-abstract art theorists.

 

On Fifth Avenue in the 70s is the august Frick Museum. When I have out-of-town guests I always take them to the Met, MoMA, the carousel in Central Park, and the Frick. As you must be 10 years old to enter, I remember my first grown-up visit. When you step inside you are transported to a more elegant time and leave the bustle at the door. Henry Clay Frick is one of the 1% whose generosity has left us with not only his privately collected artistic treasures, but also his home. Currently on exhibit is Picasso Drawings 1890-1921:Reinventing Tradition. An appropriate title as the Frick is also reinventing itself by going outside the permanent collection to bring such special exhibits as this to its visitors. The exhibition is up through January 8.

 

Farther downtown is another one percenter’s legacy. JP Morgan’s Morgan Library is currently displaying manuscripts and letters by Charles Dickens in honor of the 200th anniversary of his birth. The exhibit runs through February 12.

 

Morgan left his library and home to the public and the brilliant Renzo Piano united the two very different architectural designs a few years ago. Do not miss the sheer delight of dining in Morgan’s private dining room. For the duration of the Dickens exhibition there is a special menu “Family Affair”, which includes, of course, plum pudding.

 

A trip to the Tenement Museum is educational, with special tours such as Hard Times, Sweatshop Works, and Irish Outsiders. A trip back to past uncertain times for sure.

 

On exhibit at The Skyscraper Museum in Battery Park is Super Tall, which examines the growth of tall buildings from 2001 onward. Currently, the tallest building in the world is Burj Khalifa in Dubai at 2,717 feet. The Empire State Building, which once held the record, is less than half that height at 1,250 feet.

 

While you’re visiting these museums, don’t miss their gift shops. They can’t be beat for beautiful, unique, and affordable presents for everyone on your list. Better yet, give the gift of museum membership, so family and friends can enjoy them in all seasons.