Nothing wrong with giving yourself an early present

Although I’m trying to prioritize and simplify this Christmas, going into New York to see the lighted displays and especially the tree at Rockefeller Center, has been a time-honored tradition since I was a child.

Last week, I did just that, but instead of combining it with any shopping in the crowded stores, I spent most of the day in a way that never fails to refresh and delight me ... visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In addition to the Met’s own exquisite, traditional tree adorned with angels and creche pieces made in the 18th century, their newest gallery, several years in the making, and featuring masterpieces of Islamic Art, is now open.

More than 1,000 objects from the Islamic Near East, Central Asia, India and the Islamic West, Spain, North Africa and southern Italy, are in the collection. The suite of 15 galleries, organized by geographical area, cover a span of 1,300 years and highlight the many distinct cultures involved.

The galleries are simply overwhelming in their scope and beauty. There are immense, intricate carpets, delicate and beautifully embellished glassware and china, glazed and colorful ceramic tiles, daggers and swords with jeweled handles, engraved panels and doors excavated from India and Iran, fragments of delicate Egyptian textiles, paintings, exquisite calligraphy, and indeed, an entire room replicating one of the grand residences of 18th-century Damascus.

The beauty and the variety of the objects and the care and elegance of the way they are presented, is nothing short of magnificent. As readers of this column know, my two passions are theater and museums, and I go to both as often as possible, but this exhibit left me breathless and once more uplifted and encouraged by the beauty humans are capable of creating. It also made me want to seek out, small but unique and perhaps hand-fashioned gifts for those I will be remembering this Christmas; the kind of gifts, incidentally, that are more usually found in our excellent local shops, the Guilford Art Center and our church fairs and bazaars.

This past Sunday, courtesy of the invitation of an old friend and neighbor, I was able to partake in another cherished Christmas tradition; this time, a live theatrical musical adaptation of the much beloved, Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” at the Shubert Theater in New Haven. It was an excellent and charming production, but if you missed seeing it, many movie versions will be on various television channels between now and Christmas.

Now that I’ve nourished some of my own needs, I can start to consider how to make Christmas a special time for those who are important to me. My heartfelt wish is that you are all able to do the same.

- Article by Jean Cherni, founder of the retirement advisory service, Senior Living Solutions. Contact her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 15 The Ponds at Hotchkiss Grove, Branford 06405.

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