New York City around Christmas always feels a little chaotic…tacky Christmas sweater parties to attend, egg nog to be guzzled, and work projects to tie up before 2013 comes a ringing. With all the hustle and bustle, it’s also an important time of year to carve out time in your schedule for those who may be feeling a void.
Whether you bring cookies to an elderly neighbor, spend an hour playing with the dogs at your local animal shelter, donate money to a good cause, serve at your neighborhood soup kitchen, or make a resolution to be a mentor to a kid that could really use the extra love and guidance in 2013, we know that each good deed spurs a little more happiness in the life of another. And what better way to wrap up 2012 than with an extra dose or two of happy?
What’s your favorite way to bring smiles to others this time of year?
{An annual Jess tradition: caroling on the steps of St. Bart’s to the good people of NYC}
{I was sick for a few days, and a dear friend made me one of my favorite European breakfasts: lokume and Nutella}
{Watching “Holiday Under The Stars” at Time Warner Center, being displayed until January 3, 2013}
{Gillman dressed in his reindeer costume to bring holiday treats to our neighbors}
{A pile of brown paper packages tied up with string…)
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
