New York Today: White Christmases Past

Barton Silverman/The New York Times The magic of a New York City Christmas, 1966.

Good morning on this chilly Tuesday, Christmas Eve.

If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, dream on.

Or you could just take a trip in our magical snow globe and visit the New York City of white Christmases past.

Depending on how you define it, there have been roughly half a dozen since 1883.

- 1902, 6.5 inches on Christmas Day: “There was a soft silence of the snow over everything, broken only by the church chimes, the tinkle of the sleigh bells, and the laughter and the shouting of the people in the streets,” The Times reported. “Among the merriest of those who went to the Park were the youngsters with their sleds. The snow plows were in use, and the drivers permitted the boys and their sisters to get ‘on behind.’”

- 1904, three inches: “The surface and some of the elevated car lines had troubles enough to vex any but a holiday crowd, but the Christmas passengers, many of whom carried gifts, were full of the spirit of the season, and the exasperation of blocks and delays was laughed away.”

- 1966, seven inches over 24 hours: “Attendance at eggnog parties and turkey dinners faltered. With the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn closed from 5 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and other highways slippery and hazardous, many hostesses began receiving phone cancellations just as the last poinsettias and colored lights on the tree were being placed.”

- 2002, five inches: “’Yeah, snow â€" it’s perfect,’” said a man who moved to Manhattan from Miami six months before. ‘“I couldn’t have planned it any better. This is Christmas in New York, right? That’s what it’s all about.’”

Happy holiday!

Here’s what else is happening:

WEATHER

Decent for sleigh-flying. High clouds with a high of 39.

Clouding up with a chance of, yes, an evening flurry, but that’s about it, Rudolph.

Then colder â€" 19 overnight, 32 on Christmas Day.

Warmer on Thursday with a high of 42.

COMMUTE

Subways: Check latest status.

Rails: Check L.I.R.R., Metro-North or New Jersey Transit status.

Roads: Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s or the 8s.

Alternate-side parking is in effect today, suspended tomorrow, and returns Thursday and Friday.

DE BLASIO WATCH

From Javier C. Hernández of The Times:

- Bill de Blasio, sworn foe of Wall Street excess, named a Goldman Sachs executive deputy mayor for housing and economic development. “I don’t care about any stereotypes or assumptions,” Mr. de Blasio said. [New York Times]

- The mayor-elect has no public appearances the rest of the week.

- But he has some holiday homework: picking a schools chancellor. The search has stretched on for weeks, but Mr. de Blasio is likely to announce his choice next week.

COMING UP TODAY

- Mayor Bloomberg thanks volunteers at the annual lunch for the homeless at City Hall, a restaurant in TriBeCa. He attends midnight Mass at St. Patrick’s.

- Cardinal Dolan says Mass at Rikers Island at 11 a.m.

- Darlene Love sings “Christmas Baby (Please Come Home)” and rings the closing bell as the stock exchange closes early at 1 p.m.

- Caroling opportunities: the Washington Square arch at 5 p.m. Stuyvesant Square (Second Avenue and 16th Street) at 5 p.m. Gramercy Park at 6 p.m. [Free]

- For your listening pleasure, WKCR is in the midst of its 10-day all-Bach festival. 89.9 FM or listen online.

- For more events, see The New York Times Arts & Entertainment guide.

IN THE NEWS

- The city is settling hundreds of federal civil rights claims filed by people who were arrested during the 2004 Republican convention. [New York Times]

- Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn is not closing next month after all. Governor Cuomo threw it a lifeline. [Capital New York]

- The City Council’s Republican ranks, soon to be down to three, face a tough road. [New York Times]

- Macy’s has a black Santa, but it doesn’t don’t make him easy to find. [Animal New York]

- Scoreboard: Knicks snuff Magic, 103-98. Pacers lap Nets, 103-86. Rangers bag Maple Leafs in a shootout, 2-1. Islanders beat Red Wings, 3-0. Blackhawks over Devils, 5-2.

Joseph Burgess contributed reporting.

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