The Glory of the Holiday: Living in Southampton is Christmas Morning Everyday

All one needs to see is the reaction of people who don't live near an ocean in those first ten minutes when they arrive at a beach. They stare in an almost shock at the power and majesty of the Atlantic Ocean. Local Southampton residents with their beach stickers usually understand the power of "their ocean" but still seeing an out of towner see the beach only underscores how lucky it is to have paradise just down a local road, minutes from your home.

I lived on Ditch Plains Beach in Montauk for 3 1/2 years and what caught me by surprise were the visitors who kept talking about the fresh ocean air. I looked at them strangely, but there they were breathing the air with big animated breaths!

Quite frankly what I loved about covering Southampton was the beauty of the farms, the fields, the woods, the curving roads such as Noyac with its bay beaches, or Schutte Hole Road with the horse farms, potato farms and views of the distant hills. The Mecox Bay area is a kodak/calendar/heaven. Now think of the scenes of these roads in the summer with the flowers and deep greens, the fall with the colored leaves, the Spring with the blossoms and even the winter when there is snow or even those crazy winter shadows.

What I am saying is billionaires get maybe two weeks of August, and Southampton residents get those brilliant sunsets, sunrises, cloud formations and stunning picturesque vistas every day. I never mind criss-crossing Southampton to get from here to there because the rolling roads are so scenic. Now I have to start mentioning the historic homes, estates, and even the classy simple homes of the local residents. One thing about upstate New York, too many ugly homes and beat up towns whereas almost every village in Southampton is a Holiday card in real time.

I am writing this blog to offset the nightmare of Newtown, by saying god blesses all us locals every day because living in Southampton is a gift. It is a gem of a place. Times are tough, money is tight, jobs are scarce, but quite frankly, a slow turn of the head taking in the beauty that is Southampton is a gift that keeps on giving every day. Everyone has a favorite personal ocean beach, a favorite bay beach, a favorite back road, and I know every now and then I take a longer way just to take in the gift of the beauty of Southampton.