A Prayer for Quiet During the Noisy Holidays I live near Bloomingdale's and a busy shopping district on Lexington Avenue. But, since we have two young children, both sleep and quiet are precious commodities in my household. Last winter, for a few nights during the holiday season, I was consistently awakened between 4 and 5 a.m. by the blaring sound of commercial holiday music. Finally fed up, I trudged out one night to explore the source. The streets were empty and, apart from the music, peaceful. I discovered that the music was coming from the speakers at Bloomingdale's, which, I later learned, had been set in error to commence playing around 4 a.m. The next day, after I complained to a manager, the problem was corrected. A few nights later, in the hours between my children's bedtime and mine, I again heard loud holiday music from outside. I rushed downstairs to find a Chabad Lubavitch mitzvah tank encouraging the celebration of Hanukkah. Pointing up at the menorah visible in my window, I wished everyone a happy Hanukkah, and added: "My children are sleeping. We sang with them earlier. I think it's a little late for this. They agreed and left. As the equal opportunity complainer and grump that I become at night, I pray this coming holiday season is filled only with silent ones.