christmas in new york essay

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New York City’s Role in Defining Christmas Traditions

While many New Yorkers know about the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and the Radio City Rockettes , fewer know about New York City’s role in defining modern Christmas traditions. The American Christmas tradition began developing around the time of Dutch New Amsterdam when Dutch settlers brought their Christmas traditions to Manhattan.

At first, many Puritan communities in Massachusetts Bay rejected the holiday outright, noting how there was insufficient proof that Jesus Christ was born on December 25. But in New Amsterdam , the holiday was widely celebrated on what they called Kerstydt. What was perhaps the more popular holiday was Sinterklaas, in which people filled children’s shoes with gifts by St. Nicolas on December 6. These traditions were widespread, and many businesses closed for weeks during the Christmas season, much to the displeasure of Peter Stuyvesant. Christmas and Sinterklaas fused into one holiday, and it continued even after the Dutch left Manhattan in 1664.

New Yorkers can thank Washington Irving for a number of Christmas traditions, describing St. Nicholas as the patron saint of New York. Although the work was merely just a comic recounting of Dutch New York, he noted how the first Dutch ship to arrive in New York featured an image of Nicholas, as well as how he would arrive on horseback on the eve of December 6.

Additionally, Clement Clarke Moore, whose family owned Chelsea , wrote the poem “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas,” in which he borrowed from Irving’s descriptions to describe St. Nicholas as “a right jolly old elf.” The reindeer-loving saint first appeared in The Troy Sentinel in New York on December 23, 1823, although Moore likely did not author the poem himself but rather came up with the story. The poem was alternatively known as “‘Twas the Night before Christmas.” Just a few years later, R.H. Pease of Albany printed America’s first St. Nicholas cards, which were distributed on December 25 and not December 6.

Although over a dozen states recognized Christmas as an official holiday by the 1860s, much of the imagery surrounding Christmas did not develop until Thomas Nast ‘s Harper’s Weekly cartoons in which Santa wears his bright red suit with his elves. Nast took inspiration from Moore’s descriptions of Santa, drawing him like an elf. These drawings served as inspirations for Coca-Cola’s illustrations 50 years later. A few years before Nast’s drawings, New York began the tradition of selling poinsettias beginning in 1870. Yuletide sleigh rides were also very popular in the late 1800s. And Santa made his appearance starting in 1920 at the Gimbel’s Thanksgiving Parade and in 1924 at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade .

In 1912, one of the first public Christmas trees in the country was put up in Madison Square Park , nearly two decades before the first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. On Christmas Eve in 1931, workers at the Rockefeller Center construction site bought a Christmas tree together to lift their spirits during the Great Depression. The men received their paychecks at the 20-foot tree, decorated with strings of cranberries and garlands. The first official lighting ceremony took place in 1933 with a 50-foot tree. The tree was left unlit during the 1944 wartime blackout, while the large tree was replaced with three small trees in 1942.

Next, check out the first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree started by site construction workers !

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Christmas Celebration in New York City Essay

Christmas is a holiday season which is celebrated on 25 th of December every year. It is a wonderful time of the year for many Christians around the world. Christmas was first celebrated three centuries ago with the main intention of displacing the pagan Saturnalia jubilations of the winter solstice. Initially, little attention was paid to this important celebration of the year, as the original nativity occurred no later that September when the notable star-struck shepherds would have spent their night with their flock in the fields. During last year’s Christmas festive season, I decided to visit New York City. The city is one of the biggest and attractive holiday destinations in the world. The experience I had in New York City is an event which I will never forget in my life. New York City is ranked in top ten among the holiday destinations in the world.

According to Adams, New York City is a place of recreation (3). Christmas Holiday is an amazing event, which even the New Yorkers who are mainly tourists; consider choosing New York City, as a holiday destination. I was mesmerized with the arrangements and the atmosphere of the city which was full with a colorful holiday spirit as everyone enjoyed the celebrations to their fullest. I observed certain things which were magical and dreamlike concerning the New York City. As I began enjoying my holiday, I realized that there were lots of fascinating and unique things to experience.

I observed many things which make the city even more dazzling, particularly during this time of the year. For instance, the city becomes very bright and more embroidered than most cities, in the US. I watched the city glow with a catching spirit of a real festive season. The most flamboyant scenic areas were colored with Christmas lights which were visible outside the Macy’s showing the Empire State Building from the background. In addition, everywhere in the city looked pretty and spectacular with Christmas trees and other holiday attractions popping up around the city.

The other important observation I made was that the city becomes a winter wonderland during the Christmas Eve. It was very thrilling to observe the snow blankets covering the streets of Manhattan, crowds moving up and down at the exquisite window displaying adorned stores along the fifth avenue. It was also exhilarating to see the ice-skaters glide across the Rockefeller Center Skating Rink with a view of the Christmas tree glowing beneath the city skyline.

The other interesting activity that I actually saw was drummers performing impromptu concerts on the street of New York. On the other hand, the streets were packed with vendors who were always handling out free drinks. Actually, the city is a big place to encounter in just few days. When I made a comparison of the city with other cities in developing nations’ I noted that the streets within the city are also packed with street people , who remain to be a point to note as a social problem in most societies. As I walked down the streets, I saw street boys and girls, people sleeping in door ways or trash bins. Some could have the courage to talk to travelers politely. Some of these experiences made my holiday a bit uncomfortable. The next encounter was that everyone, from a Wall Street Banker to a starting homeless person shares the street. This is the negative side of New York, which I experienced.

Despite its dark sides, New York City is ranked as one of the top cities in the U.S. In addition, the city has holiday traditions that have occurred in many centuries. The traditions include the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Through history of the Christmas tree, follows the great depression, where construction site employees were required to put up a small tree. Later, the tree grew into a massive evergreen tree which graced the Rockefeller Plaza, which become the centre of attraction during the December holiday. The other important tradition which has granted New York City its position as a holiday destination includes the Radio City Music Hall, and the City Christmas Spectacular. There are many events which are arranged for the Christmas season on a yearly basis. In addition to these traditions, the other important feature of New York City as holiday destination is the Fifth Avenue.

Luckily enough, I got an opportunity to participate in a boat ride. It was beautiful watching the sparkling waters with the salty air rising. In addition, it was also fascinating to see the sea gulls gliding overhead. I was exhilarated by a glimpse of the Manhattan skyline with all its picturesque. This was one of my fantastic moments, during my experience during the adventures visit to the New York City. I also spared some hours to visit the museum, which was mostly used on weekends for recreation purposes. The other interesting moment during my visit to New York City was the trip to Macy’s which is situated along the 34 th Street.

During the holiday season, I followed the Union Square and made my way to the eighth floor which is commonly known as Santa land. The place makes a visitor feel welcome because of the wonderfully friendly elves that receive visitors and provide direction through the whimsical land of a snowy terrain, which is characterized with dancing bears and puppets. I got an opportunity to see Santa Clause, who had cheeks like roses with a nose resembling a cherry and beards which were white as snow. Santa Clause was warm and gracious and was addressing children and giving them presents. After the encounter with Santa Clause, I made my next move towards Herald Square to join others to watch the vintage New York.

I did most of the window shopping at the Macy’s, which is situated at the corner between the Fifth Avenue and the 58 th Street. Macy’s ranks top as one of the most celebrated toy stores which brings out the child in everyone. I also liked the support of the staff and other employees who kept everything running smoothly, in spite of the presence of a big crowd who attended the festive season.

In conclusion, New York City is a place for luxury for the New Yorkers endowed with so many New York Hotels providing fabulous Christmas travel offers. The City boasts the best five star hotels in the world. In addition, most of the hotels in New York City offer lower prices during the festive season; hence, I managed to afford and experience the luxury New York City Hotel, known as the Midtown Manhattan Hotel. The hotel is situated to a close proximity to the Rockefeller Christmas tree and the Grand Central terminal. Other recreation places next to the hotel include the Radio City Music Hall Spectacular and the Rockefeller Ice Rink.

My Christmas Holiday experience in New York City has been of the most interesting adventures in my life, I will cherish to tell and encourage my friends and children because freelance writing had a perfectly sweet ending.

Works Cited

Adams, Lisa. Twelve Days of Christmas in New York City . New York: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. 2009. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2020, August 21). Christmas Celebration in New York City. https://ivypanda.com/essays/christmas-celebration-in-new-york-city/

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1. IvyPanda . "Christmas Celebration in New York City." August 21, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/christmas-celebration-in-new-york-city/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Christmas Celebration in New York City." August 21, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/christmas-celebration-in-new-york-city/.

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New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

A Short History of Christmas for New Yorkers

December 25, 2022 by Peter Hess 9 Comments

Many of the American traditions on Santa Claus originated in the Dutch settlement of New Netherland along the Hudson River between New Amsterdam (New York City) and Oranje ( Beverwyck-Albany ). The other colonies were English.

The image of Santa, with his round belly and long white beard leaving presents for children in shoes left by the door and stockings hung by the fireplace, was the image of Dutch St. Nicholas. The tradition that Santa was dressed all in fur with high boots, smoked a long-stemmed Dutch pipe and rode in a sleigh with reindeer certainly never originated in either England or America.

Two of Santa’s reindeer “Donder” and “Blitzen” are derivations of Dutch words for “thunder” and “lightning” while “Vixen” means “fox” in Dutch. Decorated holly trees were recorded in sixteenth century Netherlands. In Germany, there is a widely held belief that in the 1500s Dutch families decorated evergreen trees with lighted candles on the Feast of St. Nicholas to imitate the stars in the sky. Dutch holiday trees were also decorated with berries and nuts, fruits and decorated cookies. This was all part of the Feast of St. Nicholas celebration on December 6.

In the English colonies, any secular, fun-loving, celebration of Christmas (December 25) was outlawed. The New England Puritans’ second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out pagan mockery of Christmas and penalized any frivolity. Oliver Cromwell preached against the heathen traditions and joyful expression that he felt desecrated the sacred event of Christmas.

In 1809, author Washington Irving, writing under the pseudonym “Dietrich Knickerbocker,” wrote the History of New York. In it, he described St. Nicholas as the patron saint of New York and wrote of him arriving on horseback each year on the eve of St. Nicholas’ feast day, Dec. 6. Irving was not creating anything new, but he was taking an old verbal Dutch tale and spreading the word of St. Nicholas to the English colonies.

Clement Clarke Moore first published his poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (‘Twas the Night before Christmas …) in The Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. This was almost 200 years after the Dutch first began celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas in Rensselaerwyck and Fort Orange. Moore’s poem was probably not authored by him but he was one of the first to write the old popular story down in a published work.

Moore popularized the “jolly old elf” image of Santa and his ability to fly from house to house in his sleigh with eight tiny reindeer. Sometime between 1809 when Washington Irving placed Santa’s visit on the feast day of St. Nicholas and 1823 when Moore wrote “… the night before Christmas…” the two separate holidays were combined.

In the 1830s, R.H. Pease of Albany printed America’s first Christmas cards (actually St. Nicholas cards). The first Christmas cards were merchant’s advertising cards printed in a holiday motif with the merchant’s name and address. They were handed out to customers in the Albany area.

In 1846, the popular English royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince Albert were sketched with their children standing around their family Christmas tree. Albert had brought the celebration from his family tradition in Germany. The sketch appeared in the Illustrated London News . What was done at court immediately became fashionable. Christmas and Christmas trees had officially arrived both in the U.S. and England.

Louisiana was the first state to declare Christmas an official holiday, in 1837. By 1860 fourteen states had done so. By 1865, 31 states and territories officially recognized Christmas. In March, 1868, Charles Dickens read A Christmas Carol from the stage of Albany’s Tweedle Hall. In 1870, the U.S. Congress in Washington voted Christmas a federal holiday.

In 1881, cartoonist Thomas Nast began publishing a series of cartoons in Harper’s Weekly. Nast’s cartoons gave many Americans their first look at Santa. Nast started to make Americans aware of Santa’s bright red suit, bundle of toys and elves. Nast spread the image of rotund, jolly old St. Nick from Moore’s poetic description, which, of course, was based on the Old Dutch image of St. Nicholas. However, as Moore had described him, Nast drew St. Nick as a small character resembling an elf.

In 1931, the Coca-Cola Company published a series of illustrations making Santa a human-size figure and created the modern image of Santa Claus.

If you spend December 25 at church, celebrating the birth of the founder of the Christian religion, you are celebrating the religious holiday. If, on the other hand, you make out your letter to Santa, decorate your house with colored lights, spend weeks buying presents, decorate a “Christmas Tree,” send out cards with a picture of a man dressed in red fur, hang stockings by the chimney with care, listen with your children for the arrival of the sleigh with eight tiny reindeer, open Santa’s presents on Christmas morning … then you are celebrating the Old Dutch Feast of St. Nicholas.

The traditions of the Albany Dutch live on, not only in Albany but all over the U.S.

Illustration: Albany children singings hymns to St. Nicholas on the Eve of the Feast of St. Nicholas, courtesy Harper’s Magazine.

This essay first appeared on the New York History Blog on Dec. 22, 2017.

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Reader interactions.

December 23, 2017 at 11:53 AM

My home town was Albany, NY! Thank you for the info!

December 23, 2017 at 12:17 PM

This is wonderful and so appreciated…lovers of all things Historical…..will love it. My ” pilgrim ” arriving in 1623….is documented as receiving a reprimand from Gov. Bradford for ” saying the WRONG” evening prayer ! Several families apparently had had enough of Gov. Bradford…and moved to Barnstable,MA. HSTORY….is such a blessing……RALF WALLEN / WALLING’S dealings with Bradford…survive..yet my dear husband’s father,born in IN in 1924 has no birth certificate ! 🙂

December 24, 2017 at 1:27 AM

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day, December 6th (December 19 on the Julian Calendar).

Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas’ life and deeds. These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need.

————Re Christmas tree Long before Christianity appeared, people in the Northern Hemisphere used evergreen plants to decorate their homes, particularly the doors, to celebrate the Winter Solstice. On December 21 or December 22, the day is the shortest and the night the longest. Traditionally, this time of the year is seen as the return in strength of the sun god who had been weakened during winter — and the evergreen plants served as a reminder that the god would glow again and summer was to be expected. The solstice was celebrated by the Egyptians who filled their homes with green palm rushes in honor of the god Ra, who had the head of a hawk and wore the sun as a crown. In Northern Europe, the Celts decorated their druid temples with evergreen boughs which signified everlasting life. Further up north, the Vikings thought evergreens were the plants of Balder, the god of light and peace. The ancient Romans marked the Winter Solstice with a feast called Saturnalia thrown in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture, and, like the Celts, decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs.

It’s worth mentioning at this point that Saturnalia was the most important celebration in Roman life. It was a week-long lawless celebration held between 17 and 25 December in which no one could be prosecuted for injuring or killing people, raping, theft — anything usually against the law really. But although a lot of people blew off steam by taking advantage of the lawlessness, Saturnalia could also be a time for kindness. During Saturnalia, many Romans practiced merrymaking and exchange of presents.

Sounds familiar? In the early days of Christianity, the birth of Jesus was set at the last day of Saturnalia by the first Christian Romans in power to approach pagans, even though scholars assert Jesus was born nine months later. It was a clever political ploy, some say, which in time transformed Saturnalia from a frat party marathon into a meek celebration of the birth of Christ.

While a lot of ancient cultures used evergreens around Christmas time, historical records suggest that the Christmas tree tradition was started in the 16th century by Germans who decorated fir trees inside their homes. In some Christian cults, Adam and Eve were considered saints, and people celebrated them during Christmas Eve.

During the 16th century, the late Middle Ages, it was not rare to see huge plays being performed in open-air during Adam and Eve day, which told the story of creation. As part of the performance, the Garden of Eden was symbolized by a “paradise tree” hung with fruit. The clergy banned these practices from the public life, considering them acts of heathenry. So, some collected evergreen branches or trees and brought them to their homes, in secret.

These evergreens were initially called ‘paradise trees’ and were often accompanied by wooden pyramids made of branches held together by rope. On these pyramids, some families would fasten and light candles, one for each family member. These were the precursors of modern Christmas tree lights and ornaments, along with edibles such as gingerbread and gold covered apples.

Some say the first to light a candle atop a Christmas tree was Martin Luther. Legend has it, late one evening around Christmas time, Luther was walking home through the woods when he was struck by the innocent beauty of starlight shining through fir trees. Wanting to share this experience with his family, Martin Luther cut down a fir tree and took it home. He placed a small candle on the branches to symbolize the Christmas sky.

December 24, 2017 at 7:25 PM

Thank you for expanding the discussion of Saint Nicholas to ancient Roman Christian culture in Turkey. Amsterdam was probably not the only city which celebrated St. Nicholas in the 16th and 17th centuries. It would be interesting to trace the history through medieval times to cities in different European cultural and linguistic areas. The early history of Christmas in London or Paris could be expected to differ from its celebration in Amsterdam. In the U.S., the role of the Dutch takes on special significance only because of the New Netherland colony. The history of the evergreen Christmas tree in the northern temperate zone surely goes back to pagan celebrations around the winter solstice. There have been many books written on the history of the Christmas tree. Prof. Philip Shelley, who taught German literature at Pennsylvania State University , donated a huge collection of books on the origins of the Christmas tree to the Pattee library at Penn State.

December 27, 2017 at 10:12 AM

Presents, toys, cookies and cakes, decorated trees and houses, are associated with the Feast of St. Nicholas, Dec. 6 not the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, Dec. 25. Technically, I don’t think there is a “Christmas” tree until after the two holidays were combined.

December 27, 2017 at 9:33 AM

Remember that Christmas, the religious celebration of Joseph and Mary traveling through Nazareth and having a baby, Jesus Christ, delivered in Bethlehem on the traditional date of Dec. 25, …… and the Feast of St. Nicholas, a jolly soul, dressed all in fur, smoking a long-stemmed Dutch pipe, with 8 reindeer – two named Donder and Blitzen (Dutch for Thunder and Lightning), flying from rooftop to rooftop delivering toys, on Dec. 6, are two completely separate holidays that have nothing to do with each other. Presents, decorated trees, wreaths, Santa, have nothing to do with Christmas, the birth of Christ. Sometime between 1809 when Washington Irving identified Santa as appearing on Dec. 6 and 1824 when Clement Clark Moore wrote “Twas the night before CHRISTMAS,” the two holidays were somehow combined. Martin Luther would not have decorated a CHRISTMAS TREE.

December 24, 2017 at 4:05 PM

William Bradford was the Governor of Plymouth Colony (the Pilgrims), not of the Puritans in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Pilgrims and Puritans are far from being interchangeable. The Pilgrims were separatists and established their own Congregations while the Puritans sought to rid the English Catholic Church of Vatican and Roman influences (purify). Big difference and important to understand in our history.

December 25, 2017 at 10:54 AM

Peter Hess did not mention Black Pieter. Just wondering why this omission.

December 25, 2019 at 7:27 PM

The character first appeared in an 1850 book by Amsterdam schoolteacher Jan Schenkman. So way after the founding of New Amsterdam.

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Harper Lee: my Christmas in New York

One midwinter in 1950s New York, Harper Lee went to stay with friends. Little did she know she was about to receive the gift of a lifetime… Illustrations by Bill Bragg

S everal years ago, I was living in New York and working for an airline, so I never got home to Alabama for Christmas – if, indeed, I got the day off. To a displaced southerner, Christmas in New York can be rather a melancholy occasion, not because the scene is strange to one far from home, but because it is familiar: New York shoppers evince the same singleness of purpose as slow-moving southerners; Salvation Army bands and Christmas carols are alike the world over; at that time of year, New York streets shine wet with the same gentle farmer’s rain that soaks Alabama’s winter fields.

I missed Christmas away from home, I thought. What I really missed was a memory, an old memory of people long since gone, of my grandparents’ house bursting with cousins, smilax and holly. I missed the sound of hunting boots, the sudden open-door gusts of chilly air that cut through the aroma of pine needles and oyster dressing. I missed my brother’s night-before-Christmas mask of rectitude and my father’s bumblebee bass humming Joy To The World.

In New York, I usually spent the day, or what was left of it, with my closest friends in Manhattan. They were a young family in periodically well-to-do circumstances. Periodically, because the head of the household employed the precarious craft of writing for their living. He was brilliant and lively; his one defect of character was an inordinate love of puns.

He possessed a trait curious not only in a writer but in a young man with dependants; there was about him a quality of fearless optimism – not of the wishing-makes-it-so variety, but that of seeing an attainable goal and daring to take risks in its pursuit. His audacity sometimes left his friends breathless – who in his circumstances would venture to buy a town house in Manhattan? His shrewd generalship made the undertaking successful: while most young people are content to dream of such things, he made his dream a reality for his family and satisfied his tribal longing for his own ground beneath his feet. He had come to New York from the south-west and, in a manner characteristic of all natives thereof, had found the most beautiful girl in the east and married her.

To this ethereal, utterly feminine creature were born two strapping sons, who, as they grew, discovered that their fragile mother packed a wallop that was second to nobody’s. Her capacity to love was enormous, and she spent hours in her kitchen, producing dark, viscous delights for her family and friends.

They were a handsome pair, healthy in mind and body, happy in their extremely active lives. Common interests as well as love drew me to them: and an endless flow of reading material circulated among us; we took pleasure in the same theatre, films, music; we laughed at the same things, and we laughed so much in those days.

Our Christmases together were simple. We limited our gifts to pennies and wits and all-out competition. Who would come up with the most outrageous for the least? The real Christmas was for the children, an idea I found totally compatible, for I had long ago ceased to speculate on the meaning of Christmas as anything other than a day for children. Christmas to me was only a memory of old loves and empty rooms, something I buried with the past that underwent a vague, aching resurrection every year.

O ne Christmas, though, was different. I was lucky. I had the whole day off, and I spent Christmas Eve with them. When morning came, I awoke to a small hand kneading my face. “Dup,” was all its owner had time to say. I got downstairs just in time to see the little boys’ faces as they beheld the pocket rockets and space equipment Santa Claus had left them. At first, their fingers went almost timidly over their toys. When their inspection had been completed, the two boys dragged everything into the centre of the living room.

Bedlam prevailed until they discovered there was more. As their father began distributing gifts, I grinned to myself, wondering how my exceptionally wily unearthments this year would be received. His was a print of a portrait of Sydney Smith I’d found for 35 cents; hers was the complete works of Margot Asquith , the result of a year’s patient search. The children were in agonies of indecision over which package to open next, and as I waited, I noticed that while a small stack of presents mounted beside their mother’s chair, I had received not a single one. My disappointment was growing steadily, but I tried not to show it.

They took their time. Finally she said, “We haven’t forgotten you. Look on the tree.”

There was an envelope on the tree, addressed to me. I opened it and read: “You have one year off from your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas.”

“What does this mean?” I asked.

“What it says,” I was told.

They assured me that it was not some sort of joke. They’d had a good year, they said. They’d saved some money and thought it was high time they did something about me.

“What do you mean, do something about me?”

To tell the truth – if I really wanted to know – they thought I had a great talent, and…

“What makes you think that?”

It was plain to anyone who knew me, they said, if anyone would stop to look. They wanted to show their faith in me the best way they knew how. Whether I ever sold a line was immaterial. They wanted to give me a full, fair chance to learn my craft, free from the harassments of a regular job. Would I accept their gift? There were no strings at all. Please accept, with their love.

I t took some time to find my voice. When I did, I asked if they were out of their minds. What made them think anything would come of this? They didn’t have that kind of money to throw away. A year was a long time. What if the children came down with something horrible? As objection crowded upon objection, each was overruled. “We’re all young,” they said. “We can cope with whatever happens. If disaster strikes, you can always find a job of some kind. OK, consider it a loan, if you wish. We just want you to accept. Just permit us to believe in you. You must.”

“It’s a fantastic gamble,” I murmured. “It’s such a great risk.”

My friend looked around his living room, at his boys, half buried under a pile of bright Christmas wrapping paper. His eyes sparkled as they met his wife’s, and they exchanged a glance of what seemed to me insufferable smugness. Then he looked at me and said softly; “No, honey. It’s not a risk. It’s a sure thing.”

O utside, snow was falling, an odd event for a New York Christmas. I went to the window, stunned by the day’s miracle. Christmas trees blurred softly across the street, and firelight made the children’s shadows dance on the wall beside me. A full, fair chance for a new life. Not given me by an act of generosity, but by an act of love. Our faith in you was really all I had heard them say. I would do my best not to fail them. Snow still fell on the pavement below. Brownstone roofs gradually whitened. Lights in distant skyscrapers shone with yellow symbols of a road’s lonely end, and as I stood at the window, looking at the lights and the snow, the ache of an old memory left me for ever.

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Your insider guide to celebrating Christmas in New York by a New Yorker

October 18, 2019 by Karen Turner 1 Comment

Growing up in New York, the holiday season always left me with such excitement. Although my family is not very into Christmas, some of my favorite memories with my mom are during the Christmas season in New York. This guide to Christmas in New York City will include insider tips for enjoying New York for Christmas like a local, the best things to do during the Christmas season in New York City, and some helpful tips for your trip to New York City.

First of all, I strongly recommend dressing warmly as New York is cold during winter. If you’re living somewhere a bit warmer, don’t fear, you can do your winter shopping (on a budget) once you arrive in New York . Most importantly, this is one of the most popular times of the year to visit New York City, so book your hotel as far ahead as you can. You can click for my picks for affordable hotels in New York where you can get your money’s worth . It is New York after all.

When people generally refer to Christmas in New York, they generally mean the entire holiday season. For all purposes, this season runs between Black Friday (the day after American Thanksgiving) and Christmas itself. The reason is that most attractions related to the holidays in New York kick into gear around this time, so don’t feel that you have to come for Christmas. You can come a week earlier, experience the best that New York has to offer for the Christmas season and still be home for your family’s dinner. This post has two sections: Christmas and holiday-themed activities in New York City and how to celebrate Christmas like local.

The best things to do during Christmas in New York City

How to experience christmas like a native new yorker.

• 1.1 Browse the windows
• 1.2 Browse the Christmas markets in Bryant Park, Columbus Circle, and Union square
• 1.3 Have a drink at the Christmas pop-ups
• 1.4 See the Nutcracker
• 1.5 Cozy up to enjoy the Christmas spirit at the Queens County Farm House
• 1.6 See the Rockefeller Plaza tree
• 1.7 Enjoy the light spectacle at the Bronx Zoo
• 1.8 Enjoy the neighborhoods with houses decorated with Christmas lights
• 1.9 Do a candlelight tour in Historic Richmond Town
• 1.10 See the Rockettes’ Radio City Christmas Spectacular
• 1.11 Drop by Macy’s to say hello to Santa!
• 1.12 Go Ice Skating at New York’s rinks
• 2.1 Christmas Eve in New York
• 3 Christmas Day in New York
• 4 Any questions about Christmas in New York?

Browse the windows

One of my all-time favorite things to do during the Christmas season in New York is to browse the windows of the various department stores. Each year, around Thanksgiving, New York’s major retailers decorate their windows in elaborate, beautiful decorations. (Some include animatronics that move!)

My favorite is typically Macy’s who often goes with telling a story as you walk down the street looking at the windows. It will be crowded with both locals and tourists, but it tends to be quieter in the middle of the day if you’re visiting during the week. Even if you don’t have the budget to shop at Bergdorf Goodman in New York , you can still enjoy the view! Where to go: Macy’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Browse the Christmas markets in Bryant Park, Columbus Circle, and Union square

There’s nothing like grabbing a hot chocolate and browsing the stalls at the various Christmas markets in New York City. Bryant Park and Union Square are the most well-known markets and both open far before the Christmas season, so you don’t need to worry much about hours.

In Bryant Park, you’ll find a spacious ice skating rink (arguably the best outdoor rink in Manhattan!) with stunning views of the New York Public Library along with hundreds of booths at the Holiday Market. The Columbus Circle Christmas Market is a bit smaller, but a great place to support local designers and businesses. If you’re looking for a gift that can’t be bought on Amazon, come here. I always love Union Square as it’s often bustling. You’ll find more than a hundred stalls here, and even if you don’t find the perfect gift, you’re surrounded by some of New York’s most affordable shopping .

Have a drink at the Christmas pop-ups

If you’re looking for a memorable experience that you can’t have anywhere else, consider stepping into one of the Christmas pop-ups and bars around New York City! (Note: Most New York bars will not allow someone under 21 into the bars, even if they’re not drinking. Bring ID!)

The photo included is an older version of Rolf’s , New York’s most famous Christmas-themed restaurant that does not go light with its decor. Expect German food and homemade egg nog! It’s still a bit early for 2019’s best pop-ups, but still bookmark Nomad as they typically go all out for their holiday decorations. Be sure to look up the Miracle on 9th , which is a Christmas-themed pop-up bar and restaurant generally within the East Village although now with more locations to help with the demand for Santa.

See the Nutcracker

As a kid, my mom would often take me to see The Nutcracker put on by the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center. No matter how many times we saw it together, it was always magical. Tickets aren’t particularly cheap, but if you plan well ahead, tickets are sold online through the official website. Dress up for the occasion and get a ticket!

Cozy up to enjoy the Christmas spirit at the Queens County Farm House

On the outskirts of New York City, you’ll find the oldest continuously operating farm in New York State. This is the Queen County Farm, which is open to the public. During the week of Christmas, they’re open for free to visitors to enjoy the cozy historic farmhouse. They’ll have cider and crafts for the kids. It’s a bit of a challenge to get out here (F train to the last stop + bus or Uber), but if you have extra time before heading to JFK, it might be worth the excursion if you’re with kids.

Similarly, during all of December, there will be a holiday market here for those looking to decorate their homes with beautiful wreaths. If you’re traveling and can’t bring one home, you’ll also find other nice locally-made souvenirs at this non-profit market. (Check the official website for hours/dates. Should be open on Christmas Eve/Day.)

See the Rockefeller Plaza tree

One of the most impressive Christmas spectacles in New York has to be the Rockefeller Center Tree. Whether or not you make the lighting, this tall tree (typically 80 feet!) just as impressive in person. The tree lighting itself is a very crowded event, so think carefully about coming here as it’s just as special watching it on TV… Still, drop by anytime after dusk to see the lights shining besides on Christmas day when the lights are on all-day. The tree goes up in 2019 as of December 4th, 2019 and it’s typically still up until the first week of January. This is free to visit!

Enjoy the light spectacle at the Bronx Zoo

Another New York Christmas tradition perfect for families visiting NYC is visiting the Bronx Zoo in the evenings for the light show. Somewhere in an album in my parent’s house are photos of me running around the Bronx Zoo and it’s definitely a nice thing to do if your kids are awake past dusk. The sunset is early in December in New York (around 4:30pm), so you don’t need to go very late! You’ll need to purchase a ticket (best bought direct ), but it’s truly a winter wonderland with ice sculptures, wildlife-themed lights, trains, and caroling.

Enjoy the neighborhoods with houses decorated with Christmas lights

For the best Christmas lights in New York, you need to go where people have the space to decorate. Within the various boroughs, you’ll find a few key spots if you’re willing to venture outside of the popular tourist areas by stepping on the subway to Queens and maybe even taking a bus.

The most famous neighborhood in New York for Christmas Lights is Dyker Heights in Brooklyn , which has blocks of Christmas lights. I’d say that it’s the easiest to get to, namely because there are tours heading to Dyker Heights from Manhattan . For those looking to visit independently, it is accessible by public transit with multiple transfers.

Within Queens, you’ll want to look up Bayside and Whitestone , which are two quieter residential neighborhoods (close to Flushing ) that often have nice light displays. Within the Bronx, you might want to look up Garabedian Christmas House , which is an impressive display if you put the effort into getting here.

Do a candlelight tour in Historic Richmond Town

Wanting to get away from the crowds close to Christmas? Consider heading to Staten Island to check out Historic Richmond Town! This historic park with multiple houses that have been fully preserved showcase the history of Staten Island and New York itself. Admission is pretty affordable and the whole venue is family-friendly!

During the Christmas season, they offer a few evening tours with candlelight showcasing yuletide traditions throughout the centuries. If you’re curious about how Christmas was celebrated in Ye Old Times, come here for English country dancing and wassailing.

See the Rockettes’ Radio City Christmas Spectacular

A beloved Christmas show throughout the year, but especially during Christmas, is the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. From holiday favorites to high-kicks, you cannot go wrong with booking this family-friendly favorite complete with dancing, music, and stories. I recommend booking a ticket well in advance through the official website, but if you’re last minute, you can book a tour to ensure that you get your tickets .

Drop by Macy’s to say hello to Santa!

For those with kids or those who just love Christmas, you need to stop by Macy’s Headquarters to say hello to Santa. After Thanksgiving, the top story turns into a Christmas-themed shop complete with NYC-themed ornaments and other souvenirs. Of course, Santa is there for the iconic photo if you wish, but I’d recommend stopping by here if you’re looking for a thoughtful Christmas souvenir to decorate your tree with!

Go Ice Skating at New York’s rinks

Lastly, I had to include ice skating. Although not all of us are overly graceful, ice skating in New York’s many public rinks is a favorite of tourists and locals. Personally, I avoid the Wollman rink due to an association with a certain president, but politics aside, it’s a beautiful location in the middle of Central Park. Similarly, most locals avoid the Rockefeller Center rink as it’s quite smal, expensive, and cramped. To avoid the crowds while enjoying ice skating in New York , consider heading to Chelsea Piers, Bryant Park, or even venturing out to Brooklyn to see Prospect Park in its prime. (The rentals add up, so check prices before you go!)

Christmas Eve in New York

If you’re someone of faith, you’ll probably want to go to church on Christmas Eve. There is a church for virtually every denomination. You can click here for our picks for the most beautiful churches in New York City to figure out where you want to attend services.

On Christmas Eve, some shops will be open for last-minute purchases although things will start to quiet down as people settle in at home or leave town. Still, you can go ice skating and browse the Union Square & Bryant Park markets.

If you want to have dinner out on Christmas eve or Christmas day, I recommend making a reservation at a restaurant of your choice. This will not be inexpensive, but many restaurants and shops will be closed on Christmas day. If you forget to make a reservation, historical food landmarks like Katz’s Deli, Russ & Daughters, and the 2nd Avenue Deli will be open. Vegans should look up ABC Kitchen .

If you’re looking for a nightcap or to dance the night away, that’s an easy possibility. Quite a few bars and clubs will be having themed Christmas parties, so be sure to bring your ugly Christmas sweater. (TimeOut New York regularly updates about parties.)

One of New York’s most secretive traditions that I still have only read about is the Gramercy Park caroling. This private park is locked most of the year, however, it’s open to the public on Christmas Eve for caroling if you have nothing to do and love to sing.

Christmas Day in New York

In my opinion, there is nothing more New York than ordering in using a delivery app or going out for Chinese food on Christmas. If you’re wondering where to go, take the subway down to Chinatown or hop over to Queens to experience New York’s biggest Chinatown at this point, Flushing . Some shops will still be closed, but it’s a good start to finding options if you didn’t make reservations.

A few museums will be open on Christmas Day, namely the Jewish Museum. One of my favorite museums in New York has to be the Tenement Museum, which showcases how New Yorkers lived in the late 1800s-1900s. Buy your ticket ahead for one of their tours and enjoy the Lower East Side where things should be a bit less quiet.

Another tradition that I usually do with friends on Christmas day is going to the movies in the afternoon. I strongly recommend buying your tickets out in advance as many movie theatres will sell out. (Many New Yorkers who aren’t Christian or who have quieter plans often go to the movies as it’s a public holiday and not much is open.)

Any questions about Christmas in New York?

• How to take the subway in New York
• Insider tips for visiting NYC
• Beautiful churches in New York
• Five days in NYC
• New York for the holidays (NYE)
• Affordable hotels in New York
• Unusual things to do in New York

About Karen Turner

New Yorker–born and raised. Currently living in the Hague, the Netherlands after stints in Paris and Amsterdam. Lover of travel, adventure, nature, city, dresses, and cats.

Reader Interactions

October 24, 2019 at 12:21 pm

This looks so amazing! I love Christmas and I’ve never been to NYC yet so I guess I really need to go soon *w*

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How to celebrate Christmas in New York City

Nobody would fault you for heading to New York City in the spring when Central Park blooms big or, really, in any of the seasons—but to see the city in a full-on glittery Christmas frenzy, winter can’t be beat.

The city’s usual go-go-go energy (there are places to go and people to see, people!) swings into overdrive once you add holiday shopping, lights, the shop windows along Fifth Avenue, and a world’s worth of visitors into the mix.

Hop right into the swirl, but when you need a breather, choose a spot to sit and enjoy the people-watching. As artist Jason Polan , a columnist and the pen behind the drawing project “ Every Person in New York ,” puts it: “I love getting hot chocolate with a friend and about eight million other people.” But, really, one of the great joys of New York is the mix of moments large and small all winter long.

Related: holiday lights around the world

Gifted Excursions

The city’s normal abundance of flea and farmers’ markets gets holiday company every year: gift and craft markets. Some are outdoors, so you’ll want to bundle up.

Take a deep breath and hop into the traffic streams that crawl through the aisles of the Union Square Holiday Market or its midtown cousin, the Columbus Circle Holiday Market . The booths stock everything from artisanal chocolate to delicate jewelry.

Or, for crafts from some up-and-coming artists, head to the Brooklyn Flea’s Winter Flea + Smorgasburg , a weekends-only event in the month or so leading up to Christmas.

Get a four-for-one experience with a visit to the Holiday Market in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall. Stop for gifts that range from trinket to pricey before tackling the mall’s worth of shops set up underground.

Then give your eyes and ears a treat by taking in the sights and sounds of the main concourse before gifting the rest of your senses with a meal at the legendary Oyster Bar .

Light it Up

Holiday lights aplenty shine all over Manhattan—the Empire State Building sparkles in green and red—but it’s off to Brooklyn you go for some of the city’s most dramatic lights.

Head to the borough’s Dyker Heights neighborhood for a house-by-house tour of its over-the-top holiday decorations . (No, we can’t imagine their electric bills, either.)

If you’re in the mood for a good old fashioned tree lighting, the Rockefeller Center tree is notable, but it’s not the only spruce (or fir) in town. The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx lights up its trees in late November, and Manhattan’s Metropolitan Museum of Art goes for multiple lighting ceremonies.

Hit the Ice

Hans Brinker may be the world’s most famous skater, but the Rink at Rockefeller Center is really the best known spot to twirl (or fall) in front of a crowd of onlookers.

Under the legendary Christmas tree at 30 Rock and the watchful eye of the golden Prometheus Prometheus statue , lace up and then hit the ice (gracefully). The rink is also a very popular spot for marriage proposals, so keep an eye out; part of your day may include wishing well to a newly engaged pair.

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For another classic NYC skating experience, head into Central Park . The park sports two rinks: the Wollman and Lasker rinks.

A Room for a Read

When the swirl of the city gets to be too much, the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building is a perfect resting spot. One of New York’s most famous sanctuaries, the historic landmark is equal parts beaux arts wonder, art museum, and, of course, a great place to read.

If you decide to take in a few pages in the main reading room, don’t forget to look up from your book, where blue sky shines through the clouds, floating on the ceiling mural five stories above. Or take a free tour.

Oh, need more gifts? The library has a stellar shop.

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Christmas Traditions with New York State roots

There's nothing like Christmas in New York. While that statement may conjure up images of Rockefeller Center and 34th Street, all of New York - from the high peaks of the Adirondacks to the far West of the state - is steeped in holiday tradition.

In fact, many of the traditions that are integral parts of the Christmas experience across the nation have roots in the towns and cities of New York State. From Santa Claus to illuminated trees, Christmas wouldn't be the same without the many contributions from the Empire State.

Read on to see if you knew all of these traditions began in New York.

Electric Christmas Tree Lights

Inventor and business partner of Thomas Edison, Edward H. Johnson, is widely credited as the first person to light up a Christmas tree with electric lights.

Before the advent of electricity, Christmas trees were traditionally illuminated with candles, which were both fleeting and dangerous.

In 1882, Johnson - Vice President of the Edison Electric Light Company, the forerunner of Con Edison - ordered 80 red, white, and blue light bulbs about the size of walnuts to be strung together.

He wrapped them throughout his Christmas tree at his home in New York City, and also used electricity to make the tree rotate.

The move gained the attention of national papers, and the tradition spread as electricity became more widely available and people less suspicious of it. In 1895, Grover Cleveland became the first President to have an electrically lit Christmas tree in the White House, and Edison General Electric Company began mass-producing electric lights for consumers in 1901.

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Santa Claus

While New York can't lay sole claim to the invention of the contemporary icon of Christmas, several New Yorkers made significant contributions to Santa's modern image and his immense popularity.

In an early nineteenth-century edition of his widely read satirical work,  A History of New York , Washington Irving referred to St. Nicholas as the patron saint of New Amsterdam.

He painted a picture of a jolly old man nicknamed Sancte Claus, who slid down chimneys with gifts for children on St. Nicholas' day.

In fact, residents of New York had been celebrating St. Nicholas long before Irving wrote about him (though Irving's characterization was unique at the time). Dutch settlers in the Hudson Valley celebrated Sinterklaas on December 6, the day of the St. Nicholas' Feast as far back as 300 years ago.

The  tradition is still alive and well  in Rhinebeck and Kingston, and is worth experiencing!

The Night Before Christmas and Santa's Reindeer

For a time, Sancte Claus was associated with the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6. It wasn't until New Yorker Clement Clarke Moore penned what authors Burrows and Wallace refer to as "arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American," that St. Nicholas became a part of the Christmas holiday.

A friend of Moore's sent "A Visit from St. Nicholas" to the  Troy Sentinel , which  published the piece on December 23, 1823 , beginning with the memorable lines,

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse

Moore also established the names of the original eight reindeer:And he whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name:

"Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer, and Vixen, "On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blixem;

Of course, "Dunder and Blixem" (Dutch for thunder and lightning) were replaced with their German counterparts, Donder and Blitzen, in an 1844 reprint of the poem, and those were the names that stuck.

Nearly 100 years later, a ninth Reindeer was added to the team, when Robert May (born and raised in New Rochelle, New York) wrote "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" for a Chicago-based department store, Montgomery Ward.

In 1949, May's brother-in-law, New York composer Johnny Marks, turned the story into a song, which hit number 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart that Christmas.

There are certainly more Christmas traditions that began in New York - if you can think of any, share your knowledge with us in the comments!

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The complete guide to christmas in nyc.

The holidays in the Big Apple are truly a magical time of year. From festive lights and decorations to ice skating, shopping, and holiday shows, there are plenty of ways to experience Christmas in New York City. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or making an annual trip, here’s an overview of some of the best things to do during Christmas in NYC.

I’ll help you find the best:

• Way to Stay Warm in NYC for Christmas Season
• Christmas movies set in NYC
• Hotels in NYC for Christmas
• Christmas Lights in NYC
• Ice Skating in NYC
• Christmas Markets in NYC
• Christmas Shows in New York City

Here's a Short Cut

Prepare for Cold Weather During Christmas in New York City

Is christmas a good time to visit new york, spending christmas in new york city with kids, christmas in nyc movies, st. regis new york, the plaza hotel, the carlyle, waldorf astoria new york, ritz -carlton central park, lotte new york palace, the penninsula, the standard east village, dream downtown, rockefeller center tree, dyker heights christmas lights in brooklyn, hudson yards mall.

• Macy’s

The Highline Winter Lights Display

Saks fifth avenue light show, radio city music hall, ice skating at bryant park, central park ice rink – wolman rink, rockefeller ice rink, union square holiday market, winter village at bryant park, grand central terminal holiday market, columbus circle holiday market, chelsea market, fao schwarz, the radio city christmas spectacular featuring the rockettes, a sherlock carol, nutcracker at the new york city ballet, rolf’s german restaurant, tavern on the green, lillie’s victorian establishment, nyc walking tour, drink lots of holiday hot chocolate to stay warm, hop a ride on the holiday nostalgia train, take a carriage ride through central park, ride a carousel, take a new york city christmas cruise, browse the holiday window displays, stroll through central park, a magical winter wonderland.

There’s no denying the fact that Christmas in New York City will be cold, and quite possibly rainy. Let’s be real – NYC in winter is nothing short of FREEZING. December temperatures usually fluctuate from 20-45°, but the strong winds make it feel much worse, especially when you get a big gust between buildings!

The cold can be hard to deal with. Trust me, I grew up in San Diego and am not a native to the cold. I’ve had to teach myself how to deal over the last few years. This is especially important if you’re visiting NYC with kids . I’ll share what works for me.

The best way to deal with this is to be prepared with the proper clothing and the proper mindset. I love the book There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather which teaches readers to cope with the cold and that as long as you’re dressed properly, there’s no excuse not to go outside. Here are some NYC packing essentials:

• Base Layers: These are essential and help tremendously. I love this brand , which you can also get at Costco during the Holidays.
• Long Coat: Having a calf-length coat will be really useful when trying to keep your legs warm. My coat is from Eddie Bauer . It’s also down which is extra warm! I’ve had this for several years. I love it because it’s warm and long, but also has pull strings at the waist to keep me from looking like a puffy marshmallow. I like that you can unzip it from the bottom as well to give yourself some room to sit down or climb stairs if needed. It also comes in several cute colors . I have purple, but I’m considering getting the black or red one for a more versatile look. The fur on the hood is also detachable which I appreciate so it doesn’t get ruined in the wash.
• Fleece Lined Hat: Be sure whatever hat you choose doesn’t have holes in it. A fleece-lined knit beanie (or a toque as my Canadian husband insists they be called), will help your body retain heat and keep all of you warm. I bought several of these beanies when we spent Christmas in London a few years ago and we are still using them today. They’re thick, comfy, and good quality. Most importantly, they’re warm! My boys have since outgrown the pom-pom on these and we’ve upgraded them to these more “manly” looking beanies.
• Scarf: People have mixed feelings about scarves, but I cannot function without one in the cold. I don’t know if I have an extra sensitive neck, or what, but if my neck is cold, all of me is miserable. I like fluffy infinity scarves like these or big blanket scarves that I can use to wrap around my face when the wind hits. When we lived in DC, my kids wore these balaclavas to school in the winter. Were their faces warm? Yes. Did they look like bank robbers? Also, yes. I digress…Christmas in NYC was much more pleasant with something I could wrap my face in…like a little present!
• Wool Socks: The last thing you want while walking 20,000+ steps ever day is cold, uncomfortable feet. Invest in good wool socks. I double up and wear two pairs with my boots. It adds extra warmth and comfort too! I’ve been wearing this brand of wool socks for years, wince we drove the RV to Alaska and lived there for a few months.
• Gloves: Your fingers (and your nose) will be the first things to get cold. Be sure to always have gloves at the ready in your coat pockets. When my kids were really young, I’d tie a string between them and thread them through their coat so they didn’t get lost. Great, cheap trick that I learned from my Canadian mother-in-law. I’ll be honest, I hate wearing gloves, so only wear them when I’m absolutely miserably freezing. I have these gloves , and they’re fine as far as gloves go. If you have a miracle pair, let me know, I will will gladly buy them for my next Christmas in NYC!
• Comfortable Shoes: This is an essential any time you visit NYC or travel anywhere really. Being on your feet and walking for miles each day really takes a toll, so be sure you pack shoes that are comfortable and worn in. Boots would be best, but only if they’re comfortable for long walking. I wore Chelsea boots all week and they were fine with my double wool socks.

Is it worth going to NYC in December when it’s cold and possibly rainy? It depends on your tolerance for inclement weather, but the answer, for me, is a definitely YES! I find so many people asking this question because they are afraid of the cold and the crowds. But with all the magic that Christmas in New York City offers, I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to visit.

If you’re bringing your kids to NYC at Christmas, they’re definitely going to have a good time. There are so many things to do in NYC with kids, and it is an even more magical place during the holidays. If you’re looking for a good itinerary, I highly recommend using the NYC Kids Itinerary.

There’s nothing like watching some cozy Christmas in New York movies to get you ready for your visit. I love to binge a few on the plane ride there to get me in the holiday spirit! Here are some of my favorites:

• Miracle on 34th Street
• Something From Tiffany’s
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
• Dash & Lily
• Serendipity
• You’ve Got Mail

Stay at the Most Festive and Best Hotels in NYC for Christmas

If you’re spending Christmas in NYC, I highly recommend staying at one of these festive hotels for a great location and holiday ambiance. Here are my favorite hotels in NYC Christmas picks:

The holiday decor at the St. Regis exudes timelessness, from its iconic nutcrackers by each side of the 55th Street entrance to its charming garlands and ornaments along banisters and walls. During this festive time of year, families with kids can take part in delightful activities like gingerbread decorating while admiring a sparkling Cognac Room makeover. Check availability.

This is one of the best hotels in new york city for Christmas, but it will cost you an arm and a leg! If you can’t stay here, at least try to book tea at the Palm Court for a special occasion. The fame of The Plaza for its Christmas festivities has even inspired a documentary on British TV.

But what sets this hotel apart from the rest? Maybe it’s because their team works diligently all night on Thanksgiving to give the entire building festive vibes, so guests can wake up to an amazing surprise in the morning. Or maybe it’s due to one of their special holiday packages they offer- like getting a six-foot tall Christmas tree in your room or having a Home Alone 2 theme (given that it is featured as one of the film’s main locations). Check availability.

During the holidays, The Pierre is adorned with festive trees and garlands in every corner of the hotel. However, what truly makes it a special place during Christmas time is its scrumptious hot chocolate served at the Art Deco bar and lounge offering high tea in the afternoon and cocktails during evening hours. Check availability.

When you walk into The Carlyle’s black-and-white, Art Deco lobby in the winter season and find it bedecked with garlands, trees adorned with silver decorations, ribbons and lights – nestled amongst its plush yellow arm chairs – you won’t want to leave.

As if this isn’t enough of a reason for visitors to stay longer than necessary throughout December: Santa even shows up on Christmas Day! And don’t forget about Cafe Carlyle either; their cabaret nights during the holiday are definitely worth checking out. Check availability.

Celebrating Christmas in style, the Waldorf hotel on Park Avenue – like other New York hotels – adds a majestic 16-foot tree to its lobby. Adorned with 3,000 gold Magnolia leaves and lights, this golden masterpiece is further complemented by garlands of glittering gilded Magnolia leaves along the banisters and delightful wreaths throughout. Check availability.

The signature bronze World’s Fair Clock is trimmed with hand-blown glass ornaments for an extra special touch. To complete the picture outside, 6 six-foot wreaths are decorated with over 6,000 twinkling lights that light up Park Avenue creating a breathtakingly beautiful festive display!

During the wonderful holiday season, The Ritz-Carlton creates a delightful atmosphere around its close proximity to Central Park. Enjoy wreaths and garlands adorned with stunning blue ornaments and golden leaves throughout the lavish lobby. To truly experience all this magical place has to offer, book one of their spectacular Park View rooms or suites for magnificent views of ice skaters gliding across the frozen lake! Check availability.

The Palace is the ultimate destination for a Christmas holiday. Greeted by a magnificent 30-foot tree behind its iron gates, The Palace elevates the spirit of Christmas with its partnership to the iconic Radio City Christmas Spectacular show.

If you book two nights or more at The Palace, you can enjoy their exclusive package that includes popcorn and beverage vouchers from the show plus an exclusive Rockettes tote! It’s close to Radio City Music Hall, so a nice easy walk if you’re combining both. It’s also right by Saks Fifth Avenue, so it’s a great location to enjoy the Saks Light show as well! If you don’t stay here, you should at least stop into the lobby to see the gorgeous trees at the top of the stairs. Check availability.

The Peninsula’s holiday decor is nothing short of mesmerizing, sure to delight those who pause for a glimpse from the street. This hotel goes above and beyond, decking their exteriors with hundreds of feet worth of garland, ornaments, twinkling lights, small trees filled with poinsettias and winter flowers – even two reindeer statues! In the merry lobby you can find Victorian carollers singing on Fridays and Saturdays throughout December – an old fashioned Sweet Shoppe will also be available for any young guests looking for some delicious treats. Check availability.

The roof bar gets a Swiss chalet makeover and, for big spenders, there’s a Nights Before Christmas package that includes an in-room Christmas tree, gingerbread playhouse, candy cane scavenger hunt and much more.

From late November to March, The Standard, East Village customarily turns its outdoor garden into a magical winter wonderland. Though 2020 has required them to reduce some of the features they normally offer like heated yurts and fondue dishes, there is still plenty of festive fun left on tap!

If you’re lucky enough to visit this Christmas Day then don’t miss out on A Very Decimo Christmas in their tenth-floor restaurant; you’ll be treated with an exquisite Mexican/Spanish feast plus a complimentary Champagne cocktail upon arrival. Check availability.

Stepping into the eccentric and fashionable Meatpacking District, prepare to be amazed by the holiday decorations at this one-of-a-kind hotel. In prior years they’ve converted their rooftop bar into a ‘Midwinter Night’s Dream’, featuring a candlelit tunnel and sweet candy cane cocktails–not to mention an alpine lodge lobby with taxidermied polar bears, snow leopards, moving penguins in tuxedos manning an outdoor ice bar! Check availability.

View the Best Holiday Decorations and Christmas Lights in NYC

There’s no doubt that Christmas in New York City offers the best Christmas decorations with holiday window displays, holiday wreaths, bright lights, giant Christmas ornaments, and massive Christmas Trees. The city just does Christmas spirit right! Here are some of my favorite places to see Christmas lights in New York City.

If you’re looking for a quintessential New York City experience this holiday season, look no further than the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Ceremony. Each year, thousands of people gather in Midtown Manhattan to watch as a massive Norway Spruce (the biggest Christmas tree in New York City) is lit up with thousands of twinkling lights.

The tree-lighting ceremony includes performances by popular artists, making it a great way to kick off your holiday celebrations. Make sure to get there early; it’s one of the most popular things to do in New York City at Christmas time! If you’re not going to be there in time for the actual lighting of Christmas tree in NYC, don’t worry, it’ll be there all season for you to visit. The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is huge and beautiful and worth seeing.

The history of Dyker Heights’ Christmas display began in the mid-1980s when homeowners started decorating their houses for the holidays. Each homeowner had their own style and ideas for decorations; some were classic designs while others were more creative or over-the-top. As word spread about the fantastic light shows in Dyker Heights, tourists flocked to get a glimpse at this winter wonderland.

Over time, the displays grew larger and more elaborate as homeowners tried to outdo each other with their decorations every year. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to see entire lawns covered in inflatable snowmen and reindeer, life-size nativity scenes featuring Mary and Joseph, towering Christmas trees encased by spotlights, and even animatronic Santas and snowmen performing choreographed songs.

Exploring Dyker Heights Christmas lights is easy and there are plenty of ways to make it fun for everyone involved! One popular option is booking a guided tour with an experienced guide who will walk you through all the best spots in Dyker Heights so you don’t miss a thing.

Another option is downloading an app like Light Finder NYC which will provide you with maps showing where all the best displays are located so you can craft your own route around the neighborhood at your own pace.

Of course, you can always just take a taxi or UBER out to Dyker Heights and wander around. There are several trucks that sell hot chocolate and popcorn. Please just be respectful of peoples’ homes and yards and don’t litter or trespass. Also, be sure to dress warmly, it will take you several hours to see the lights. They just keep going and going!

Explore the Dyker Heights Tour

Hudson Yards Mall is a magnificent center of shops and restaurants situated beside the spectacular Vessel. Visiting any time of year provides an enjoyable adventure, yet during the holidays it becomes even more special because Hudson Yards adorns its space with nearly two million Christmas lights!

Shine On, an incredible light and audio installation, graces this shopping haven for all to enjoy throughout the holiday season. If you have young children, then be sure to include them on your visit – they will surely love it!

Spanning a full city block, the biggest Macy’s in the world offers more than just incredible Christmas lights and window displays — it is an experience. Visiting for some of the best holiday illuminations around NYC should be at top of any itinerary, with a bit of retail therapy thrown in too! Their legendary Santaland event on their 8th floor features one-of-a kind Christmas light shows that will leave you dreaming all year round. Make sure to mark your calendars–the largest Macy’s in the world has everything you need this winter season!

Stroll through delightful the village, Santa’s workshop and loads of other festive attractions before having a personal encounter with Kris Kringle himself! It gets even better as this entire experience is absolutely free to revel in- just remember to book ahead. For those that can’t make it to Santaland, Macy’s also sets up some of the most spectacular holiday lights around its New York City store.

This year, The High Line is featuring Winter Lights by Genesis. I’m hoping these come back next year because they are gorgeous. You can visit this between 15th and 16th street, right near Chelsea Market.

From the dazzling lights of Saks 5th Avenue to all of the other incredible Christmas displays you’ll see in New York City, none can compare with the spectacular holiday light show offered at Saks. As beautiful music resonates throughout the area, both adults and children are mesmerized by its beauty. This experience truly elevates your holiday spirit as it transports you into a world that feels like pure magic!

Witness the mesmerizing and sensational New York Christmas lights extravaganza, which occurs every 10 minutes from 5-11 pm each evening. Prepare for a bustling audience as this extraordinary display of illumination is one of the most sought-after attractions during this festive period. Don’t miss out on your chance to witness these dazzling lights – stick around long enough and you’re sure to experience all of their grandeur!

Radio City Music Hall’s festive display of NYC Christmas lights has made it a sought-after destination for movie scenes, such as Home Alone 2 and the Godfather. Visitors swarm to this iconic location every year to capture photos in front of its majestic beauty. It isn’t just Radio City that is lit up; 6th Avenue and 50th Street spotlights an array of delightful illumination—bright enough for you to witness with your own eyes!

Go Ice Skating at Christmas in New York City

Ice skating in NYC is a Christmas tradition not to be missed. Luckily there are several rinks around the city to choose from.

No visit to NYC during the holidays is complete without taking a spin on an outdoor ice rink—and Bryant Park is one of the best places to do that. This picturesque spot just steps away from Times Square is transformed into a winter wonderland thanks to its 17,000-square-foot outdoor ice rink.

With plenty of nearby restaurants and shops, it’s easy to spend an entire day here enjoying all that Bryant Park has to offer. You can even rent a private igloo to stay warm while you’re off the ice. Skate rentals are $15/pair. If you have your own skates, you can skate for free, but you do need to book a session. More information here .

This iconic outdoor skating rink offers breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline and the perfect opportunity to get into the holiday spirit. Let’s take a closer look at what makes skating at Wollman Rink such a unique winter experience. Skating under the stars with views of the iconic Manhattan skyline is an experience not to be missed. The rink itself is surrounded by tall trees, adding to an already picturesque setting.

Wollman Rink offers several amenities for visitors including food & beverage options, a skate shop, and locker rooms where you can rent skates or store your own belongings while on the rink. There are also several public restrooms scattered throughout the park for your convenience. And if you don’t feel like bringing your own skates, they have rental options available.

It’s hard to say which ice skating rink is the most iconic in the city, but the Rockefeller Ice Rink definitely makes the top of the list. There’s just something magical skating within view of that magnificent Rockefeller Christmas tree. You can also rent your own skates here and enjoy the beautiful decorations.

Go Shopping & Discover the Best Christmas Markets in NYC

NYC is always a great place for shopping, but there are even more opportunities to discover during the holidays. If you’re looking for some unique gifts or just shopping for yourself, the Christmas markets in New York City are a must!

The Union Square Holiday Market takes place each year from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve and offers visitors an array of unique gifts handmade by local artisans. Whether you’re looking for jewelry, clothing items or home decor pieces, you can find something special for everyone on your list (including yourself!).

Plus, with live music performances throughout the day and plenty of delicious food options available (hello hot cocoa!), this market makes for a perfect afternoon outing when you’re looking for something special during your holiday stay in NYC. More information here .

From festive lights and decorations to ice skating rinks and markets full of handmade gifts from local artisans, there are plenty of ways to experience Christmas in New York City.

Whether you want to attend one of the iconic tree lighting ceremonies or simply explore all that this magical city has to offer during this special time of year — make sure you take advantage every minute! With so much going on throughout December —it will be hard not fall completely head over heals with Christmas in NYC!

Grand Central Terminal is a must see in New York City any time, especially when you’re visiting NYC with kids , but it’s especially beautifully decorated and lit up during the holiday season with a gorgeous red and green ceiling and a festive Christmas Market offering boutique gifts.

Columbus Circle, at the southwest corner of Central Park hosts an annual holiday market that’s full of unique vendors selling trinkets, gifts, and tasty food! After spending some time wandering Central Park, stop in for some hot chocolate and churros.

Chelsea Market is a fun, year-round market that was previously the Nabisco Factory, where you can shop, eat, and explore. There is fun holiday decor and festive shopping during December, so it’s worth a stop for the holiday season.

If you’ve got kids who love toys, a visit to FAO Schwartz is a must! It’s one of the best things to do in new york city during Christmas for kids and adults! This massive toy store will entertain them for hours. Be sure to say hi to the toy soldiers out front and play the big floor piano from the movie BIG! I also love the tiny dollhouse display!

See Christmas Shows in NYC

If you’re looking for the most festive holiday show in New york city, the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular does not get any more festive! With Santa Claus, the Nutcracker, and the Nativity story all rolled into one show, combined with amazing dancing from the Rockettes, this show really puts you in the mood for Christmas!

The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular is held in the gorgeous and history Radio City Music Hall which is absolutely massive. The grand scale makes it even more impressive. Be sure to purchase tickets in advance. Book Here

This is a clever show that combines Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Sherlock Holmes. It’s a bit of a sequel to A Christmas Carol and it’s very charming and sweet with a cast of only 6 people and a basic set. Book Here

If you’re a fan of the ballet and want to see a holiday season staple, the New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker is a great choice. The NYC Ballet is one of the top in the world, and it’s amazing to watch them dance to these classic holiday season songs. Be sure to book tickets well in advance. Book Here

Christmas Restaurants in NYC

There are some amazingly festive restaurants that go all out during the holiday season. You’ll need to book some of these months in advance, but the over the top decor is worth it! Here are some of my favorite Christmas restaurants in New York City.

If you’re searching for the perfect Christmas restaurant in NYC, your search ends with Rolf’s. This Gramercy favorite is popularly recognized for its yearly act of turning into a Germanic winter paradise complete with an overwhelming display of beautiful ornaments, lights and Kris Kringles! Apart from their festive atmosphere, they are also known to serve delectable schnitzel, pork chops and beef stew dishes. Visit Rolf’s now to enjoy both impeccable cuisine accompanied by one-of-a kind seasonal vibes!

For the past century, Tavern on the Green has been one of New York City’s most iconic and beloved Christmas destination. Nestled in Central Park’s West side, this chic restaurant offers a unique and festive experience like no other – from its beautiful 20-foot tree to its various holiday decorations that are sure to put you in the spirit of festivities! Whether you’re looking for an unforgettable night out or simply want to admire one of NYC’s best Christmas trees, make Tavern on the Green your go-to spot this year!

Step into the magical world of Lillie’s, with locations in both Times Square and Union Square. It is one of NYC’s most renowned restaurants this festive season due to its delectable New American pub fare, creative cocktails, and awe-inspiring decorations!

Everything from ornaments to holly boughs to Nutcrackers fill the barroom creating a cozy yet opulent atmosphere for guests. And let us not forget about their giant animatronic teddy bears that add an extra layer of holiday cheer! So make sure you come experience all that Lillie’s has to offer when searching for the best restaurants in NYC for Christmas!

Other Christmas Things to do in NYC

Let’s be honest, New York City in Christmas time can be a little overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time. One of the best things to do in NYC around Christmas is to take an holiday themed NYC Walking Tour . It’s a really fun and easy way to see all the highlights without getting overwhelmed or lost. Be sure to book early , this small group walking tour is very popular.

Since it’s definitely going to be cold, I recommend sampling all the hot chocolate you possibly can! I have several favorites around the city:

• Cafe Maman (several locations)
• The Little One (Lower East Side – the malted dark chocolate cardamom hot chocolate is the best thing I’ve ever had)
• Max Brenner (several locations)
• Jaques Torres
• Li-lac Chocolates
• Dominique Ansel
• No Chewing Allowed (Bryant Park Popup also selling yummy french truffles)
• Serendipity 3 – Known for their frozen hot chocolate, his one will make every hot chocolate list in New York City, but I don’t love it because it’s a crazy long wait and they have a $20 minimum spend which I find very annoying. Visit if you must.

Every weekend in December, the Metropolitain Transport Authority (MTA) works with the New York Transit Museum to bring back a vintage eight car subway train that allows locals and visitors to feel like they’ve stepped back in time. These cars are from the 1930s and have rattan seating, ceiling fans, and period advertisements displayed.

They’re just absolutely delightful. You don’t need to book ahead or pay a special fee. It’s the same cost to ride the Nostalgia train as it is to take the regular subway. Find more information here on when and where to hop on board. It’s one of my favorite Christmas things to do in New York City.

Taking a carriage ride through Central Park is one of the most iconic things to do in NYC at Christmas time. You can usually find plenty of the carriages in park or you can book ahead online to be safe. The horses in Central Park are a bit of a controversial topic. The regulations around horses in the city are very strict, however, how well these are enforced, I am not sure. Do your own research and make the decision that feels right for you.

There’s something nostalgic about carousels, even when it’s not Christmas time in New York City. But it’s especially fun to ride these when they’re decked out for the holidays. The Central Park Carousel is particularly festive and a great choice for Christmas time in NYC with kids .

Embrace the holiday cheer and take a boat tour of Manhattan’s iconic sites aboard a vintage yacht! You’ll be surrounded by festive decorations while you listen to Christmas music and sing carols. Enjoy your favorite adult beverage or hot drink as you cruise in comfort inside an enclosed, heated observatory.

Don’t forget to grab a cup of hot cocoa for the perfect touch on this enchanting experience for Christmas in NYC. Be sure to book ahead, this cruise sells out quickly. Check sailing times here.

Department stores really go all out during Christmas in NYC! Be sure to at least window shop down Fifth Avenue. Here are some of my favorite holiday window displays.

• Bergdorf Goodman
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Bloomingdale’s

Taking a walk through central park any time of year is magical, but it’s especially beautiful at Christmas time, especially if you catch it in the snow! It’s so picturesque and peaceful, although cold.

I hope this guide to Christmas in NYC was helpful and you’ll find so many wonderful things to see and explore during this magical time in the city. Have anything to add to this? Let me know in the comments!

Wanderlust Crew

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ESSAY: TECHNOLOGY, TRADITION AND THE INVENTION OF CHRISTMAS IN 19TH CENTURY NEW YORK

• S BRENT RODRIGUEZ-PLATE David Adams
• December 10, 2018
• No Comments

S BRENT RODRIGUEZ-PLATE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, reflects on the contribution New York has made to how Christmas is celebrated today…

Charles Haynes Haswell, who grew up in the 1820s in New York City, remembered in his memoirs that in his youth, “Christmas was very slightly observed as a general holiday”. A few years later, when Haswell was at boarding school on Long Island, Christmas was altogether ignored.

It wouldn’t be until 1849, by which time Haswell was on his way to a long career in the city’s Tammany Hall political machine, that Christmas became a legally recognised holiday in the state of New York, following Alabama and other Southern states a decade earlier. But by then New York City had already given birth to the winter festival that is celebrated today across the United States and beyond.

Pages from an 1864 edition of Clement Clarke Moore’s poem ‘A Visit from St Nicholas.’ Printings of Moore’s poem included some of the first images of St Nicholas. PICTURES: Courtesy of Creative Commons

“Christmas has had a spotted history in Christendom. For a few hundred years after the birth of Jesus, no one thought much of celebrating the Christ child’s birthday. It was Easter time, commemorating Jesus’ death and resurrection, that occupied centre stage; celebrations of a birth smacked too much of pagan ways.”

Christmas has had a spotted history in Christendom. For a few hundred years after the birth of Jesus, no one thought much of celebrating the Christ child’s birthday. It was Easter time, commemorating Jesus’ death and resurrection, that occupied centre stage; celebrations of a birth smacked too much of pagan ways.

Early Christian leaders differed, anyway, on when Jesus was born: many thought spring, with its obvious symbolism of new life. But by the 4th century, especially because it served to eclipse the older pagan celebrations of solstice, the church made 25th December the date for the “Christ Mass”. What better idea than to have the “light of the world” enter the darkest time of year?

Traditions slowly accrued to the celebratory Mass, with the familiar gift-giving, singing and uses of light becoming prominent. Pre-Christian symbols of trees and yule logs were uprooted from their prior ritual uses and firmly attached to the new Christian holiday.

Over time, simple celebration turned to carousing to full-on frolicking, especially in European traditions such as wassailing that crossed the Atlantic. By 1785, New York state had to ban the shooting of fireworks or guns on Christmas.

Such rowdy behavior was scorned by the early Puritans who settled in the American colonies, and they outlawed Christmas celebrations for several decades between the 17th and 18th centuries. Even when bans on celebrations were eventually lifted, Christmas was only, as Haswell noted, “slightly observed.”

Another reason Christmas was not widely celebrated in the early United States, however, was the great diversity of the fledging nation. Immigrants, speaking multiple languages and coming from multiple cultures, endured the winter season with their own native festivals. New York in the 19th century comprised so many varieties of the Christian religion, and no religion, that a coherent celebration was difficult to achieve.

Charles Haynes Haswell in the late 1850s. PICTURE: Courtesy of Creative Commons

It was the writer Washington Irving who saw Christmas as a chance to unite this diverse swirl, with Santa Claus as the common figure who could help pull this off. But Santa had to be invented first.

Irving’s satirical History of New York of 1809 referred to St Nicholas as the patron saint of New Amsterdam (aka New York). Nicholas, the old pipe-smoking saint (“Sinterklaas” in the Dutch), had led the Dutch from old Amsterdam to New Amsterdam and kept a watch on them there, according to Irving’s fast and loose historical sketches.

Irving’s raising of Nicholas to patron status was furthered by his friend John Pintard, who hosted a grand banquet at City Hall for the New York Historical Society on St Nicholas Day, 6th December. Dutch celebrations of the day included gift-giving and the hanging of stockings.

Given this lead, New York City seminary professor Clement Clarke Moore cemented the connection. On 23rd December, 1823, the Troy Sentinel published Moore’s ‘A Visit from St Nicholas’. Beginning with the now-famous words, “’Twas the night before Christmas…” the poem was reprinted across the country, thus securing many of the invented traditions about Christmas. St Nick, a white-bearded “jolly old elf,” now arrived on Christmas Eve, climbing down chimneys with sacks full of toys, carried around by eight reindeer who landed on housetops.

Some 40 years later, Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist for New York newspapers and magazines, gave visual life to this jolly, rotund elf in a series of seasonal illustrations for Harper’s Weekly that ran from 1863 to 1886. Nast’s depiction, with Santa still smoking his pipe but now dressed in red, became the American icon of the holiday. Thanks in part to Coca-Cola advertisements in the mid-20th century, it has become the world’s as well.

The New York area’s influence on Christmas goes beyond St Nick, however. At Christmastime in 1882, Edward H Johnson, vice president of the Edison Electric Light Co in New Jersey and a colleague of Thomas Edison, the inventor of the first commercially successful light bulb, wanted to wrap his New York City Christmas tree. He asked his engineers to produce 80 red, white and blue bulbs. A little publicity through the press rapidly made this a Christmas standard.

Thomas Nast’s famous drawing, ‘Merry Old Santa Claus’, from the 1st January, 1881, edition of Harper’s Weekly is largely considered the basis for the modern image of Santa Claus. PICTURE: Courtesy of Creative Commons

Tree lights were soon supplemented by ornaments – New Yorker FW Woolworth made his fortune in part by selling German glass ornaments for five and 10 cents – and shortly afterward a German immigrant, FAO Schwarz, opened a toy store on Broadway in 1870. Twenty years later it would be declared the “Original Santa Claus headquarters”. Across town, Macy’s began its Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, ending with the Santa float that would usher in the Christmas season.

In 1912, tens of thousands of people turned out to see a tree from the Adirondacks erected in Madison Square and adorned with a thousand lights (from the Edison company). This was a precursor to the Rockefeller Center tree, which started in 1931, in the midst of the Great Depression.

To round out the cultural events, Radio City Music Hall started its Christmas Spectacular in 1933. Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite became associated with Christmas when the New York City Ballet began performing it in the winter of 1954.

Christmas must be seen as part of the larger innovation hub that was New York City in the 19th century. But it is also a testament to the way tradition survives only as it morphs and adapts to its environments. It’s this pastiche of traditions, begged, borrowed and stolen from various cultures – saints old and new, electric technologies and spirited poetry, cartoons and consumer culture – that merges into a unique package that seems at once fresh each winter, and yet somehow timeless.

S Brent Rodriguez-Plate is associate professor by special appointment at Hamilton College in the US.

• Christmas , Christmas lights , Christmas traditions , Christmas trees , Clement Clarke Moore , New York City , Rockefeller Center , Santa Claus , Sinterklaas , St Nicholas , Thomas Edison , Thomas Nast , Washington Irving

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The Ultimate Guide to Christmas in New York City: The best Christmas-themed bars, restaurants, activities, pop-ups and Holiday shows (2023 Edition)

Categories New York , New York

Last Updated on January 11, 2024

There’s no doubt about it: New York City is one of the most popular destinations in the entire world for a Christmas trip! The Big Apple is just magical in December, when the Christmas decorations light up the streets, the windows of the department stores look festive, Christmas bars pop up all over town, Holiday markets and ice rinks are open and the Rockettes perform their annual Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Hall. There are so many Christmas-themed things to do in New York City that it is almost impossible not to get into the Holiday spirit!

To help you hit up as many Christmas activities in New York as possible, I put together a comprehensive list of all the Christmas-sy & Holiday-themed things that you can do in NYC in December to make you hum a Christmas tune while walking down Fifth Avenue. Read on for all the free things to do in NYC to get you excited for the Holidays, ranging from the best holiday windows, Christmas markets, and decorated houses you can visit. If you want to spend some money, there is ice skating on several ice rinks, there are Holiday-themed bars and rooftop bars, Christmas pop-ups, tree-lightening ceremonies and Christmas-themed tours in NYC.

The best things to do for Christmas in NYC: Bars, Restaurants, Shows, Holiday Markets, Christmas Lights and More (updated for Christmas 2023)

Table of Contents

The best Christmas-themed bars and restaurants

Rolf’s.

Rolf’s is a German restaurant in Gramercy (Manhattan) that is known for its insane Christmas decorations. Reservations are essential, or you’ll wait 60 – 90 minutes in line.

• Address: 281 Third Avenue, Manhattan
• Opening Hours: Noon – 10pm daily

Miracle on 9th

A Christmas-themed pop-up bar in Manhattan’s East Village. They serve delicious seasonal cocktails in festive cups.  

• Address: 649 E 9th St
• Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday: 4pm-1am; Friday & Saturday: 2pm-1am; Sunday 2pm-midnight
• Reservations necessary .

Lillie’s Victorian Establishment

Lillie’s is a fabulous bar & restaurant known for their extravagant seasonal ornaments – there’s no way you will NOT get feel cheerful here! There are two locations in Manhattan, one near Times Square and one near Union Square. In addition to the magnificent decorations, several unique Christmas-themed cocktails have been added to the menu.

• Address: Lillie’s Times Square: 249 West 49 th Street; Lillie’s Union Square: 13 East 17 th Street
• Opening Times:
•     Times Square: Monday 4pm-1am; Tuesday – Thursday: noon-3pm and 4pm-1am. Friday: 12-3pm and 4pm-2am; Saturdays and Sundays 10.30am-3pm for brunch; 4pm-1pm
•     Union Square: Monday – Wednesday: 4pm-1am; Thursdays and Fridays: 4pm-1am; Saturday: 11.30am-2am; Sunday: 11.30am-1am

Grinchy’s at Roberta’s

Iconic Brooklyn pizzeria Roberta’s in Bushwick turned its tiki bar into a Christmas-themed wonderland named Grinchy’s. Worth the trip if you love Neapolitan-style artisan pizza.

• Address : 6 Grand St, Brooklyn
• Opening Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 12pm-10pm; Friday & Saturday: 12pm-11pm
• Reservations only for parties over 10 people.

Miracle on Union

Known as Thief for the rest of the year, this bar turns itself into a fabulous winter wonderland every December. No reservations necessary.

• Address: 595 Union Ave, Brooklyn
• Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday 5pm- 2am; Thursday & Friday 3pm-2am; Saturday & Sunday 12pm-2pm.

Loreley is tranforming from a German beer garden into a Winter Wonderland from 16 November 2023 – 7 January 2023. This German restaurant on the Lower East Side has not only delightful Christmas decorations, but also tasty German beers and specialties such as sausage platters and of course soft pretzels. And if beer’s not your thing: there are a number of special winter cocktails, including spiked eggnog, gluhwein, boozy hot chocolate and hot bourbon apple cider. Reservations recommended, especially on weekends and around the holidays.

• Address: 7 Rivington Street, Manhattan
• Opening Hours: Monday & Tuesday: 5pm-midnight; Wednesday: 5pm-1am; Thursday: 5pm-2am; Friday & Saturday: Noon-4am; Sunday: Noon-midnight.

Oscar Wilde

This bar, which pays homage one of the most prolific writers of the 19 th century, has been around since 1933 and feels like a bar from a bygone era – Victorian décor, high ceilings, a plethora of oil paintings and clocks adorning the walls, and it also has New York City’s longest bar at 118.5 feet (36 meters!). For the Holidays, it adds dazzling Christmas decorations and makes this an essential stop on any NYC Christmas bar crawl.

• Address : 45 West 27th Street, NoMad, Manhattan
• Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday: 4pm-1am; Thursday & Friday: 4pm-2am; Saturday 11am-2am; Sunday 11am-1am

The Santa Clauses’ Winter Wonderland @ Pier 15

The Watermark Restaurant at Pier 15 is stunning was transformed into a Winter Wonderland with a giant snow globe, Santa’s Sleigh, Santa’s Workshop and a Gingerbread Bar. Cocktails and food can be purchased, and there’s an enclosed waterfront cocktail chalet. There are also heated glasses houses.

• Address: 78 South Street Pier 15
• Tip: There’s off-peak pricing Monday – Thursday, and from Monday to Friday, there are Happy Hour Specials (4pm – 6pm).
• Tickets: Starting at $25 (includes a cup of hot cocoa), Premium Express Entry $30 (includes a pair of hand warmers & a souvenir Santa hat). Purchase tickets here .
• Meet Santa! Santa will be visiting every Friday through Sunday in December.

Holly Jolly Holiday Bar at Mad Morton

This holiday pop-up bar charges $27 admission, which includes a holiday-themed cocktail. They also have a Boozy Christmas Brunch (starting at $49, including an entrée and a holiday cocktail, and the option to upgrade to bottomless mimosa with your brunch).

• Tip: On Fridays and Saturdays at 11pm, admission is $15 (including a welcome shot).
• Address : 47 7 th Ave, West Village, Manhattan
• Opening Hours: 1 December – 30th December 2023. Wednesday through Sunday. Several sittings per night: 5pm-6.30pm; 5.30pm-7pm, 7pm-8.30pm, 7.30pm-9pm; 9pm – 10.30pm.
• Reservations can be made here .

Frosty’s

Frosty’s Restaurant and Bar is New York’s biggest Christmas pop-up, right around the corner from Times Square. Frosty’s has taken over Bacall’s & Blue Midtown and transformed their restaurant and bar specas across four bars and three levels into the ultimate Christmas Experience. There are seasonal cocktails, photo opps, live music and food.

• Note: This is a 21+ Experience.
• Tickets: General admission starts at $30 – prices vary depending on time of the day and weekday / weekend. Up to $60 per ticket. Buy tickets here .  
• Address: 220 West 44 th Street, Manhattan
• Opening Hours: 1 – 31 December 2023. Open daily from 4pm – midnight.

Christmas Rooftops in NYC

Magic Hour is a gorgeous rooftop (on the 18 th floor) year-round, but in December, the decorations are changed to make the bar look like a “ Pink Winter Lodge – Neon Frost Edition”. Expect hanging snowy branches, a sparkling white gondola, a winter white fireplace flocked with icy garland, a frosted white Christmas tree – all set to the backdrop of the Empire State building. There’s also a winter-themed cocktail and food menu. Reservations are essential.

• Opening hours: Monday – Wednesday 3pm-midnight; Thursday 3pm-2am; Friday 3pm-4am; Saturday 11.30am-4am; Sunday 11.30am-midnight. There’s a Sunday brunch from 11.30am-3.30pm.
• Address: 485 7 th Ave (Midtown Manhattan)

230 Fifth’s Rooftop Igloo Bar

230 Fifth, named after its address on Fifth Avenue, is another rooftop bar with splendid views of the Empire State Building, and every winter, it transforms itself into an igloo village with wood cabins and see-through domes (which are heated). There are several seasonal hot drinks on the menu, like a Mint Boozy Hot Chocolate, a Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate (with pumpkin liqueur) and mulled wine.

• Note: If your party is bigger than six people, it’s recommended to make a reservation. Reservations are also needed for the Bottomless Brunch (Saturdays and Sundays from 11am – 4pm $45 for an entrée, bottomless champagne and coffee). They also have a $49 prix fixe dinner (reservations necessary).
• Opening hours: Monday – Thursday: 2pm-2am; Friday: 2pm-4am; Saturday: 11am-4am; Sunday 11am-2am
• Address: 230 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan

Ophelia Lounge

Ophelia Lounge, atop the historic Beekman Tower in Midtown East, close to the East River, is another stunning rooftop bar that transforms into a winter-themed cocktail lounge. Ophelia is less opulent than Magic Hour (the theme is “snow globe in the sky”) but the winter cocktails and the views make it a great place for a couple of holiday drinks. I recommend the Polaris Express  with two different types of rum, Kalani, cinnamon, homemade horchata and vanilla. Yum!

• Opening Hours: Sunday – Wednesday: 5pm-11pm, Thursday: 5pm-midnight, Friday & Saturday: 5pm-2am
• Address: The Beekman Tower, 3 Mitchell Place, Manhattan

A Holiday-themed NYC Observatory: Edge

The EDGE observation deck, which is the highest outdoor skydeck in the Western hemisphere at a height of 1,131 feet / 345 meters). Since it is much higher up than any of the rooftop bars, it obviously offers much better panoramic vistas – and 360° views! – over NYC, and for the Holidays, the indoors section of the Edge has been transformed in a winter wonderland. There’s even an indoor ice rink! The Glice® rink costs an additional $10 for a 30-min session (this includes the skate rental). Make sure to book your tickets in advance, since they do sell out.

Standard Tickets start at $46 ($41 for children 6-12, free for kids 5 and under).

Buy tickets here.

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremonies in New York City

The most famous tree lighting ceremony is obviously the Rockefeller Tree Lighting, which is even televised nationwide and has celebrity guests, but did you know that there are a bunch of other tree lighting ceremonies around town that are worth visiting?

Here are all of NYC’s tree lighting ceremonies in 2023

• 28 November, 6pm-7pm: South Street Sea Port Christmas Tree
• 28 November, 6pm: Bryant Park Christmas Tree
• 29 November, 2pm-6pm: New York Stock Exchange Christmas Tree
• 29 November, 7pm-10pm: Rockefeller Christmas Tree
• 30 November, 5.30pm-7.30pm: Central Park Holiday Lights at the Harlem Meer
• 7 December, 4-7pm: Dumbo Christmas Tree (Pearl Street, right on the waterfront)
• 6 December, 4.30pm – 6pm: Madison Square Park Christmas Tree
• 6 December, 6pm-7pm: Washington Square Park Christmas Tree
• 10 December, 4pm – 5pm: Tompkins Square Park Christmas Tree

The best Christmas Decorations in New York City

Midtown manhattan.

The Fountain in front of the Plaza Hotel

Right across from The Plaza Hotel and southeastern corner of Central Park, Pulitzer Fountain is decorated for the Holidays. Go out night for the full effect.

Upper East Side

• There is a beautifully decorated townhouse on East 76th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenue
• East 73rd Street between 2nd and 3rd Ave has lovely Holiday lights wrapped around the trees

Brooklyn’s Dyker Heights neighborhood

This neighborhood in South Brooklyn is known for their over-the-top decorated houses, which are well worth the 75-minute trip from Midtown Manhattan (by subway). This is one of my favorite things to do for Christmas in New York! The decorations are mainly between 83 rd and 86 th Streets, between 11 th and 13 th Avenue. Expect to spend about two hours walking around the neighborhood to take in all the Holiday lights.

How to get there: It takes about an hour to get to Dyker Heights from Midtown Manhattan. Take the R to 86 th Street. From there, you can walk to the Christmas Lights (about 15 minutes) or take the B1 bus for 5 stops (6 minutes) and get off at 86 th Street and 11 th Ave. Alternatively, you can take the D to 79th Street and walk over to 83rd and 13th Street from there (about 15 mins).

Tip: There are also guided tours to Dyker Heights, if you don’t want to figure out public transportation in NYC. Scroll down to “Christmas-themed Tours in NYC” for more information.

Downtown Manhattan

Zuccotti Park, the Oculus & the Stock Exchange Christmas Tree

If you’re planning to visit Wall Street and the Financial District, there are several good Christmas photo spots. Zuccotti Park is beautiful to see at night, when the trees and holiday lights are turned on. There’s also the Liberty Street Holiday Pop Up with several vendors selling artisan gifts, and the Christmas Tree in front of the New York Stock Exchange is only a 4-minute walk away. Also just a short walk (3 minutes) away is the Oculus , beautifully decorated for the Holidays and with an indoor Holiday Market (open from 25 th November 2022 – 2 nd January 2023; Monday to Saturday: 10am – 8pm; Sunday: 11am – 7pm)

The Best Holiday Markets in New York City

Bryant park holiday shops.

170 artisanal vendors will make it easy for you to find a gift or two!

• Market Dates / Opening Times: 28 th October 2022 – 2 nd January 2023. Monday – Friday: 11am – 8pm, Saturday and Sunday: 10am – 8pm.
• Closest subway station: Bryant Park 42 Street. Subway lines: B, D, F, M

Union Square Holiday Market

A popular Holiday market with 185 vendors in Union Square

• Market Dates / Opening Hours: 16 th November – 24 th December 2023. Monday – Friday: 11am – 8pm, Saturdays: 10am – 8pm, Sundays: 11am – 7pm. Closed on Thanksgiving Day.
• Closest subway station: 14 th Street / Union Square. Subway lines: L, N, Q, R, W, 4, 5, 6

Columbus Circle Holiday Market

At this market you can find art, jewelry, home goods and delicious food from independent vendors and small businesses.

• Market Dates / Opening Hours: 28 th November – 31 st December 2022. Monday – Friday: 11am – 8pm. Saturday: 10am – 8pm. Sunday: 11am – 7pm
• Closest subway station: Columbus Circle / 59 th Street. Subway lines: A, C, B, D, 1

Grand Central Holiday Fair

Since the Holiday Fair at Grand Central Terminal is indoors, it’s a great place to browse the shops on a rainy or super cold day. The market takes place in the Vanderbilt Hall wing of Grand Central Terminal.

• Market Dates / Opening Hours: 13 th November – 24 th December 2023. Monday – Saturday 10am – 7pm; Sunday 11am – 6pm
• Closest Subway Station: Grand Central 42 nd Street. Subway lines: S, 4, 5, 6, 7

Christmas Shows in New York City

Christmas spectacular starring the radio city rockettes.

See New York City’s most iconic Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall: the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes. The legendary group dance started performing in NYC in 1932 and there’s nothing quite like this mesmerizing performance. There are up to five performances a day, and the last show is on 4th January.

Tickets start at a $52 for the cheapest seats, but you can also splurge on front row seats for $392 .

The Nutcracker

For the entire Holiday Season, The Nutcracker will take you into a marvelous land of twirling snowflakes, candy canes, and so much more! 90 dancers, 62 musicians, 40 stagehands and over 125 children join for each show, making it one of the most complex ballet performances. This production, along with Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score, will leave you in awe for sure.

Tickets start at $95 .

A Christmas Carol

From London’s West End to New York City: You can see Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of Ebenezer Scrooge at the Merchant’s House Museum from 28 November – 24 December.

Tickets range from $45 – $115.

Click here for tickets.

Pop-Up Holiday Experiences in New York City

New york botanical garden’s holiday train show & glow light experience.

The Holiday Train Show has wowed visitors for over 30 years now! The model trains that whiz through 190 model replicas over New York City landmarks are a delight for grown-up and children alike. In addition to the trains, you can visit NYBG Glow , the largest holiday light experience in New York City, illuminating the Botanical Gardens. Tip: If you’re not interested in the model trains, you can also purchase tickets just for NYBG Glow. There are also special events throughout the season – check the calendar for that.

• Tickets: $54 Holiday Train Show + GLOW ($39 for children under 12). Children under 2 visit for free.
• Address: 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx
• Opening hours: The show takes place from 5-10pm
• NYBG Glow happens on these dates: December 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 26–30; January 6 & 13, 2024

Santa’s Secret Immersive Holiday Experience

This event combines winter wonderland and a Christmas-themed speakeasy. The bar offers Christmas-themed cocktails, there’s live music, and there are dazzling acts, cabaret-style! It is a 2-hour Experience.

• Note: This Experience is 18+ (21+ to drink)
• Tickets can be purchased via this link , and start at $75
• Address: The Shops at Hudson Yards (5 th Floor)
• Opening Hours: 27 November – 31 December 2022. Thursdays – Saturdays 6pm – 9pm, Sundays 4pm – 7pm. Closed December 21 st , 25 th and 28 th

The Best Ice Rinks in NYC

Ice skating is one of my personal favorites when it comes to Christmas activities in New York City! Most people want to ice skate in front of the iconic Rockefeller Christmas Tree, but I personally find that ice rink to be very small (and crowded) and prefer other ice rinks. Here are the best ice rinks in New York City, and how much they cost:

Rockefeller Ice Rink, Midtown Manhattan

The Rockefeller Ice Rink is NYC’s most famed Christmas ice rink, and for many people a must-do Christmas activity in New York City. Because it is so popular, I recommend making your reservation early – especially if you’re visiting on a weekend.

• Opening hours: November 2023 – 24 March 2024. Daily 7am – midnight.
• Costs: Prices vary depending on what time of day you visit, and weekday or weekend. $51 per hour / $25 children 5 and under (peak) / $38 per hour / $19 children 5 and under (offpeak before 9am). The highest tier pricing is $73 per hour. Skate rental is an additional $11 . A $73 peak ticket plus skate rentals will cost you $89 (incl $5 processing fee).
• Tip: In January, after the Holidays, it is easier to find tickets in the $38 range.
• Tickets: Reserve your tickets here

Wollman Ice Rink, Central Park, Manhattan

The Wollman Ice Rink is another well-known ice rink – made famous through its appearance in Home Alone 2. Ice skating in Central Park is one of the most “New York” things to do during the Holidays, and the backdrop of the Manhattan skyscrapers is striking! Make your reservation early, because slots at this iconic ice rink do fill up.

• Opening hours: The Wollman Ice Rink is open from 24 October 2022 – 15 March 2023. Mondays & Tuesdays: 10am – 2.30pm; Wednesdays & Thursdays: 10am – 9pm; Fridays & Saturdays: 10am – 9pm
• Cost: $26 (off-peak) / $37 (peak) for adults, $10 for kids 12 and under; plus $11 for the skate rental. That means that the total price for skate rental and admission during peak hours is $48 .
• Tickets: Buy your tickets here

Bryant Park Ice Rink, Midtown Manhattan

The Bryant Park Ice Rink has a spectacular setting: surrounded by the imposing high rises and skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan! What makes this ice rink stand out is that is completely free ! You only have to pay for the skate rental (or bring your own). The Bryant Park Winter Village is the perfect place to warm up with a hot chocolate after your ice skating session.

• Cost: FREE ! Skate rentals vary in pricing, depending on day & time of the rental. They range from $21 – $50. Make a reservation early and expect to pay around $21 in the mornings, $32 around noon, and $48 in the afternoon / evening ( $50 on weekend nights).
• Opening Hours: The ice rink is open from 28 th October 2022 till 5 th March 2023. Mondays – Wednesdays: 8am – 10pm; Thursday – Sunday & Holidays: 8am – midnight
• Tickets: Reserve your tickets here . Note that even if you have your own skates, you’ll have to reserve a time slot.

Brooklyn Bridge Ice Rink, Dumbo | Brooklyn

This ice rink is located right under the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn side, in Emily Warren Roebling Plaza. This ice rink is in its first season and ice skaters can enjoy it well beyond the Holiday Season – this ice rink will be open until 1 March 2024. Skate sessions here are 50 minutes long and begin at 10am, the last one beginning at 8:55pm. The backdrop of the Downtown Manhattan skyline makes this one of the most scenic ice rinks in the entire city, and you can warm up in Time Out Market just two minutes away, or grab a hot chocolate at Jacques Torres, also just down the street.

• Cost: A 50-minute session is $15 on weekdays (Mondays – Thursdays) and $25 Fridays – Sundays. Kids (2-12 years old) pay $10 / $12 respectively. Skate rental is $12.
• Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday: 10pm-10pm
• Tickets: Book your tickets here

Prospect Park Ice Rink, Brooklyn

If you want to check out an ice rink outside of Manhattan, the ice rink in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park is a solid choice. The outdoor ice rink is at LeFrak Center on the southeastern corner of the park (the closest subway stations are Prospect Park and Parkside Ave) and Prospect Park makes for a scenic backdrop. This ice rink is less busy than Central Park’s Wollman Rink, making for a more relaxed ice skating experience. It is also considerably cheaper!

• Cost: $10.05 for a 90-minute session; plus $11.19 for the skate rental, $14.70 on weekends (plus $10.30 for the skate rental) 
• LeFrak Center Ice Rink Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 11am – 7pm; Friday & Saturday: 11am – 8.30pm

The Vale Rooftop, Brooklyn

This is a tiny ice rink, and it’s not even real ice – it’s actually “glice” – but it’s set on a rooftop, and it has a terrific view over the Manhattan skyline, which is why I am including it in this list.

Note that this is not real ice!

• Cost: $20 + taxes (adults 13 and above); $12 + taxes for children 12 and below. The price includes the Glice skate rental and locker use.
• Hours: Wednesday – Friday: 2pm – 10pm; Saturday & Sunday: 12pm – 10pm
• Tickets: Buy tickets here

Free Christmas activities in New York City

I am well aware that most of the Christmas things to do in New York are not cheap, and if you want to do two or three things, it adds up quickly. The good news is that despite some ridiculously high priced Christmas activities, there are still some free things to do in NYC for the Holidays:

Visit the Rockefeller Christmas Tree

The Rockefeller Christmas Tree is best enjoyed after 11pm, when the crowds aren’t as crazy. If you go in the early evening, expect mad crowds.

Note: The Christmas Tree is only lit up from 6pm till midnight. On Christmas Day, the Tree is lit for 24 hours.

Saks Fifth Avenue Holiday Light Show

Admire the Holiday Windows

Don’t stop at Saks Fifth Avenue – stroll up and down Fifth Avenue to see many other festively decorated shops and windows. Must See’s include Cartier, Bergdorf Goodman , Louis Vitton, Harry Winston and Macy’s at Herald Square. Tip: Make sure to head to the top floor at Macy’s for the full Christmas experience! Bloomingdale’s in Midtown East (3 rd Ave & 59 th Street) also has superb Holiday windows. The Shops at Hudson Yards are also worth a visit – the luxury mall is glowing with thousands of twinkling lights! Checking out the Holiday Windows is a must-do Christmas activity in NYC!

Car-free Sundays on Fifth Avenue

To take in the famous tree and the Saks light show without any cars, head there on any Sunday in December (before Christmas) between noon and 6pm. Fifth Avenue is closed for cars between 48 th and 57 th Streets, a roughly ten-block stretch of New York’s most iconic shopping street.

Bryant Park Winter Village

Stroll around the best-decorated shopping malls and markets

This is a great activity for the especially cold (or rainy!) days: wander around the shopping malls and markets of NYC, which are all decked out for the Holidays. Chelsea Market has great lights, Brookfield Place is stunning and has the below-mentioned Luminaries light show, the Shops At Columbus Circle look very festive and the Oculus has a holiday market in addition to the Christmas decorations.

The LUMINARIES Light Show & Winter Wonderland at Brookfield Place

Luminaries is a display of 640 lanterns that change in color. The light show takes place daily, every hour, between 8am and 10pm. You can also illuminate your holiday wish by sending a motion-activated wish or conducting the canopy of glowing lanterns above. The mall is also nicely decorated as a “Winter Wonderland” – lots of decorations and fun photo opps!

Dyker Heights Holiday Decorations

The above-mentioned decorated homes in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, are a great free Christmas thing to do in New York. The only cost you’ll have is the subway ticket ($2.90) to get to South Brooklyn (see above for directions). It is a bit of a trek to get there (over an hour on the subway, plus a 15 min walk into the neighborhood), but seeing the Dyker Heights lights is among my favorite Christmas activities in New York City. Scroll up to the “ Best Christmas Decorations in New York City” section to find out how to get there and where to eat around Dyker Heights.

Go on a Christmas Tree Crawl

The Best Christmas-Themed Tours in NYC

If you don’t want to figure out how to get to the best Christmas lights and the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, consider taking a Christmas-themed tour!

Manhattan Christmas Lights Tour – pay as you wish!

Free Tours by Foot offers a 2-hour Christmas Lights Tour every day at 7pm, and it is pay as you wish. The tour includes all the must-see holiday sights: the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, Saks Fifth Avenue, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, Macy’s, Tiffany and Co., and more.

Reserve your spot here .

NYC Christmas Movies Walking Tour – pay as you wish!

Free Tours by Foot also offers a new 2-hour NYC Christmas Movies walking tour through Midtown Manhattan, showing you film locations of iconic Christmas movies such as Home Alone 2, Serendipity, Scrooged, Elf and Miracle on 34th Street. You’ll also walk past some of NYC’s most famous landmarks: Macy’s, Radio City Music Hall, the Plaza Hotel, Central Park’s Gapstow Bridge and the Wollman Ice Rink, and more. This tour runs three times a week: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and and Friday at 2pm.

Sign up here!

Holiday Lights & Movie Sites Tour

On Location Tours offers a 2.5-hour bus tour that combines Holiday Lights and the sites of famous movies. The tour includes the Holiday windows at Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman and Macy’s, the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, Central Park, and many movie locations that you’ll recognize from your favorite movies.

Tickets: $58 for adults / $32 children

Book tickets here

4-Hour Dyker Heights Holiday Lights Bus Tour

This four-hour bus tour starts in Hell’s Kitchen, just a few blocks west of Times Square. There, you hop on a bus that brings you down to South Brooklyn where you can marvel at the famed holiday lights from the comfort of a bus. After a tour of the neighborhood, the bus brings you back to Manhattan. The tour ends at the Winter Village in Bryant Park, perfect for you to continue your holiday-themed NYC trip!

Tickets start at $50 – Book your ticket here

1.5-Hour Dyker Heights Christmas Lights Walking Tour

If you don’t mind organizing your trip to Dyker Heights yourself (60 – 75 minutes from Manhattan, $2.75 for a subway ticket), you can opt for a walking tour. The meeting point is near the closest subway station to Dyker Heights in South Brooklyn, and you’ll get to hear some interesting commentary while marveling at the most festive houses in all of New York City. You’ll learn about the story behind the Dyker Heights holiday lights, and learn about the unwritten code that everyone in the neighborhood follows religiously. Expect to walk about 2 miles (3 kilometers) on this tour.

Tickets start at $21 – Book your tickets here

NYC: Holiday Yacht Cruise with Jazz, Cocoa & Carols

Is there a more fabulous way to ring in the Holidays than on a 1920s style yacht, cruising around Manhattan and taking in the sights while sipping on a complimentary glass of champagne, listening to Christmas carols and enjoying the decorated boat? This cruise is 90 mins long and goes past the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and lets you take in all of New York City’s sights from a unique angle. It includes Christmas cookies and one complimentary beverage.

Book your tickets here

The Most Festive Hotels to stay in during your Christmas Trip to NYC

If you’re looking to have the full “Christmas in New York” experience in addition to doing all the New York City Christmas activities, you’ll have to stay in a hotel that takes the festive season serious as you do!

The following hotels are known for their gorgeous Christmas decorations:

The Plaza Hotel

This is not just one of the most famous luxury hotels in NYC, but it’s also where Kevin stayed in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Can it get more Christmas-y than that?!

Check rates for The Plaza here.

The Peninsula

Not only is the renowned Peninsula decked out for the Holidays, but they also have a couple of special Christmas Packages: The Night Before Christmas Package includes an in-room candy cane scavenger hunt, a gingerbread cookie decorating kit, an in-room Christmas tree (if you book a deluxe suite) and daily breakfast.

Check rates for The Peninsula here

Lotte Palace

The Lotte Palace Hotel is known for its pretty Christmas tree and stunning courtyard decorations. It’s also very conveniently located between Park Ave and Madison Ave, just a couple of blocks from the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and the shopping amenities of Fifth Avenue.

Check rates for Lotte Palace here .

The Mark Hotel

The Mark Hotel is an opulent 5-star hotel on the Upper East Side, just a minute away from Central Park, and they take Christmas serious here. The decorations are spectacular, and they offer an aptly named “ Holiday Penthouse Spectacular ” which includes a private rendition of The Nutcracker or a private VIP visit to Bergdorf Goodman. There’s a customizable Holiday Wish List with Christmas activities that can be tailored to your needs and no costs will be spared to make your New York City Christmas dreams come true.

Related posts:

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Funday Holidays

Tuesday 13th of December 2022

Good list of best Christmas-themed bars, restaurants, activities, pop-ups and holiday shows.

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History of Christmas

By: History.com Editors

Updated: December 21, 2022 | Original: October 27, 2009

Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. December 25—Christmas Day—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870.

How Did Christmas Start?

The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus , early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many peoples rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.

In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year.

The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking.

In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.

Christmas in Photos

Saturnalia and Christmas 

In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia—a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture—was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, enslaved people were given temporary freedom and treated as equals. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could participate in the holiday's festivities.

Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra’s birthday was the most sacred day of the year.

Is Christmas Really the Day Jesus Was Born?

In the early years of Christianity , Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention date for his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring (why would shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century. 

By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was celebrated. By the Middle Ages , Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religion.

On Christmas, believers attended church, then celebrated raucously in a drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar to today’s Mardi Gras . Each year, a beggar or student would be crowned the “lord of misrule” and eager celebrants played the part of his subjects. The poor would go to the houses of the rich and demand their best food and drink. If owners failed to comply, their visitors would most likely terrorize them with mischief. Christmas became the time of year when the upper classes could repay their real or imagined “debt” to society by entertaining less fortunate citizens.

When Christmas Was Cancelled

In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.

The pilgrims , English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston . Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.

After the American Revolution , English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.

Washington Irving Reinvents Christmas in America

It wasn’t until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. But what about the 1800s piqued American interest in the holiday?

The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season. In 1828, the New York city council instituted the city’s first police force in response to a Christmas riot. This catalyzed certain members of the upper classes to begin to change the way Christmas was celebrated in America.

In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent. , a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. The sketches feature a squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast to the problems faced in American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. In Irving’s mind, Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status. Irving’s fictitious celebrants enjoyed “ancient customs,” including the crowning of a Lord of Misrule. Irving’s book, however, was not based on any holiday celebration he had attended—in fact, many historians say that Irving’s account actually “invented” tradition by implying that it described the true customs of the season.

'A Christmas Carol'

Also around this time, English author Charles Dickens created the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol . The story’s message-the importance of charity and good will towards all humankind-struck a powerful chord in the United States and England and showed members of Victorian society the benefits of celebrating the holiday.

The family was also becoming less disciplined and more sensitive to the emotional needs of children during the early 1800s. Christmas provided families with a day when they could lavish attention-and gifts-on their children without appearing to “spoil” them.

As Americans began to embrace Christmas as a perfect family holiday, old customs were unearthed. People looked toward recent immigrants and Catholic and Episcopalian churches to see how the day should be celebrated. In the next 100 years, Americans built a Christmas tradition all their own that included pieces of many other customs, including decorating trees, sending holiday cards and gift-giving.

Although most families quickly bought into the idea that they were celebrating Christmas how it had been done for centuries, Americans had really re-invented a holiday to fill the cultural needs of a growing nation.

Who Invented Santa Claus?

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back to a monk named St. Nicholas who was born in Turkey around A. D. 280. St. Nicholas gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick, becoming known as the protector of children and sailors.

St. Nicholas first entered American popular culture in the late 18th century in New York, when Dutch families gathered to honor the anniversary of the death of “Sint Nikolaas” (Dutch for Saint Nicholas), or “Sinter Klaas” for short. “Santa Claus” draws his name from this abbreviation.

In 1822, Episcopal minister Clement Clarke Moore wrote a Christmas poem called “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas,” more popularly known today by it’s first line: “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.” The poem depicted Santa Claus as a jolly man who flies from home to home on a sled driven by reindeer to deliver toys.

The iconic version of Santa Claus as a jolly man in red with a white beard and a sack of toys was immortalized in 1881, when political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore's poem to create the image of Old Saint Nick we know today.

Christmas Facts

• Each year, 25-30 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States alone. There are about 15,000 Christmas tree farms in the United States, and trees usually grow for between four and 15 years before they are sold.
• In the Middle Ages, Christmas celebrations were rowdy and raucous—a lot like today’s Mardi Gras parties.
• When Christmas was cancelled: From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was outlawed in Boston , and law-breakers were fined five shillings.
• Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States on June 26, 1870.
• The first eggnog made in the United States was consumed in Captain John Smith’s 1607 Jamestown settlement .
• Poinsettia plants are named after Joel R. Poinsett, an American minister to Mexico, who brought the red-and-green plant from Mexico to America in 1828.
• The Salvation Army has been sending Santa Claus-clad donation collectors into the streets since the 1890s.
• Rudolph , “the most famous reindeer of all,” was the product of Robert L. May’s imagination in 1939. The copywriter wrote a poem about the reindeer to help lure customers into the Montgomery Ward department store.
• Construction workers started the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree tradition in 1931.

HISTORY Vault: the Christmas Truce

World War I was a brutal slog. But on Christmas Eve 1914, something remarkable happened: British and German troops stopped fighting, and came together to share holiday cheer.

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Christmas in New York 2024: My Guide For The Magical Christmas Season

Our guide to new york during christmas.

Christmas in New York is a very special time in the city and arguably the most wonderful time of the year. When being in New York during Christmas you will see Christmas decorations and Christmas Lights all over the city and there’s the famous New York Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center which attracts masses of visitors daily. And don’t forget to visit the best holiday markets NYC has to offer and Dyker Heights .

You may also like

• The 31 Best Things to do in New York at Christmas
• Free Things to Do in NYC For Christmas
• The 18 Best Christmas Shows in New York

So if you are looking for the best locations and events to enjoy the Christmas time in New York don’t look further – with our Guide to Christmas in New York we got you covered!

New York during Christmas: Our Video

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. If you happen to be in New York City on Christmas, you’re not going to regret it. There is a reason why the city has been featured on endless TV shows and blockbusters during the holidays. Christmas in New York is magical and there are many different ways to get into the holiday spirit in NYC.

Here is what we recommend doing on Christmas in New York:

The Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center

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The 24 Best Christmas Lights and Decorations in NYC

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The 14 Best Holiday And Christmas Markets in NYC 2024

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The 5 Best Dyker Heights Christmas Lights 2024

If you live in Brooklyn or visit New York during Christmas, one of the most...

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

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18 Amazing Christmas Shows in NYC 2024

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The 31 Best Things To Do In New York At Christmas 2024 + 3 To Avoid

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The 13 Absolute Best NYC Christmas Cruises in 2024

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The 43 Best Christmas Restaurants NYC

Though the majority of places are closed for Christmas day, a surprising number stay open...

The 53 Best Things To Do in New York in December 2024 + Events

New York in December is amazing as preparations for the Holiday season begin. With countless...

The Most Beautiful Holiday Windows in New York

It's that time of the year and the Holiday Windows in New York attracts many...

The 14 Absolute Best Ice Rinks in NYC 2024

The city gets pretty cold during the holiday season and ice rinks in New York...

Christmas at Macy’s

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The 15 Best Hotels in NYC for Christmas 2024

Christmas in New York is absolutely amazing, the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center attracts many...

The Best Broadway Shows during the Holiday Season in NYC (2024)

The holiday season in New York City is nothing short of magical. As snowflakes gently...

New York Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center

This is something you can’t miss during the holiday season in New York City. The famous Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center is the highlight during Christmas in New York. What most of the visitors only know from pictures or movies comes to reality during that special time of the year. The annually Tree Lighting Ceremony is always a big event with live performances until they light up the tree around 10 p.m. for the season. There’s even a Rockefeller Tree Lighting party where you won’t have to wait for hours in the crowds to see the tree in full effect!

Usually, the lighting of the tree ceremony at Rockefeller Center takes place on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving .

Tip: You want to attend the Christmas tree lightning as a VIP? Then get yourself a ticket to an exclusive indoor viewing party from 45 Rockefeller Center. You don’t have to stand outside in the crowds, but have a unique view of the tree from above. In addition, there is delicious food & drinks. Book your ticket quickly, because the event is booked up fast!

RESERVE NOW

Enjoy the New York Christmas Lights

Christmas in New York can be overwhelming when you’re not familiar with the city too much. During Christmas time there are a couple of tours we can highly recommend doing to completely zone into the Christmas atmosphere in the Big Apple. Decorations and lights in the city remain unparalleled, there’s simply nothing just like this. The best way to explore the magic is by taking a NYC Christmas lights tour .

Holiday Markets during Christmas in New York

Depending on where you’re traveling from your experiences with holiday markets might be a little different compared to what you’re gonna see in New York City. As a German expat living in New York, I found it very interesting that there are no such things as “Glühwein” or anything like that on the best Christmas Markets in NYC. Holiday markets in NYC mainly sell handmade goods, accessories and of course food. The Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park  is one of the most famous markets in the city.

Another great holiday market in the city is the Columbus Circle Holiday Market. This one offers a romantic atmosphere with over 100-holiday booths (Address / Entrance: Central Park South at Central Park West).

A little more Downtown the  Union Square Holiday Market has more of a European feel to it. More of how I remember holiday markets in Germany. Besides the 150 food vendors, New York artists are also stationed here and show off their skills (Address: 14th Street to 17th Street, between Broadway and the southern Park Avenue).

New York Christmas Decorations

Right after  Thanksgiving in New York,  the city is decorated with wreaths, holiday signs, and bright lights. Each year, New York City department stores design their entire window displays and usually has a theme. You can tell department stores put time and effort into these decorations. There is a lot of detail that goes into the Holiday Windows in New York .

Of course, this is not just something special for New York tourists. Strolling through the streets of New York and admiring the beautifully decorated holiday windows is something you shouldn’t leave out during Christmas in New York.

Radio City Music Hall is a well-known concert and event hall located on Sixth Avenue and can be recognized from a distance by its striking exterior lighting. Throughout the year, concerts and events take place here such as the popular Radio City Christmas Spectacular . This is a classic Christmas in New York. I’ve watched it before and it’s exactly what you would expect from a Christmas show in New York City.

Over 140 sensational dancers perform in pure Christmas spirit here for 90 minutes. Sparkling costumes, a unique stage set and loads of Christmas songs inspire audiences every year. The stars of the show are Santa Claus and his elves, “The Rockettes”. The Rockettes have the reputation of being one of the best dance groups in the world! You can do a Radio City Tour and meet the stars of Rockettes. Prices start at as low as $42.

CHECK TICKETS

Dyker Hights Christmas Lights

Check out the Brooklyn neighborhood of Dyker Heights and Bay Ridge. The houses there are decorated with thousands of Christmas lights, toy soldiers and candy canes. It’s become a tradition to light up the house after house. The Dycker Heights Christmas Lights is something you shouldn’t miss during Christmas in New York – and these are the Best Dyker Heights Christmas Lights Tours this year!

Check Tickets

Ice Skating In New York

Ice Skating is a big thing during Christmas time in New York. The most famous ice rinks are the ones in Bryant Park , the Rink at Rockefeller Center with the Christmas Tree in the backdrop and of course the famous Wollman Rink in Central Park. Here is more information about the Ice skating in NYC  and their different prices.

The Best Christmas Shows in New York

New York City is known for being home to the world’s best shows, so what would the holiday season be without watching some of the best Christmas shows? There’s no better way to get into the holiday spirit than to explore the city’s holiday decorations and watching a festive show!

Here we tell you what the best Christmas Shows in NYC are!

Christmas Holiday Cruises in NYC

My favorite holiday cruise is the New York City Cocoa and Carols Holiday Cruise. The Jazz Band on board is fun and so talented which makes the New York City Cocoa and Carols Holiday Cruise even more entertaining. Relax in the heated main observation cabin, join in the caroling, and admire the city through the glassed-in observatory on the 1920s style yacht.

You can actually set up a date with Santa Claus in NYC by visiting the Macy’s website and reserve your desired time slot. We’ve visited Santa this year and had such a blast.

Where to eat at Christmas in New York

Is Christmas a good time to visit New York?

If you don’t mind winter weather and are willing to bring a bunch of warm clothes and jackets with you, December in New York will be a great time for you to visit the city. If you enjoy Christmas and everything that comes with it, New York City is the place to be!

What's open in New York on Christmas Day?

There’s no reason to stay in on December 25 – New York City has plenty going on for Christmas Day, from restaurants to theaters. Check out your favorite Christmas restaurants in the city, broadway shows and the main attractions in NYC to find out what to do on Christmas Day in NYC. Grocery stores are open but will close early on Christmas Day. Government buildings are closed. The MTA runs on a weekend/holiday schedule so stay alert for changes in your transportation throughout the city.

Here’s a list on what’s open on Christmas Day in New York .

Does it usually snow in New York at Christmas?

Even though we can’t predict the weather, it is a safe bet to state that it will snow at some point during the Christmas season in New York City. Regardless of the snow, NYC sure is a Winter Wonderland during the holiday season. It doesn’t matter if it snows or not.

Is Christmas in New York worth it?

Absolutely. If you’re wondering if Christmas in New York is any good we can only assure you that it is just like you would expect it after watching all the Christmas movies that were filmed in NYC. Everything is decorated and there are Christmas trees wherever you go. There are so many things to do at Christmas time in NYC that you will be surprised how wonderful Christmas in New York really is.

When does Christmas in New York start?

The Christmas season in New York begins with Thanksgiving, the last Thursday in November. That’s when many of the Christmas markets, ice skating rinks, and Christmas shows open. And there’s also the big Christmas Tree Lightning ceremony at Rockefeller Center on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving.

When will the Christmas tree be put up in New York 2023?

This year the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center will arrive on November 11, 2023. It will then be decorated with thousands of lights before you can watch it being lit on November 29, 2023. The lightning ceremony is always a big event in NYC and you should arrive early if you want a good spot.

When does Christmas shopping start in New York?

Christmas shopping in New York begins one day after Thanksgiving. This year Black Friday falls on November 24, 2023 and pretty much all stores offer huge discounts. If you want to go shopping in NYC on this day, be prepared for big crowds and possibly long waiting times in the stores.

Where are the Christmas balls in NYC?

The Christmas balls in NYC are located at 1251 Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Beside the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center, the Christmas balls are one of the most photographed Christmas decorations in the city. The giant Christmas ornaments are right in front of 1251 Sixth Avenue building (Exxon Building) which is across from the Radio City Music Hall.

The 26 Best Free Things to Do in NYC For Christmas in 2024

I'm a true New York fan! Not only have I visited the city over 25 times but also have I spent several months here at a time. On my blog I show you the best and most beautiful spots of the city, so that you have a really good time! You can also find lots of insider tips in our New York travel guide . Also check out my hotel finder for New York !

Get exclusive content, real insider tips, and the best deals in NYC for FREE!

Start of your trip: We will remind you with current events when you are in NYC!

How to do the holidays in NYC like a New Yorker

Four long-time locals share their favorite festive spots..

There’s a reason New York City is the setting for so many holiday movies. The larger-than-life Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center , a visit with Santa at Macy’s Herald Square , dazzling Rockettes at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular : There’s more than enough cinematic moments to choose from—and that’s just Manhattan.

Still, what arguably makes New York so special this time of year is the nostalgia that comes from shared traditions. To that end, we tapped four New Yorkers who all embody the holiday spirit in their own ways to share their favorite spots to cozy up next to a fireplace, shop local, and maybe enjoy a Hanukkah-inspired cocktail or two.

See the lights in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn

From Tony Muia, founder and CEO of A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours , a Traveler’s Choice Award–winner that has been guided holiday tour through illuminated Brooklyn neighborhoods since 2005:

“I grew up not far from Dyker Heights —we’d pile into the car every year, sometimes in our pajamas, to go look at the lights. It was such a big part of our Christmas. What I love about Dyker Heights and the other neighborhoods we visit is that the homeowners do the decorating, and me and my guides—all of which are native Brooklynites—love telling their stories.

The tour is a tribute to people like Lucy Spata, who I grew up with and who started the holiday-lights tradition back in the 1980s. It’s since grown to include hundreds of houses that draw at least a half million visitors each year.”

Tip: If you’re heading to Dyker Heights from Manhattan, take the R Train to 86th Street. The majority of the light displays can be found between 11th and 13th avenues and 83rd and 86th streets.

Tony’s favorite NYC holiday spots:

“Park Slope is where my family first settled when they came from southern Italy. The neighborhood takes me back to Christmases of yesteryear and during the winter, you can find me at this local bar on one of the enormous leather couches near the fireplace.”

The Chocolate Room

“I’m a regular at the location on Court Street and they have the best hot chocolate in the city. It’s a thick, Belgian dark chocolate—literally just liquid chocolate in a cup.”

Classic Impressions

“This little card shop has been serving Bay Ridge since the ’80s and I love it for its unique Christmas ornaments and quirky gifts.”

Villabate Alba

“The owners of this Italian pastry shop in Bensonhurst came from Sicily many years ago and opened the shop on 18th Avenue. At the top of my must-have list is the struffoli—a Christmastime dessert made from deep-fried balls of sweet dough covered with honey.”

Support local makers

From Jonah Nigh, the senior vice president of Development and Alumni Engagement at The New School, a semi-finalist on NBC’s Baking It, and a judge for Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off , which is on view at the Museum of the City of New York through mid January.

“The hardest part about judging gingerbread is my total imposter syndrome. The house my husband and I made on Baking It was supposed to be a Japanese temple but ended up looking like a gay bar with no roof that couldn't pay its rent. So, I have a fraught relationship with gingerbread. And I had my work cut out for me this year with 23 entries, inspired by the city’s five boroughs.

We have different categories, including People’s Choice, so the public has a chance to weigh in, and it’s a great activity for kids since anyone under the age of 20 gets in free. I recommend going early in the exhibition’s run so you get more of that amazing gingerbread smell.”

Tip: After stopping by the gingerbread exhibition, check out Starlight, a modern, multi-story light installation that contrasts with MCNY’s 1930s architecture.

Jonah’s favorite NYC holiday spots:

Union Square Holiday Market

“This year, for the first time, The New School will have a booth selling gifts made by alumni and students from Parsons School of Design.”

Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden

“I'm biased since I live in the Bronx, but I have to recommend the miniature train show at the botanical gardens. Iconic NYC landmarks are made with flowers and other organic materials and each one is a masterpiece.”

Pâtisserie Fouet

“This is my favorite bakery in NYC for elevated holiday sweets. It's Japanese and French and the designs are exquisite.”

The Laurie Beechman Theatre

“Located in Midtown West, this theater always has seasonal drag shows like Jackie Beat's ‘It's the Most Miserable Time of the Year!’”

Take part in new (and old) Hanukkah traditions

From Harrison Bryan, a Jewish American actor and playwright behind A Hanukkah Carol , a modern musical that debuted in 2022 (register on the official site for this year’s updates).

“Growing up, my parents had my sister and I believing in ‘the Hanukkah Fairy.’ Every year, while we were fast asleep, this fantastical being would decorate the house in blue and white, and leave us presents under the table, making Hanukkah a truly magical experience. But outside the walls of my home, I didn’t really see much Hanukkah celebration—certainly not on any mainstream level. There was a seemingly endless number of adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol everywhere, and I often found myself asking, ‘Where is our version?’ So I wrote one.

A few months later, I met this amazing song-writing duo—Aaron Kenny and Rob Berliner—and we felt inspired to expand my little Hanukkah play into a full-scale musical. All three of us have a common goal as writers to share kindness with the world. And like the steadfast light of the Hanukkah miracle, we believe each of us has the power to effect change and make the world a little bit brighter.”

Harrison’s favorite NYC holiday sps:

Maccabee Bar

“My writing partners and I went to this pop-up, Hanukkah-themed bar last year and it’s a memory I will cherish forever. They have some really fun, wacky cocktails and mocktails. If you’re not sure what to order, spin the dreidel and leave it to chance.”

S&P Lunch

“There are a lot of great places around the city to try latkes but this classic diner offers them with applesauce and sour cream. I’ve also been experimenting with blueberry jam. Mix the blueberry with the sour cream for some classic blue and white Hanukkah deliciousness.”

Prospect Park

“A few years ago, my wife and I did a festive 5K through Prospect Park, put on by New York Road Runners . Everyone dresses up in costumes and it’s a wonderful way to stay fit during the holiday season. Plus, there’s a warm cup of hot cocoa waiting at the finish line.”

One World Observatory

“It’s neat to go to the indoor observation deck and get a 360-degree view of all the lights from above—it might be as close as we get to seeing the world as Santa or the Hanukkah Fairy.”

Travel back in time

From Concetta Anne Bencivenga, Director of the New York Transit Museum

“New York in December is magic—there’s just a bit more sparkle. For us at the museum, we’re delighted that we get to bring back the nostalgia rides , a beloved tradition that people look forward to every year. In partnership with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, we intersperse historic subway cars with their modern counterparts. You might see a wreath or snowflake here or there, but really we let the classic fleet speak for itself with lovely lighting, rattan seats, and period advertisements.

Some people get really into it and dress up in 1940s attire—suits, pillbox hats, stockings. It’s a lot of fun for those who seek out the trains, but also amazing for those who just stumble upon it and have no idea what’s happening. It’s all part of the season of delight.”

Tip: The two trains run on Saturdays in December on the D and F lines—take them to 42nd street to see Bryant Park ’s Winter Village, complete with an ice skating rink and an open-air holiday market.

Concetta’s favorite NYC holiday spots:

Central Park and Fifth Avenue

“I dress warmly and then take the subway to Columbus Circle. From there, I walk the lower loop of Central Park, with a break at Tavern on the Green , before continuing onto Fifth Avenue for the wonderful holiday window displays.”

“This incredible Ukrainian restaurant has amazing pierogi, the kind of comfort food you want when it’s snowing outside.”

Grand Central Terminal

“Vendors sell unique gifts around the holidays and it doesn’t cost a dime to stare up at the ceiling in awe. One thing people may not know is that there is actually a New York Transit Museum gallery here featuring a holiday train show .”

Pete’s Tavern

“Everyone flocks to Rolf’s because it's super fun and very Christmas-y, but there’s always a line. For a more low-key experience, I recommend Pete’s Tavern, where O. Henry wrote the quintessential Christmas story, The Gift of the Magi .”

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Holiday Stories from the Archive

By Erin Overbey

In 1975, The New Yorker published a short story, by Vladimir Nabokov, simply titled “ Christmas .” Although the story’s title may have been rather commonplace, its subject was anything but. Nabokov’s tale deals with the ways that memory, loss, and rebirth often encircle one another. While looking through his late son’s belongings on Christmas Eve, the story’s protagonist comes across a journal and makes a startling discovery. “The open notebook shone radiantly on the table; next to it the light went through the muslin of the butterfly net, and glistened on a corner of the open tin,” the novelist writes. “Sleptsov pressed his eyes shut, and had a fleeting sensation that earthly life lay before him, totally bared and comprehensible.” What begins as a story of mourning shifts as it unfolds—transforming, like a chrysalis, into a tale about the unforeseen marvels that can occur when family and hope convene after a long separation.

During this second pandemic year, many of us have experienced lengthy separations from our loved ones, while others have been fortunate enough to be able to come together more frequently. This week, in honor of the season (and even as we face new uncertainties), we’re bringing you a selection of pieces about Christmas and the holiday spirit. In “ The Burden of the Feast ,” Bobbie Ann Mason recalls the celebratory holiday meals that her mother would assemble at their family farm in Kentucky. In “ Christmas Is a Sad Season for the Poor ,” by John Cheever, an elevator operator enjoys seasonal generosity while also experiencing some unanticipated consequences. (“House after house put into the shine of the street lights a wall of black windows. Millions and millions were sleeping, and this general loss of consciousness generated an impression of abandonment, as if this were the fall of the city, the end of time.”) In “ Year’s End ,” by Jhumpa Lahiri, a college student faces challenges when he visits his family in New England over the holidays. In “ Christmas Story ,” Joseph Mitchell recalls a surprising encounter, when he was a younger reporter, with an unusual couple who had previously resided in a cave in Central Park. In “ A New Package of Energy ,” E. B. White reminisces about the small everyday miracles of the holiday season, which can materialize even during times of great instability. In “ A Visit from Saint Nicholas (in the Ernest Hemingway Manner) ,” James Thurber parodies the classic holiday verse by Clement Clarke Moore. (“The moon shone on the snow. The moon gave the lustre of mid-day to objects in the snow. There was a miniature sleigh in the snow, and eight tiny reindeer. A little man was driving them.”) Finally, in “ My Ex-Husband and the Fish Dinner ,” Joan Acocella playfully recounts the unconventional holiday repasts that her ex would painstakingly prepare. “My husband decided to Italianize our Christmas,” she writes. “The people in his grandparents’ generation had followed the old-country custom of eating their feast not on December 25th, but the night before. And it wasn’t turkey; it was a nine-course fish dinner.” After opening all of your gifts, we hope that you’ll spend some time with these classic pieces from our archive. From all of us here at The New Yorker : happy holidays.

—Erin Overbey, archive editor

“Christmas is a sad season. The phrase came to Charlie an instant after the alarm clock had waked him, and named for him an amorphous depression that had troubled him all the previous evening.”

“The night was smoke-blue and moonlit; thin clouds were scattered about the sky but did not touch the delicate, icy moon. The trees, masses of gray frost, cast dark shadows on the drifts, which scintillated here and there with metallic sparks.”

“My in-laws, by way of assimilating, had switched over to turkey. This now seemed to my husband a hideous betrayal. We were going back to the old way, he declared.”

A tale of faith in human dignity restored.

“When I was growing up on our fifty-three-acre dairy farm, we were obsessed with food. Food was the center of our lives. Everything we did, every day, revolved around it. We planted it, grew it, harvested it, peeled it, cooked it, served it, consumed it.”

“It was the night before Christmas. The house was very quiet. No creatures were stirring in the house. There weren’t even any mice stirring.”

“I knew then that it was true, that there was another person inside the house, a person who made it possible for my father, without hesitating, to say ‘we’ instead of ‘I.’ ”

“To perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more difficult with every year.”

New Yorker Favorites

• Why the last snow on Earth may be red.
• When Toni Morrison was a young girl, her father taught her an important lesson about work .
• The fantastical, earnest world of haunted dolls on eBay .
• Can neuroscience help us rewrite our darkest memories ?
• The anti-natalist philosopher David Benatar argues that it would be better if no one had children ever again .
• What rampant materialism looks like, and what it costs .
• Sign up for our daily newsletter to receive the best stories from The New Yorker .

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Christmas in New York Descriptive Writing

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Age range: 7 - 18

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

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22 February 2018

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Guest Essay

Ethan Crumbley’s Parents Were Just Part of a Much Bigger Problem

By Elizabeth Spiers

Ms. Spiers, a contributing Opinion writer, is a journalist and digital media strategist.

James and Jennifer Crumbley never anticipated that their then-15-year-old son, Ethan, would use the 9-millimeter Sig Sauer handgun Mr. Crumbley had bought — ostensibly as an early Christmas present — to kill four students at a Michigan high school. At least that’s the argument their lawyers made in court before Ms. Crumbley, last month, and Mr. Crumbley, almost two weeks ago, were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in separate trials. Prosecutors argued that the Crumbleys did not do enough to secure the gun and ignored warning signs that Ethan was planning to use it.

After every mass shooting by a teenager at a school, there is an instinct to look to the shooter’s parents to understand what went wrong. In the case of the Crumbleys, this seems obvious: Ethan left disturbing journal entries fantasizing about shooting up the school, and stating that he had asked his parents for help with his mental health issues but didn’t get it. His father said the family had a gun safe but the safe’s combination was the default factory setting, 0-0-0.

One factor that’s gotten less attention, however, is how the Crumbleys’ attitudes and actions reflect an increasingly insidious gun culture that treats guns as instruments of defiance and rebellion rather than as a means of last resort.

I’ve been thinking about this case a lot because I grew up in the 1980s and ’90s in a rural part of the Deep South where almost everyone I knew had guns in the house, unsecured, and mental illness was stigmatized and often went untreated. Church was considered a superior venue for counseling, and only “crazy” people sought professional help. If the evidence for criminal negligence is a failure to lock up a gun and ignoring signs of mental illness, many of the adults I grew up around would have been (and still would be) vulnerable to the same charges as the Crumbleys.

It’s convenient and comforting for many people to believe that if it had been their child, they’d have prevented this tragedy. But prison visiting rooms are full of good, diligent parents who never thought their kid would be capable of landing there.

My parents didn’t own a gun safe, but kept guns hidden away from us, which, like many gun owners at the time, they thought of as “secured.” The men in my family were all hunters and the guns they kept were hunting rifles, not AR-15s. (You can’t feed a family with deer meat that’s been blown to bits.) I knew my parents kept a handgun, too, but it was never shown to us, or treated as a shiny new toy.

Gun culture was different then. It would have never occurred to my parents to acquire an entire arsenal of guns and display them prominently around the house, as some people now do, or ludicrously suggest that Jesus Christ would have carried one . They did not, as more than a few Republican politicians have done, send out Christmas photos of their children posing with weapons designed explicitly to kill people at an age when those children likely still believed Santa existed. Open carry was legal, but if you were to walk into the local barbecue joint with a semiautomatic rifle on your back emblazoned with fake military insignia, people would think you were creepy and potentially dangerous, not an exemplar of masculinity and patriotism.

All of these things happen now with regularity, and they’re considered normal by gun owners who believe that any kind of control infringes on their Second Amendment rights. Children are introduced at a young age to guns like the Sig Sauer that Ethan Crumbley used. They’re taught to view guns as emblematic of freedom and the right to self-defense — two concepts that have been expanded to include whatever might justify unlimited accumulation of weapons.

“Freedom” is short for not being told what to do, even though the law very much dictates how and when guns should be used. “Self-defense” is often talked about as a justifiable precaution in the event of home invasion, though home invasions are as rare as four-leaf clovers and do not require an arsenal unless the invader is a small army. (It’s also worth noting that basic home security systems are far less expensive than many popular guns, which suggests that at the very least, some gun owners may be intentionally opting for the most violent potential scenario.) Most important, too many children are taught that guns confer power and can and should be used to intimidate other people. (Relatedly, any time I write about gun control, at least one gun owner emails to say he’d love to shoot me, which is not exactly evidence of responsible gun ownership.)

Mass shooters often begin with a grievance — toward certain populations, individuals they feel wronged by, society at large — and escalate their behavior from fantasizing about violence to planning actual attacks. A study from 2019 suggests that feeling inadequate may make gun owners more inclined toward violence. In the study, gun owners were given a task to perform and then told that they failed it. Later they were asked a number of questions, including whether they would be willing to kill someone who broke into their home, even if the intruder was leaving. “We found that the experience of failure increased participants’ view of guns as a means of empowerment,” wrote one researcher , “and enhanced their readiness to shoot and kill a home intruder.”

The study hypothesized that these gun owners “may be seeking a compensatory means to interact more effectively with their environment.”

Good parents model healthy interactions all the time. If their kids are struggling with a sense of inferiority or are having trouble dealing with failure, we teach them self-confidence and resilience. Parents who treat guns as a mechanism for feeling more significant and powerful are modeling an extremely dangerous way to interact with their environment.

What’s particularly hypocritical here is that the most strident defenders of this culture skew conservative and talk a lot about what isn’t appropriate for children and teenagers. What they think is inappropriate often includes educating kids about sex, about the fact that some people are gay or transsexual and about racism. It’s a perverse state of affairs: Exposing children to simple facts is dangerous, but exposing them to machines designed to kill is not. You can’t get your driver’s license until you’re a teenager, or buy cigarettes and alcohol until you’re 21, but much earlier than that, kids can, with adult supervision, legally learn how to end someone’s life.

Parents can’t ensure that their child won’t ever feel inferior or disempowered, or even in some cases become delusional or filled with rage. Teenagers do things that their parents would never anticipate every day, even if they’re close and communicative. Some develop serious drug habits or become radicalized into extremism or take their own lives.

One thing parents can ensure is that their children cannot get access to a gun in their house. The only foolproof way to do that is to ensure that there’s no gun in the house to begin with. Barring that, parents can make sure they are not reinforcing a toxic gun culture that says that displaying and threatening to use lethal machines is a reasonable way to deal with anger or adversity. That message makes the idea of killing someone seem almost ordinary.

That doesn’t prevent school shooters; it primes them.

Elizabeth Spiers, a contributing Opinion writer, is a journalist and digital media strategist.

Source photographs by CSA-Printstock and John Storey, via Getty Images.

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