Top 10 Things To Do in NYC For The Christmas Holiday

Christmas in New York. Isn’t it romantic? The city is (hopefully) covered with a blanket of snow, the ice skating rinks are open, and Xmas lights twinkle everywhere to add to the festive mood. I didn’t appreciate the season in NYC until I moved across the country – isn’t that always the way? – but now I look back with fond memories at the wonderful activities and things to see and do in New York City during the Christmas holidays. Here, in no particular order, are the top 10 things to do in the city for the winter holiday season.

Top 10 Things To Do in NYC for the Christmas Holiday

1. For the first time ever, this year UNICEF will have a lighting ceremony for their Snowflake on 5th Avenue. An Evening at the UNICEF Snowflake will run Fridays from November 19 to January 16, at 6 p.m. This will become an annual event. Travelers spending their Christmas holiday in New York City can join in with other tourists and New Yorkers for hot chocolate and cookies (snowflake shaped, of course!) while listening to live music.

2. Every day after Thanksgiving and up until Christmas, Santa Claus is at Macy’s in Herald Square. Anyone who’s seen that old movie, Miracle on 34th Street knows that Santa indeed lives at Macy’s. The lines may be long, but he’s considered the best Santa in NYC.

3. Stroll around 5th Avenue, and admire the famous, elaborately designed window displays. Department stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, Barneys, and Bloomingdale’s participate in this visual fun.

4. Everyone can afford tickets to see Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. It’s performed by the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center, and tickets range from a mere $10 to a splurge-worthy $215. This show is only around during the Xmas holiday season, and is iconic of Christmas in the city. Cute little children scurry and dance, the toy soldiers march, and a huge one-ton Christmas tree make for a wonderful show.

5. While we’re on the topic of traditional winter holiday shows in New York, the world famous Radio City Rockettes have been performing their Radio City Christmas Spectacular for over 75 years (with different actual Rockettes, needless to say). This year, The Rockettes kick in unison until December 30, and tickets range from $40 to $250. Anyone visiting NYC in the winter should consider trying to budget in seeing Christmas Spectacular.

6. Cirque du Soleil returns to the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, to perform their amazing acrobatic feats in otherworldly settings. The show Wintuk, a winter story about a boy’s search for snow, will be playing through January 4 on the New Year. Tickets range from $40 to $220.

7. The Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle has its annual “Under the Stars” light show, and (fake) snow falling in its entranceway. This show and experience is every weekend evening until January 2; good thing, too, since there isn’t always real snow in NYC for Christmas.

8. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is the biggest in the city, and the annual tree lighting is nationally broadcast. The lighting is always at the beginning of December – this year it’s December 3 – and it stays lit through the first week of January.

9. Why not treat yourself and your family to a touch of class during your Christmas holiday in NYC? The Four Seasons Hotel New York has a 24-foot tall tree – one of, if not the city’s largest indoor Xmas trees – right in the hotel’s Grand Lobby. Every day until December 28, visitors can enjoy a Holiday High Tea with a great view of the festive, majestic tree done up in Christmas glory. This rather sophisticated experience is $55 for adults and $30 for kids, from 3PM to 5PM. The price is hefty, I know. But dressing up for the High Tea and making a big, formal deal out of the activity is a memorable experience for those “Eloise at the Plaza” fans.

10. Those ticket prices are a bit steep, even for the budget of a Christmas vacation in New York City. The ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center is cheap (skate rentals are less than $20), and very child-friendly. In fact, there are so many kids skating – and falling – at the Rink at Rockefeller Center, that it might irk someone who really wants to get some unobstructed skating in. The Rink is smaller than it looks on TV, and crowded. Wollman in Central Park is a bit less touristy, without loud music, and in a bucolic (for NYC) setting. There are also ice skating rinks at Chelsea Piers and Bryant Park.

There are many terrific things to do in NYC for the Christmas holiday, some classy and pricey, some cheap and even free. No matter which of these Top 10 things you choose to do, a winter vacation in New York City makes for memories to last a lifetime. Don’t forget to stop by Rockefeller Center to admire the Xmas Tree!