ED NOTE: If you love the hustle and bustle of the city, visit New York during the Christmas season. The holiday tradition there dates back to 1931, when the Rockefeller Center Plaza first lit its tree. That tree was less than 20 feet tall; this year, the tree is 84 feet tall and 48 feet wide. It is lit from approximately November 28 to January 6.
Those aren’t the only Christmas lights you’ll find aglow in NYC, though; the entire city seems to shine with lights. Take a walking tour to learn about the Jewish culture or explore other history in the city, or enjoy some famous ghost tales.
Window shopping at Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Macy’s seems to get better year after year. Don’t miss the Origami Holiday Tree, covered with 500 hand-created origami critters, located at the American Museum of Natural History. You’ll love the holiday dinosaurs flanking the doorways. Try ice skating or go see one of hundreds of shows and events.
NEW YORK CITY
As you'd expect, New York City knows
how to celebrate the holiday season. Below find many highlights for
visiting families, and some of them are free or nearly so.
Holiday Shows and Performances
Every Holiday Season, wonderful productions entertain families in New
York City.
The
Nutcracker: New York City Ballet presents their acclaimed
production of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker.
Gocitykids.com covers hundreds of
events going on for families in New York City, including many
minor -- but still fun-- performances.
Ice-Skating
Rockefeller
Center is certainly the most famous place to lace your skates in
New York City, but families have other choices too.. ice skating in
Central Park, and more.
Central Park- Free Holiday Programs
Every visitor to New York City should see Central Park, with its
amazing 843 acres in the middle of Manhattan's prime real estate.
Several visitor centers in the Park, including Belvedere Castle, offer
free Holiday Season events: winter star-gazing, making a Menorah for
Hanukkah, meeting jolly old St. Nicholas, Christmas crafts, Festival
of Lights with storytelling, Kwanzaa crafts... and that's not all. See
Winter
Holiday Programs in Central Park.
Holiday Windows
New York City is the top town for Holiday
Windows, with wonderful displays at its famous department stores.
At Macy's, for instance, "Miracle on 34th Street" Windows
are an annual tradition. Take a walking
tour of the best windows displays. Good family fun, and the price
(free) is right.
Miscellaneous Fun!
New
York Botanical Garden - Holiday Train Show: Inside the
conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, model
trains choo-choo past miniature replicas of New York City landmarks,
made using leaves, twigs, bark and other natural materials; see some
cool
pix from a fan. Holiday train show runs from late November to
early January. The Botanical Garden has puppet theater and
Gingerbread Adventures too.*
Bronx
Zoo: on multiple days in December and early
January; activities include horse-drawn wagon rides, ice-carving
demos, presents to the animals, live music and dance, make-your-own
s'mores.
.
Holiday
Lights Tour: a sightseeing bus tour, offered by Gray Line,
which has many other sightseeing tours as well including
double-decker "hop on, hop off" tour
