Christmas in New York City: 11 Things You Can’t Miss

Years of watching movies and TV shows have taught us that Christmas in New York is magical and that we need to see and do every cliché possible while we're there 🎄🚂⛸️😜.

The good news is that it isn't just good marketing. Spending December in New York really is a special experience, one you should live at least once.

To help you plan the perfect Christmas in New York, here's what to do in NYC at Christmas, including the classic city activities that will make you feel like you're in a movie.

What to Do at Christmas in New York City

Still haven't decided what to see at Christmas in New York? There's plenty to do, so here are the most classic holiday outings, the places you absolutely have to visit:

1. See the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

One thing you can't miss during Christmas in Manhattan is a visit to the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, a symbol of the start of the holiday season.

Since 1931, the lighting of the giant spruce has taken place on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving and the famous Macy's parade.

Every year they manage to bring in a spruce nearly 80 feet tall. It's decorated with more than 50,000 lights and topped with the classic Swarovski crystal star.

Read all the details for visiting the Manhattan Christmas tree this year.

2. See the Christmas Spectacular

Every Christmas since 1933, Radio City Music Hall has staged the holiday show Christmas Spectacular.

A Christmas show starring the Rockettes, a precision dance company that dates back to the 1930s.

It's an emblem of Christmas in New York, with performances from late October through January 1.

You'll see more than 130 performers on stage, jaw-dropping choreography, 1,300 costumes, ice skating, and you can get your photo taken with Santa 😉 It's definitely a must-do at Christmas.

3. See the Christmas Decorations and Lights in New York

By late November, most of the Christmas lights in New York are already on. Walking down Fifth Avenue, from Central Park heading south, feels like being an extra in a movie.

Every private and public building in the city dresses up for Christmas too. Even the lions at the New York Public Library get ready to welcome Santa 😀.

The truth is that every one of New York's tourist spots fills up with Christmas lights and decorations. You'll feel the holidays everywhere.

But there are a few places you really shouldn't miss. Here are my recommendations:

Rockefeller Center Christmas Decorations

The holiday decorations at Rockefeller Center are the most famous in Manhattan.

I already mentioned the famous tree at Rockefeller Plaza, but another emblem of Christmas in New York you can't miss is the tree on the roof of Radio City Music Hall.

Giant Snowflake on Fifth Avenue

📍Address: Fifth Avenue, between 58th and 59th Streets.

Just steps from Rockefeller Center, this year you can see an enormous snowflake-shaped Christmas decoration with 16,500 crystals, standing 30 feet tall and weighing 5,500 pounds.

It will shine above Fifth Avenue starting November 22 at 5:30 pm, celebrating the bicentennial of New York's most famous street.

The Decorated Houses of Dyker Heights in Brooklyn

If you want to really feel like you're in a movie, go visit Dyker Heights, the Brooklyn neighborhood famous for its Christmas house lights. It's a full immersion in American Christmas.

Bryant Park Winter Village

As it does every year, the Bryant Park Winter Village will have its holiday market, the free ice rink, and thousands of lights that create a magical atmosphere for enjoying the Christmas season in New York.

Shine Bright at Hudson Yards

📍Address: 20 Hudson Yards, Manhattan.

In 2024, the Hudson Yards neighborhood was decorated with more than two million lights, including the holiday display on the famous Vessel. They'll almost certainly do it again in December 2025.

Washington Square Park

The lighting of the Washington Square Park Christmas tree is another of New York's December traditions. The tree stands beneath the square's iconic arch.

As the date gets closer, I'll confirm the exact day and time of the lighting.

4. Christmas Window Displays in New York

Just as important as the lights are the decorated windows of Manhattan's most famous stores. It's a creativity contest full of sparkle and plenty of technology too.

Some windows are so famous you'll have to wait in line to see and photograph them. Here are the ones you can't miss (listed north to south):

Bloomingdale's

📍Address: Lexington Avenue, near 59th Street.

This year, Bloomingdale's designed its windows around the hit musical Wicked. You'll see Elphaba and Glinda in sets awash in greens and pinks, capturing the charm of the Emerald City.

Bergdorf Goodman

📍Address: Fifth Avenue between 57th and 58th Streets.

The theme for the seven windows at this luxury Fifth Avenue store is «Bergdorf Good Times,» a tribute to the holidays with a modern twist. Think Christmas with a heavy dose of glamour.

Saks Fifth Avenue

📍Address: Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets.

Although Saks Fifth Avenue canceled its famous light show this year, you can still visit its iconic Christmas window display.

Macy's

📍Address: Broadway at 34th Street.

The windows at Macy's in Herald Square celebrate the holidays with the theme «Gifts We Love.» The displays include animated versions of the Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons, the famous event the store produces.

It's also worth stopping by the windows at Lord & Taylor (Fifth Avenue at 39th Street) and Tiffany & Co (Fifth Avenue at 52nd Street).

5. Visit Santaland at Macy's

At Macy's you'll find a Hollywood fantasy in the middle of New York: a North Pole set with elves, reindeer, trains, Mrs. Claus, and Santa himself waiting to hear your wishes.

Go early, ideally right when the store opens at 9 am, because the lines get huge, especially as the 24th approaches.

And don't worry if you're a little past the Santa age, he welcomes everyone 😉

It's also a chance to watch New York families bringing their kids to see Santa. They dress them up in coats, bow ties, and little patent leather shoes. Very traditional, very «Miracle on 34th Street.»

Visiting Santaland is free. It's on the 8th floor of Macy's Herald Square (151 W 34th Street).

It opens the day after the Thanksgiving Day Parade and runs through Christmas Eve.

6. Ice skating in New York

While you're visiting the Tree, take a look at the famous ice skating rink in front of Rockefeller Plaza.

It's the rink that opens earliest, in early October, but it's always packed and wildly expensive.

If you want to skate, check out the guide to New York's ice skating rinks, where you'll find other classics like the ones in Central Park and Bryant Park, which doesn't charge admission.

7. Visiting toy stores during Christmas in New York

Christmas is the best time to check out New York's famous toy stores, especially if you're traveling with kids. This is when they put up their best window displays and offer good discounts.

The standout is FAO Schwarz, home of the piano from the movie Big (1988) that Tom Hanks dances on.

You won't be visiting the original store, since it closed, but they reopened New York's biggest toy store at Rockefeller Center.

Right nearby is the LEGO Store (650 Fifth Avenue), pure fun for kids and adults alike.

8. Seeing The Nutcracker ballet in New York

If you want to enjoy another classic of the season, don't miss the annual staging of the New York City Ballet's Nutcracker at the David H. Koch Theater (November 29 through January 4).

And if you're after something more local, how about one of the Nutcracker versions in Brooklyn:

• “The Brooklyn Nutcracker” at the Theater at City Tech (December 12-15).
• “The Hip-Hop Nutcracker” at the Kings Theater (December 23).
• “The Hard Nut” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (December 12-22).

9. The New York Botanical Garden train show

Another Christmas outing outside Manhattan you shouldn't skip is the traditional Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx.

This show has been running since 1992, and it's a huge network of toy trains circling a miniature New York City built from natural materials gathered in the garden's grounds.

And while there are plenty of trains running along 800 meters of track, the real stars of this botanical city are the nearly 200 scale models of iconic New York buildings.

You'll obviously spot replicas of the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, Yankee Stadium and NYC's most famous bridges, for example. But there are also lesser known spots like the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in the Bronx.

The replicas are made from chestnut bark, palm fronds, pine cones, twigs, seeds and dried leaves from the trees in the Botanical Garden.

The show runs from the second half of November through mid-January at the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. It's open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm.

Admission costs $35 for adults and $15 for kids. Worth every penny.

The ticket includes access to the beautiful botanical garden, which is well worth exploring (there's a shuttle that takes you around the park so you don't freeze).

10. Christmas markets

Visiting New York's Christmas markets is a great way to bring home nice gifts and soak up the holiday atmosphere.

The first ones open in late October, so you'll have plenty of days to browse them and take home beautiful presents.

11. Shopping the after-holiday sales

Christmas Eve in New York isn't a family holiday. Most people here come from somewhere else, and to avoid feeling alone they do what everyone else does: hit the stores and hunt for deals.

If you don't have anyone to buy for that night, wait until New Year's passes. After that day the big discounts arrive and everything goes on clearance (you might want to check the New York sales calendar).

They'll love you when you get home with full suitcases and a happy wallet.

Manhattan's most famous stores

Here's a walk we recommend: stroll down Fifth Avenue from Rockefeller Center to the Apple store on Fifth, then continue to Madison Avenue. You'll be blown away by the elegance of these classic stores' window displays.

Another store you can't miss is Tiffany. This elegant jeweler has been at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street since 1940.

You'll recognize it by the polished black granite and the small window. Go in, don't be intimidated by the sparkle of the diamonds. Tourists come in all the time hoping to relive that classic Audrey Hepburn scene in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

New York weather at Christmas

One last piece of advice: bundle up!

There's always a chance of snow in December, and temperatures range from 5°C to -5°C (read more about winter in New York).

Follow this advice and these ideas for what to do at Christmas, and you'll have the holiday season of your life.

It's a good idea to check the weather forecast a few days before your trip.

Looking for a hotel for Christmas in New York?

If you're still not sure where to stay, take a look at these 5 hotels in Manhattan, right in the middle of the holiday action and at very decent prices.

Merry Christmas!