Top Things To Do At Christmas In New York

Some people even plan their vacations around when the window displays open! It might seem crazy to go crazy for a window display, but it’s a steadfast NY tradition so you can’t miss it. There are also plenty of holiday markets which start popping up across the city after Thanksgiving.

Stay warm at the Grand Central Holiday Fair, and you’ll feel like you’re in a movie as you browse the stalls filled with Christmas gifts inside the historic station. There's also the Union Square Holiday Market which has much more of a downtown vibe, and Artists and Fleas at Chelsea Market if you like to keep things independent. 

A real must-see is the Christmas Tree located in the Met Museum on Fifth Avenue. The towering, 20-foot tree is decorated with 18th-century Neapolitan angels and cherubs. It might sound over the top but it’s a beautiful place to come and explore, especially decked out so angelically for the holidays!

A true hidden gem, however, is Met Cloisters, the branch of the museum that’s dedicated to European medieval art and architecture, housed in old cloisters which were brought over from Europe and rebuilt on the banks of the Hudson. Lots of people don’t even know this gem exists, let alone that it hosts a number of holiday concerts each year!

When it comes to food, there are a couple of spots that are known by the locals to be the place to go when you want to get in the festive mood. Rolf’s was once strictly a local hidden spot, but word has gotten out in recent years. In a space the size of a NY studio apartment (so we’re talking small, as any New Yorker will know!), Rolf’s is a German restaurant where not a single inch of the walls and ceilings aren’t covered with decorations.

Sure, it’s more than kitsch but that’s why we love it! Serving traditional German foods and beers, it’s an annual tradition to come here at least once during the holidays to catch up with friends, feast on hearty winter dishes, and generally, just enjoy basking in the glow of ten thousand Christmas lights reflected in ten thousand baubles. Now the secret’s out, make sure you get there before the queue starts!

But as any New Yorker will tell you, the most extravagant (and I mean really, out-of-this-world extravagant) Christmas lights are found in Dyker Heights. Making the pilgrimage out to Brooklyn to see the lights is the city’s other big holiday tradition after seeing the window displays, and once you’ve been yourself you’ll understand why.

There are even organized tours that will take you out to the neighborhood on a bus and around the most lavishly decorated houses, or if you want to brave the cold and are happy to use the subway, then you can always go for this DIY option.

However, I would recommend a bus tour for this, you’ll enjoy it all the more. You’ll be speechless when you see how lavishly each house is decorated - the whole neighborhood practically glows with neighbors all trying to outdo each other’s lights!