Christmas activities in New York City
Have you ever thought of visiting New York in December? If so… GO FOR IT!
Martin and I visited early December to get in that Christmas-movie-spirit and we weren’t disappointed! We had a lot of fun, even though there unfortunately was no snow. We’ll come back for that another year (better make any excuse to travel, haha).
If you´re visiting London, England in December, here´s our recommendations for a Day trip to London at Christmas time.
9 Cozy Christmas activities in New York City
You can obviously find a lot to do in NYC, but here’s our top 9 favorite Christmas activities to do in the city!
Go see a Broadway show (The Christmas Spectacular)
Watching a Broadway show at Radio City Music Hall is a very unique experience. In my opinion it’s a must when coming to NYC and especially at Christmas time. What better way to get in the right spirit, than watching an explosion of dancing and singing. We chose to see “The Christmas Spectacular”, and it didn’t disappoint.
The annual show can be enjoyed from mid-November to start of January. The ticket prices vary from 50$-350$ depending on day, time and seating. Buy your tickets on Ticketmaster. The show is about 90 minutes, and there’s a break in the middle so you can stretch your legs or fill up on overpriced snacks.
Just be aware that it isn’t permitted to film or take pictures at all. We got a warning for snapping just a tiny video, oops.
Ice skating in Central Park
Ice skating at the Wollman Rink was definitely on our bucket list. This is such a typical movie thing to do and if anybody out there is a sucker for romantic Christmas movies like me – you have to do this activity. Even though we missed the snow it wasn’t bad at all, as the sky was blue and the sun was shining.
Take a small break from ice skating and enjoy a hot cup of chocolate before hitting the ice again (we brought chocolate covered pretzels sprinkled with candy canes from Wholefoods, so so good). Be aware that it isn’t allowed to bring your SLR camera out on the ice for safety reasons. There’re lockers to store your things.
The ice rink opens at 10 am. Be on time and even before to avoid a long line. Eventually visit in the evening to enjoy the lights from the city.
Pricing
Entry for adults 15$ (Monday – Thursday)
Entry for adults 25-35$ (Friday – Sunday + holiday)
Entry for children 2-12 years 10$
Skate rentals 10$
Be aware that it’s cash only at the rink or you can buy your tickets online in advance!
The Wollman Rink is placed in the southeast part of Central Park and is very close to the Central Park Zoo.
Find more information on their webpage here.
The Christmas tree at Rockefeller
In December 1931 workers at Rockefeller Center bought the first Christmas tree together and decorated it with homemade garlands (read more about the history of the tree here).
This is probably the most popular place to go in NYC at Christmas time, so prepare for a lot of people. If you start at The Channel Gardens you’ll have the view with all the angles lined up before the Christmas tree (like in the movie ‘Home Alone’)
The tree is decorated with more than 50.000 colored LED lights on approx. 5 miles long wires. It’s definitely a beautiful sight, and worth the visit.
Here you can skate as well with the beautiful Christmas tree in the background. As mentioned it’s a very popular place, so it’s crowded at all times. The tree is lit daily from 6 a.m. till 12 a.m. but on Christmas Day it’s lit 24 hours.
Read more on their webpage here.
The Christmas tree at Wall street
The Christmas tree at Wall street is way less visited, than the one mentioned above, which means no crowds. The tree is located right next to the New York Stock Exchange building. This tree is very beautiful as well and to be honest I liked this even more than the tree at Rockefeller, as it has ornaments in varies of colors and not only lights.
While you’re in this part of the city you can swing by ‘Charging Bull’. To be honest I didn’t have a need to go here, but Martin really wanted to have the classic tourist picture, so if that’s you want, go for it. It’s only about 5 minutes’ walk from the Christmas tree. You can find the bull at Bowling Green at Broadway.
Location: At the corner of Wall St & Broad St
Visit the New York Public Library
Our little visit here was actually totally random. We were just out enjoying the city when we came across the Public Library. The library was founded in 1895, and the architecture is so beautiful and the style is very well preserved. The first thing you see when you enter is a stunning, glittery Christmas tree. If you need a place to work in peace and quiet this is your spot.
Open daily from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. – Sunday 1 p.m. till 5 p.m.
Read more on their webpage here.
Enjoy the decorated streets and all the windows
Getting in the spirit is easily done just by walking through the city. Grab a hot coffee to-go and enjoy the fresh air. All over the city you’ll find Christmas decorated windows, giant nut crackers, Christmas lights brightening up the streets, Santa Claus’ on every corner and much more.
See the decorations in Grand Central Terminal
You’ve definitely seen the Clock at Grand Central Terminal in at least one movie. The station is beautifully decorated at Christmas time. It’s a really iconic place and nice to check out if you’ve never been.
Buy a pretzel at a food stand
Coming from Scandinavia, eating pretzels is such an American thing. The small food stands are all over the city and is perfect for a quick snack on your stroll through the city or Central Park. Ask for a hot one, they’re definitely the best ones.
Do you prefer donuts?
Pick up half a dozen of donuts and enjoy the sweets with a hot cup of coffee on a bench in the park. You’ll never regret treating your soul in the cold winter months.
Lightshow at Macy’s
Just across the Christmas tree at Rockefeller you’ll find Macy’s. Every night in December from 5 p.m. till 11 p.m. you can witness the most beautiful light show with hundreds of thousands LED lights paired with holiday music. The show is three to four minutes long and starts every 10 minutes. We went here two nights in a row because we enjoyed it so much.
Location: 611 5th Ave, New York, NY 10022, United States (5th Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets)
To sum up
New York is a brilliant city to visit in the holidays. You’ll easily find lots of activities to do, and even just strolling through the city finding places to eat is great in itself.
We’ve been to NYC a couple of times, and in our opinion the city is definitely more magical at Christmas time. Next time we visit, we’ll definitely do all these
Hopefully this post Christmas activities in New York City got you in the right spirit!
Enjoy your day!
– Anne Mohn
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