Christmas in New York (2011)

Photo by My Kind of Town.com

It’s time for Christmas in New York – again!

There are a lot of folks searching for information about Christmas in New York, so I thought I’d give a run down of what’s happening this year.  Last year, I wrote a Wish List of things I’d like to see, so this year I’ll continue the tradition and add some of the things that I didn’t include and a few new events!

Christmas List 2011

1. New York City Christmas Lights Tour.

This is a 3-6 hour fully customizable tour of the city’s Christmas lights.  The tour will be tailored to your group’s interests, knowledge of the city, native language, and even to where you want to be picked up at the start of the tour!

2. New York City Ballet The Nutcracker

“With Tschaikovsky’s incomparable score, hundreds of dazzling costumes, a one-ton tree that magically grows and grows, and a million watts of illuminated excitement, this traditional Christmas ballet is the definitive holiday must-see!” Tickets are $55-135, depending on performance and seats, and performances run November 25 – December 31, 2011.

3. Macy’s Holiday Window Display

This year Macy’s theme is “Make a Wish,” and features ornaments made by celebrities (on sale inside the store for $9.99 each with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Make a Wish Foundation). This year’s windows (designed by Paul Olszewski) will introduce the use of 3-D screens that do not require glasses in order for guests to view the images. The giant screen in Window 6 will allow visitors to make their own digital ornament and send it to their smart phone to be used as holiday wallpaper.

4. National Chorale Messiah Sing-in

With 17 conductors, 4 soloists, and an audience chorus of over 3,000, how can you go wrong with the Messiah sing-in?  You can’t.  December 20, 7:30 pm at Lincoln Center.

5. Brew York, New York

This really isn’t a “Christmas event,” but for those folks who love good beer, Chris O’Leary (a professed “beer geek” who lives in Brooklyn) provides a calendar of brew related events in the New York area.  His calendars are works of brew art, and run all year-round!

6. The Big Apple Circus

Ironically, this year’s Big Apple Circus show is called “Dream Big”! Flying through the air with the greatest of ease these acrobats, jugglers, and performers entertain audiences with their skill and talent for doing what most would consider impossible.  Designed to delight and entertain children of all ages, this show runs until January 2012.

7. 28th Annual Tree Lighting – South Street Seaport

On Friday, November 25th, TODAY Show personality and fashion expert Jill Martin will host one of New York City’s most beloved holiday traditions, with a 40-foot tree serving as the centerpiece of a seven-minute “Sparkle at the Seaport” light show spectacular. Festivities will kick-off with performances by the Darren Wallis Jazz Trio and the Soul Tigers Marching Band. All-male barbershop chorus, The Big Apple Chorus, will perform seasonal favorites, and costumed characters will help Santa Claus countdown to the tree lighting ceremony. To round-off the evening, Ronnie Spector will give a special performance, making it a night to remember for the whole family.

8. Twelfth Annual Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square

Monday, November 28 at 5:30 pm (no matter what the weather!) stores, restaurants, cultural organizations and public spaces in the district will be buzzing with activities for both children and adults. At the same time, sidewalks along Broadway from Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle to 68th Street will be alive with performers, street musicians, jugglers, stilt-walkers and more, making for a festive fun-filled stroll through the streets of this dynamic Upper West Side neighborhood.

9. Union Square Holiday Market

Between November 18 through December 24, Union Square will play host to a holiday market with over 100 local vendors!  Hours: Monday – Friday, 11:00am to 8:00pm; Saturday, 10:00am to 8:00pm; Sunday, 11:00am to 7:00pm.

10. American Museum of Natural History’s Origami Holiday Tree

From November 19, 2011 to January 2, 2012 the American Museum of Natural History  displays the annual origami holiday tree.  This year’s tree decorations pay tribute to some of the largest and most impressive animals and inanimate objects found in the Museum halls through the art of origami.

I can’t be in New York City this Christmas, but my thoughts will be filled with all of the wonderful things to look forward to doing when my dreams come true!

Happy Holidays!

Christmas in New York (2010)

Liberty Plaza. Photo by DMT.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

I have always wanted to spend Christmas in New York City. Everything about the season seems like it would be bigger, bolder, and more beautiful in the city with all of the hustle and bustle of the crowds, the softly falling snow flakes, and the twinkling store windows.  I’m sure that native New Yorkers probably find these things irritating and annoying since they’ve had years to experience the “magic of the season” and now just want to escape the crowds, dry off the snow, and avoid the tourists who clog up the sidewalks as the gawk at windows the residents see every day.

I can’t help it, though, I believe in the magic.  I believe that Christmas in New York would fill me with awe and wonder at every turn.

So, in the spirit of my fantasy Christmas in New York, I’ve created a list of the things that would make my holiday season joyful.

2009 Bergdorf Goodman window. Photo by Dan Cross.

1. The Christmas Windows Walking Tour: This map provides visitors with a route that takes them past the decorated windows at Macy’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Bloomingdales.  The site recommends dressing warmly, wearing comfortable shoes, and keeping a close eye [or hand] on one’s belongings since the sidewalks in front of the stores are quite packed and provide the perfect opportunity for pickpocketing.

The Pond at Bryant Park. Photo by Bryant Park.org.

2. Ice Skating at Bryant Park: The Pond [as it's referred to] is open to anyone who wants to skate, and does not charge admission.  Skates can be rented for $13.00 a pair, however.  I know I would spend my time on the ice clinging to the wall, but it would be worth it to skate on the rink where Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack finally meet in “Serendipity.” [Correction: As my friend and trusted NYC fact checker, D. points out in his comments, the rink they meet on is actually in Central Park, but I like the image of them meeting at the Bryant Park Pond better, so I'm not editing out my mistake].

3. Radio City Music Hall: It may be cheesy and commercial, but who in the world doesn’t want to see the Radio City Rockettes performing their perfectly choreographed high kicks in matching holiday costumes?  Seriously.

St. Patrick's Cathedral. Photo by Wiki Commons.

5. Midnight Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral: While I jokingly refer to myself as a “recovering Catholic,” I find that when I think about Christmas in New York, it always includes a trip to St. Patrick’s for midnight mass.  I’ll have to make a note to myself for Christmas 2012 because midnight mass at the cathedral requires reserved seating.  [Does God know about this Catholic version of Ticketmaster?]

6. New York Philharmonic – Handel’s Messiah: Click on the link and listen to a recorded portion of the performance.  The recording sends chills down my spine, so I can’t imagine the experience of actually sitting in Avery Fisher Hall listening to the choir build on each “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”

Brooklyn Bridge at NYBG. Photo by Heather Cross.

7. The Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Gardens: The Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Gardens features model trains traveling around the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory amongst over 140 replicas of New York City landmarks. The replicas are created by award-winning designer Paul Busse using only plants.

8. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree: A Norway Spruce lit with 30,000 lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star?  That’s the ticket!

9. Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche: From November 30 to January 6, the Metropolitan Museum of Art offers “A vivid eighteenth-century Neapolitan Nativity scene—embellished with a profuse array of diminutive, lifelike attendant figures and silk-robed angels hovering above—adorns the candlelit spruce.”

The Met Christmas Tree. Photo by the Met.

10. Santa at Macy’s: I’m not sure that I have a burning desire to sit on the jolly old elf’s lap, but the little kid in me definitely wants to see Santa Claus in all his glory – preferably before the crumb snatchers arrive.

Is Christmas in New York better than Christmas anywhere else?  I can’t answer that question, but I can say that, for me, the beauty of the season lies in love, hope, wonder, and my optimistic faith that magic and miracles are entirely possible – if we chose to believe in them.

Here’s to Christmas 2012 in New York City!  I believe!

(UPDATE: If you are interested in this year’s Christmas events in NYC, check out my 2011 Christmas List!)

One Year to Move soundtrack