A Complete Guide to Score A Perfect NYC Christmas

Christmas is one of the biggest festival among the western countries. Celebrating Christmas has always been a mission to many, while having a perfect NYC Christmas is always on my checklist. As thousands of people flood to NYC every December, eager to get a taste of Christmas in the Big Apple, here is my To Do List on how to score a perfect Christmas in the city that never sleeps:


1. Christmas Eve's dinner is a MUST

The list of restaurants with a view can be found on my previous post. However, if you are a foodie, I highly recommended Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

This is one of the many appetizers: edible veggies on a display and a mysterious juice!

Not only does the establishment offer great food, but it also offers one of the finest food presentation in NY. Not to mention, it is ranked at No. 48 on the list of World's Best Restaurants in 2016!



2. Head to Radio City Music Hall and Watch the Rockettes in the Christmas Spectacular live

The famous leg kicks from the Rockettes.
Those kicks just never gets old!

The followings are some of the famous scenes from the show:

(* Sorry for the unusual poor video quality due to the limitation of Blogger.com where they restrict the size to only 100MB *)

Ticket can be found here.



3. Christmas Shopping at the Holiday Markets!

One of the most popular Christmas activities in NYC is strolling through Christmas markets and finding gift for everyone on your favourite list! You will discover a wide range of products, from handcrafted kids' toys to paintings and Christmas tree ornaments as well as food stalls! Seriously, who doesn't like shopping?

Here are some of the interesting stalls in this year's markets:

On left is the owner/ artist who created those fun paintings about NYC.

Aren't they cute?? This booth locates at Union Square Christmas market. More of her paintings can be found here.

This is a photographer/ owner of "The Secret Life of Toys", also at the Union Square market. He loves to travel around the world and take interesting scenery photos with his toys! 

Exhibit A: Bruce Lee figure toy taken at the famous Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong!
He told me that he has been to HK 3 times in the past, and he knows HK quite well!

This is another interesting booth selling toys handcrafted out of metal. The artist wasn't there the day
I visited, but the staff told me that every piece was handmade from Israel, priced between $100 to $300.

This is how it works.

This artist does not have a website nor a Facebook page, but
you can email Juan Rivera at juank23_86@hotmail.com for more info.

Go here for the complete list of MUST GO Christmas markets in NYC.

4. Check Out the Christmas Displays

This mall is one of my favourite places to hang out in NYC simply because 1) it's close to my
home and 2), it never gets too crowded (but it's getting there soon).

Located downtown NY near financial district and directly across the 911 Memorial,
this is a relatively new mall called the Brookfield Place.

Here is one of the best Christmas displays this year in my opinion.
This Christmas light show musical is so stunning! It runs from 4:35 to 11:35pm each night until Jan 10 at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Click here for the best of 2015 Christmas displays in NYC.



5. Go Ice Skating in NYC Winter Rinks with a spectacular backdrop.

The following are some of the best places in the city for ice skate:

Most people who follow my blog would know about this place - Bryant Park skating rink!
Details and pricing can be found here.

The famous Central Park and its rink!

This is the Brookfield Place skating rink during sunset!

Last but not least is the Rockefeller Center skating rink !

Photo credit: Rasekh Fatmi

If indoor + adventure are more your elements, you can..
6. Hang Out at this World's First Underground Park in NYC!

More details can be found here .

7. Head Over to Dyker Height for their Over The Top Christmas Lights and Displays!

During the holiday season, a small part of South Brooklyn turns into a Christmas wonderland where you will find decorated homes all over the neighborhood. There were nearly a hundred of them, and it was pretty amazing!!

Yes, that's a real house in Dyker Height...!

8. Holiday Train Show at New York Botanical Garden

Each year from November to January, the New York Botanical Garden will feature model trains navigate through 150 crafted miniatures of New York City's landmarks, all made entirely out of plant parts!

This is the New York Botanical Garden!

The Famous Brooklyn Bridge.

The Metropolitan Museum of New York.

Look at the details!!

That's it! I'll be back in a few days with more reports on NYC Must Do in December!

(Please note: All photos in my blog are taken by me, except the ones with me in it or stated otherwise, so please be respectful and do not use them without my consent.)