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Why Christmas is worth it in New York

Created: 12/14/2022, 3:00 p.m

Many people only know Christmas in the Big Apple from the movies.

That's why you should see the celebrations in New York with your own eyes.

If you like to travel, New York City should definitely be on your bucket list.

Opinions about the famous American city may differ: some are fascinated by the diversity and speed of the Big Apple, for others it is too big, too dirty and too loud.

What is undeniable, however, is that New York at Christmas time offers the stuff that films are made of.

The blinking lights, the big Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center and the ice rink in front of it have been seen in countless Christmas films and series and attract numerous tourists every year.

That's why New York City is worth visiting at Christmas time.

Festive decoration: shop windows tell a whole story

If you have the image of New York that everything is loud, dirty and ugly, but still want to see the city, you should visit it in the run-up to Christmas.

This is the time of year when shops and the city really make an effort in decor and appearance.

Now the shop windows are decked out, the streets are adorned with lights and ideas for Christmas gifts for loved ones back home are everywhere.

The well-known department store Macy's even rearranges an entire floor for this purpose and turns it into a winter landscape with Santa Land, where children can have their picture taken with Santa Claus.

Christmas decorations can also be found in the residential areas of New York.

© Richard B. Levine/Imago

Most stores start decorating after Thanksgiving Day, celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, after the big Thanksgiving parade parades through town.

If you want to experience both, come a few days before Thanksgiving and stay a few days after.

Then the lights in the streets also flash.

Many shop windows also tell whole stories and it is worth taking a long walk through Fifth Avenue just to look at them.

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Like in the Christmas movie: giant Christmas tree and ice rink

Kevin (Kevin - Alone in New York) sat in awe in front of the huge Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center - and he wasn't the only one.

For decades, New York's most famous Christmas tree has played a role in many Christmas and romance films and is a tourist attraction for that reason alone.

Apart from that, you want to see something special on a city trip and what could be better than an imposing, 25 meter high Christmas tree with 8 kilometer long chains of lights, which is only there for a few weeks a year?

Its lights are on between 6am and midnight every day until January.

Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center ice rink in New York © IMAGO/Marc Schueler

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If you want, you can also do your laps on the ice rink in front of it.

But you should have some time for that.

The queue for entry is usually longer than the films suggest.

Broadway and Ballet: Christmastime Classics

New York City is known for Broadway musicals, which are fascinating year-round.

But if you don't want to conform to this cliché, you can also go to the ballet.

Special shows are added at Christmas time, such as classic ballet performances of The Nutcracker by the New York City Ballet.

The New York City Ballet Company has been in existence since 1948 and founder George Balanchine's Nutcracker choreography is still used in the performances today.

The ballet music comes from Tchaikovsky and makes the pre-Christmas season in the Big Apple extra-magical.

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Festive offers: Christmas markets, light tour and horse-drawn carriage ride

New York is known to be the city that never sleeps, but at least it gets a little cozier around Christmas time.

Last but not least, this is ensured by the offers that give you the feeling of a cozy Christmas time.

In Bryant Park and Union Square, for example, there are Christmas markets that are large but beautifully decorated and exude a holiday feeling.

Ice skating is also possible in Bryant Park and should it be cold or even snowy, you can warm up afterwards with a hot chocolate and browse the stands.

A wintry New York has a unique charm on visitors.

© Imago

You can also do walking tours in New York at Christmas time, which show you the most beautiful corners and the greatest decorations.

The tour guides lead the tourists past the Christmas tree and the shop windows of Fifth Avenue, among other things.

Or you can do it the leisurely way and book a tour in a horse-drawn carriage that will take you through wintry New York like in a romantic Hallmark film.