New York City is Crazy for Christmas!
New York City is crazy for Christmas. This is a city in love with Christmas, and famous for extra-extravagant holiday decor. A New York Christmas can be the stuff of dreams. It also can be crazy making. There are sooooo many people. You might go berserk battling the enormous crowds that swarm down 5th Avenue. Stay calm and stay where you are. I’ll show you the windows, the lights, the trees, the cupcakes, all the merry madness!
This was my second New York Christmas, and I loved it. NYC can be an expensive destination, but some of the best things in life are free, and that’s certainly true of New York at Christmas. The only thing in this entire post that cost anything was the candy cane cupcake. Everything else: free!
- Lavish holiday window displays
- Cupcakes with candy canes on ’em
- Splendid holiday lights and decorations
- Fifth Avenue street scenes—magical and mad!
- Christmas tree immensity
The Grinch that stole Bloomies
Last year we didn’t make it to Bloomingdales, so this year we decided to start our holiday window tour there. Bloomingdales’ theme was the Grinch That Stole Christmas. Instead of Whoville, we found ourselves in Bloomville, where there were many wild goings-on. Women with masses of multi-colored hair, blown back á la Bride of Frankenstein, wearing fake fur and fantastic footwear, were swinging from the ceiling and so forth.
The Grinch showed up as this psychedelic guy with long legs, and the little girl must be Cindy Who:
Fortunately, I just watched the year 2000 version of the Grinch That Stole Christmas, on Christmas. So I can decipher some of the vignettes. I suspect a few things were added in the movie, though. Perhaps the gal on the swing is the one who always won the light show?
Bloomies holiday windows included lots of interactive stuff: karaoke, Christmas music, photos with the Grinch. I was quite fond of a sparkly dragon in one window, but couldn’t get a decent photo. Too much glare and reflection, as you may note. I love the Art Deco elements of the Bloomingdales building.
Sugaring up at Magnolia Bakery
Whilst at Bloomingdales we were starving to death, so we popped in to Magnolia Bakery for some coffee and snacks. Bee had their delicious coconut cake, while I went for a Christmas-themed cupcake. Yum, yum. The cake was so soft and tender. I ate the candy cane, too, of course. Have to keep my sugar levels up!
Running around like the proverbial chicken
At this point we may have missed a couple things on the windows route. Ahem. Having utterly lost track of time, I got a ping from the lovely Natalie of A Pair of Travel Pants. Natalie had kindly agreed to meet us, last minute, and was waiting at our designated spot. Aaaarrugh!!! We were already late and several blocks away! I freaked and immediately started RUNNING in the completely wrong direction for, I swear, a good half mile.
After that, we went the right way for awhile, until we missed our turn. Several times we called Natalie for help, until she suggested we stay where we were and she would find us. The woman is a saint, I tell you. She walked with us along Central Park, showed us an excellent photo spot near the Plaza Hotel, and demonstrated her mad skills by capturing us actually looking pretty good.
It was 60 degrees F that day, by the way. I got hot doing all that running in my wool winter coat. What good exercise. (!) Thanks again, Natalie, for your patience and grace.
A native New Yorker, Natalie had absolutely zero desire to enter the fray of pedestrians swarming down Fifth Avenue. She vamoosed and we headed to my favorite, Bergdorf Goodman.
Bergdorf Goodies
Bergdorf’s windows this year, as last, were my favorites, continuing their tradition of fantastical storytelling. Many of them were exquisitely detailed. David Hoey of Bergdorfs called their candy-themed 2018 holiday windows a “wall-to-wall profusion of sculpted confections” and likened Bergdorf’s artistic team to faux-pastry chefs.
“Bergdorf Goodies” was a celebration of all things sweet. That’s right up my alley, as we all know. Each window featured a color-themed holiday treat, from red and white candy canes and brown gingerbread houses to pink cotton candy statues and white robots dishing up soft serve. In the dreamlike world of each window, everything is eye candy.
As you may have noticed by now, I have discovered a slider plug-in and really cannot control myself. I’m quite sure this is going to get me into trouble of some kind. Below are a few more Bergdorf windows.
Fluorescent Dessert Banquet
Strolling down Fifth Avenue
Strolling, figuratively speaking. More like creeping. There’s a whole lot of people doing the same. The sidewalks: packed. The street: teeming with buses and cars. The scenes below will give you some idea of the crazy. The crowds multiply further south on Fifth Ave, with a veritable mob watching the Saks light show at 50th street, culminating in the penultimate madness which is Rockefeller Center and the enormous Christmas tree.
Saks Fifth Avenue light show
The Saks Fifth Avenue 2018 light show and window display theme, “Theater of Dreams,” was a brightly-lit love letter to Broadway. It showcased some of Broadway’s best musical performers and opened with 124 Broadway dancers performing live on Fifth Avenue. I would have loved to see that!
Saks teamed with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, an industry-based HIV/AIDS nonprofit. Donors helped to shine a light on a great cause by sponsoring a light bulb, with Saks guaranteeing a minimum $150,000 donation. There were plenty of light bulbs in the display, as you can see!
New York Christmas trees galore
There are Christmas trees all over the place in Manhattan, though the queen of them all is at Rockefeller Center, of course. There was a lovely tree at the New York Public Library, and a great tree hidden away in a courtyard just west of Bloomingdales.
A New York Christmas can be lots of crazy, and lots of fun. I hope this post gives you a better idea of what to expect.
Pro tip: Keep in mind that most of the holiday window displays and decorations are in place by mid-November and don’t close down until January 2 or 3. You can visit them well before or a bit after Christmas and beat some of the crowds.
Coming up next
I’m busy writing up a number of posts about my visit to NYC and Connecticut. A few other things we did in New York:
- Explored a new-to-us area of Central Park (the Alice in Wonderland Statue, Loeb Boathouse, the Bow Bridge, Bethesda Fountain).
- Saw the Klimt painting, the Woman in Gold, at The Neue Galerie, as well as other wonderful Austrian paintings and decorative arts from the Art Nouveau period.
- Saw some iconic NY buildings and amazing street art.
- Visited the New York Public Library. I am in library love!
- Attended free Friday night at the Morgan Library and Museum. The museum featured an exhibit on Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, as well as drawings from Tintoretto’s Venice.
- Ate. A lot. We sampled Korean fried chicken in Koreatown, oysters at Grand Central Oyster Bar, and had a posh breakfast at Sarabeth’s on the Upper East Side. On the Lower East Side, we made several delicious stops with our street art experts, MadHattersNYC. We had knishes, pastel de nata, and pie!
What else to see and eat in NYC
What You Must See and What You Must Eat, according to me, from my first-timers visit to NYC. Sights include St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, The Plaza Hotel and food court; bites include bagels, New York pizza by the slice, and afternoon tea in Greenwich Village.
For the harrowing tale of the temporary women’s restroom fiasco, in which I reluctantly enter a tiny scary subway elevator, see Misadventures in the New York City Subway. Learn how to ride the subway (successfully) and have heartwarming encounters with nice New Yorkers, as well as a nice walk through Central Park, in Nice New Yorkers: Riding the Subway.
More Christmas in New York
Check out this post by my friend Dorothy over at The Places She Goes: Christmas in New York 2018 for more great info on what do do in NYC at Christmas.
MadHattersNYC have tons of ideas for Christmas activities in New York. One of my favorites is The Best FREE Things to Do in New York City During the Holidays.
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Loved reading this -NYC at Christmas is especially magical! Your photos are amazing especially know how hard it is to get such fantastic shots in NYC anytime of year but especially at Christmas! My husband is from NYC & we go often- your advice is spot on! Love to meet up in NYC- maybe we can do a Bars of NYC tour?!
That would be wonderful Cindi! How about a pizza and pastry tour?? I love NYC and can’t wait till I am able to go back ❤️. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!!
NYC at Christmas time is a bucket list trip for me and this just makes me want to go even more!! I love all of these pics and adventures!
So glad you enjoyed the (multiple) photos, Elisa! It is always an adventure to be in NYC at Christmastime. I know you’d love it.
Thanks for sharing this fun adventure and all the eye-candy! I remember visiting my BFF in NYC during Thanksgiving years ago. Most stores were just decorating their windows for the holidays. I loved the creativity and festivity of it all. I think it’s time I visited the Big Apple again.
Donna, I think it is! Most of the decorations go up in mid-November, so that would be a great time to visit. Thank you for stopping by!
Wow, I love NY and I wish to see the Christmas decorations next year. Everything looked so bright and nice.
Annemarie, you’ll have a blast going to New York for Christmas 2019! Let me know how it goes!
Wow! There is obviously so much to do and see. If I ever make it to NY at Christmas, I will certainly refer to this post.
https://belletammy.blogspot.com/
I hope you do make it to NYC for Christmas one day, Ene! Thanks for reading 🙂
New York City at Christmas is one thing that has been on my bucket list for a long time. It really does seem like the most festive place ever. There are some great photos in this post – I particularly love the window displays. Go big or go home! Christmas might be over but this post has got me feeling festive again! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Go big or go home is the perfect catchphrase for New York City window displays! And Christmas trees. 🙂 Thanks for reading and your kind words. I hope this gives you a better idea what to expect when you take that bucket list trip.
Super. It is madness though. I’m debating whether I could handle the crowds. Barman syndrome. I can’t handle crowds without a bar between us. But… I love the Bergdorf windows, and I do love the Christmas displays and crowds in Dublin, even if New York is *1000. I think the Rockerfella (I don’t know how to spell that) centre tree would be amazing. I’ve never been to New York, maybe New York lite might be a better way to start. All said wonderful post I laughed at your meeting with Natalie(?) and I just like your general flow of thought. Great stuff Cynthia
Thanks a million, John! I know you’re really busy having just returned from another fabulous trip 🙂 Maybe you could carry a little miniature bar around and hold it between you and the crowds? Lol they are super crazy, but there’s ways around it. I think you would love NYC at Christmas.
A bar. That’s genius. I could serve a few drinks too and make money for the shopping. Ok New York here I come.
Just got back from Budapest tonight. Now I have to work till April 😭.
This is starting to sound kinda heavy for your carry-on. I fear extra charges from the airline 😂
Once again you produced an informative entertaining post, and I love the photos and slider. What makes it even better is that everything is free. Moreover, I enjoyed the background information on the department store themes, and you did a great job catching the Saks light show. Well done!
Thank you, Dorothy, you’re very kind. Something free in New York is definitely needed 😆 I was bummed I didn’t make the Union Square market you wrote about, especially that hot chocolate. Next time! Also the tree at Lotte Palace Hotel. I’m making my list for next year already.
I love this post on NYC! I go there quite often, so it was nice to see the city through new eyes!!
I’m sure New York is a different experience for each person. We’re both fans of museums and NYC is fabulous for that 😊
Such fun! New York City is always so lively, and with the holiday lights and trees and window displays — oh my! I love your close-ups of the cupcake. I get the feeling you enjoyed it! I dream about taking this trip — maybe this is the year!
Yep, NYC is even more amped up at Christmas. I certainly did enjoy that cupcake. I guess most people take close-ups of flowers or something, lol 😂 thanks much for stopping by!
Oh I love those Bergdorf windows! How beautiful. We really enjoy looking at all the festive window displays in London so I imagine it would be just fabulous in New York. Thanks so much for sharing on #FarawayFiles. Even I might brave the crowds for windows like these!
Thanks, Clare. I’d love to see London at Christmas time. The lights looks amazing, I often see photos of the big angels.
Glad you had a great time in NYC, Cynthia! Great photos, it looks beautiful, and inviting… except I would not be able to handle the crowds. I’d probably go out at 5am to see it all, but be alone in the streets ;). It was a great read, good to get your take on it :).
I had a fabulous time! I don’t think you would find many crowds at 5 am, that’s for sure. Though I doubt 5th Ave would be completely deserted either. It is the city that never sleeps, after all 😉 Appreciate, as always, the kind and thoughtful comment.
I really enjoyed this post. Love that Cotton Candy display! Looks like such a fun time!
Thanks Lori, so glad you enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed myself in NYC. The cotton candy window was one of my top favorites, as well ❤️
This is marvellous, girl! Most of these I only saw on social media cos yeah, I wasn’t going through that mess lol. I love the holiday displays and see some every year as they go up before the madness lol.
I can completely understand your reluctance to enter the fray. I kinda wondered about it myself, right in the middle, there. 😆 If I lived in NYC I’d definitely make like you and see them earlier. Appreciate the kind words and the visit!
Glad you had a good time and ate well. Love that picture of you two by the Plaza. Nice to see the windows, makes me miss NYC!
Miss the windows, but not the madness, I’ll bet! I love the photo too, it was so great to connect with other travel bloggers. Hope we can meet up sometime when we’re on the same continent, Anisa. I’m missing the Weekly P!!!
A lovely post with incredible photos, Bergdorf’s windows are simply beautiful. Thanks for the pro tip, the crowds will drive me nuts!
I want to prevent anyone losing their mind on Fifth Ave! Thank you so much for stopping by, lovely to connect through #feetdotravel
Christmas really is such a magical time of year in the city! I loved all the pictures in this post, and of course, the generous use of the slides 😉 Bergdorf’s windows have been at the top of my list for several years now as well. I don’t know if I mentioned it before, but you should watch the documentary “Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf’s” if you haven’t already. It will make you appreciate their windows even more! And that Christmas Tree by Bloomie’s is one of our favorites too 🙂
It was so great spending time with you and Bee when you were in town, we’re looking forward to seeing you both again sometime soon!
We had a wonderful afternoon with you, you are such lovely hosts! I had soooo much fun this trip, I can hardly contain myself. As is clear by the generous use of slides 😉 I think I liked this year’s windows at BG even better than last. I will definitely check out the documentary, thanks for the tip!
Love this adventure! I felt like I was right there with ya! Gorgeous Christmas displays and decoration, oh I love that you described and illustrated how fun this NY adventure was! Total joy in reading this!
It really was an adventure, I was trying not to get lost, per usual. Shannon, your support is so appreciated, thank you!
One of your best posts! I love the number of awesome photos you have in it. The writing is fun to read, as usual!
KN