Get In Touch With Your Inner Elf!
What better way to enjoy the holidays in New York City than with a visit to Elf on Broadway? Bundle up and make your way to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where you can see the hilarious holiday film adapted for the stage. In Elf, Buddy lives at the North Pole believing he is one of Santa's Christmas elves. When his adoptive father reveals he is actually human, Buddy heads to New York to find his real family. Check out this festive show, which stars Sebastian Arcelus, Beth Leavel, Amy divger and George Wendt as Santa.

Put Some Sparkle into Your Window Shopping
From the snowflakes at Saks Fifth Avenue to the eye-popping seasonal scenes in the windows of Bloomingdale’s, New York’s biggest retailers pull out all the stops for their December displays. Some windows, like those at Macy’s at Herald Square, stick to classic holiday themes like “Miracle on 34th Street,” and “The Polar Express,” while this year’s famous windows at Barneys New York will feature the "rock stars” of the food world in their display, "Have a Foodie Holiday."

Chugga Chugga to the Holiday Train Show
All aboard the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx! Model trains navigate a half-mile of track in and around the 140 landmark buildings like Yankee Stadium and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, constructed entirely of natural materials like nuts and bark. The trains are housed within the warmth of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, but you can sip a hot chocolate and wander all 250 acres of the gardens, which are decked out in a sparkly display.

Be an Ice Queen (or King)
Grab your hats, gloves and elbow pads, it’s ice skating season! For the outdoorsy among us, New York City offers plenty of opportunities for skating during the holidays. Try your hand, er, feet, at one of New York’s famous rinks like Wollman Rink in Central Park, Citi Pond at Bryant Park, or the Ice Rink at Rockefeller Center. You may fall on your butt, but at least you’ll be working off that extra mug of eggnog, right?

Create Your Own Toy Story
What would the holiday season of giving be without a visit to the land of toys? Iconic New York toy merchant F.A.O. Schwarz is rolling out the red carpet for guests at its flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Toy soldiers stand at attention to welcome you into the Grand Hall, adorned with more than 20,000 colored lights, toys as far as the eye can see, and of course, the famous dance-on piano from the movie Big.

Light the Lights
During the holidays, the Bronx Zoo has a special treat for animal lovers with its Holiday Lights Festival. The zoo’s trees and buildings are covered with miles and miles of lights, and more than 140 lighted animal sculptures, including many that are animated, populate the grounds. Live reindeer and camels add to the holiday feel, and so you can properly enjoy the twinkling, the zoo offers special evening events like night-time sea lion feedings.

Fill Those Stockings with Care
Got some names left on your holiday gift list? Lucky for you, New York has even more shopping opportunities than usual this time of year, as the annual holiday markets arrive in town. You’re sure to find something for everyone as you wander the European-style stalls at the Holiday Shops at Bryant Park or the red-and-white tents of the Holiday Market at Union Square. You’ll find every imaginable gift item, from holiday trinkets to clothing, crafts, jewelry and more.

Take In a Starry, Starry Night (Inside!)
The starry wonderland at Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle is a feast for the eyes every holiday season, with 14-foot stars hanging from the 150-foot ceiling of the Great Room. There is holiday music to get you in the spirit, and every weekend beginning at 5pm, a magical light display will shower the great room with “snow”! If you’re in the market for some real snowballs, head across the street to Central Park—winter weather cooperating, of course.

Go Wild in Central Park
Do animals celebrate the winter holidays? Find out every weekend of the season at the Central Park Zoo, where a few lucky wild things are unwrapping seasonal treats. There are bamboo goodies for the red pandas, polar bears Gus and Ida get fishcicles (what else?) and snow leopards Zoe, Chocolate and Leo are in for a surprise (shhh!). Stop by to see what else Santa has in store for our fine feathered, furry and fishy friends.

Look Up at Grand Central
New York’s Grand Central Terminal, which is a pretty breathtaking place at any time of year, gets even more magical during the holiday season. The building is famous for its constellation-covered Main Concourse Sky Ceiling, and during the holidays it becomes even more beautiful with projections of snowflakes, stars and some of New York City’s beloved landmarks. Add in the soundtrack of seasonal music, and you have a holiday favorite. This city is always on the move, but this is one place in New York to take a moment to stop and stare.