The best things to do this holiday season in NYC

Worried about standing in line forever to get a picture with an out-of-work actor in a fat suit wearing a white wig and beard? At least at Macy’s (151 W 34th St; 212-695-4400, macys.com/social/santa-land; Nov 24–Dec 24) you can reserve your “visit” with the big man online before you go. And by visit, we mean the approximately 30 seconds you’re guaranteed in a structure resembling a gingerbread house arguing with an elf about where you’ll sit in relation to Kris Kringle’s lap. It will be worth it for that ironic Christmas card—we promise.

Need to snap into a festive mood? A tour of the city’s fanciest Fifth Avenue–adjacent megastores should do the trick. There’s Lord & Taylor’s scene (424 Fifth Ave; 212-391-3344, lordandtaylor.com), the  windows of Henri Bendel (712 Fifth Ave; 212-247-1100, henribendel.com), Saks Fifth Avenue (125 E 57th St; 212-634-0730, saksfifthavenue.com), Bergdorf Goodman (754 Fifth Ave; 212-753-7300, bergdorfgoodman.com) and more. If you want to peep Santa, he’ll, of course, be at Macy’s (151 W 34th St; macys.com).

So your attempts to decorate your third of the studio apartment you share with two other dudes started—and ended—with a pile of blinking lights on the floor. Leave them there and journey to Dyker Heights (11th to 13th Aves from 83rd to 86th Sts, Brooklyn), where a slew of people use the holidays as a festive excuse to brag about the size of their houses. Seriously, these families don’t just have front yards—they have enough property to fit multiple 10-foot-tall nutcrackers and massive inflatable Santas. It’s kind of a long walk to see all the decked-out houses, but what are you going to do? Drive? Just be sure to stretch first. Multiple blocks and avenues participate throughout the ’hood. (We’re talking tens of thousands of lights.)

The center of the Christmas universe in New York is just outside 30 Rock and right next to that famously overcrowded ice rink. You have to see it at least once a year or Mariah Carey will have you assassinated, so you might as well get it over with. But here’s the thing: It’s a lot more stunning and even heartwarming in person. And this year’s tree is a stunner, a Pennsylvania-raised 75-foot-tall Norwegian monster that has 50,000 lights and a blinding Swarovski star on top. Prepare to feel all warm and toasty inside.

Tiny trains ain’t just for kids. In this famous, verdant display of little model engines and trolleys at the NYBG, more than 150 iconic Gotham landmarks—biggies like the New York Public Library, Grand Central Terminal and Brooklyn Bridge—have been scaled down and re-created with natural materials. It’s pretty cool—as if Wes Anderson made a stop-motion animated picture about NYC. (If you’re reading this, Wes, please make that film and cast Owen Wilson as the conductor.)

Even if you’ve seen the essential ballet a million times, you’ll be surprised by this sexy spin on the holiday tale, which features more jockstraps than it does strapping toy soldiers. The high-energy, circuslike burlesque show should leave you with visions dancing in your head—but they won’t be of sugarplums.

If ever you need an excuse to weep in public, join the wet-eyed club at a screening of Frank Capra’s classic, whose last 10 minutes is known to bring tears (Dec 8–25). Seventy-one-year-old spoiler alert: Small-town hero George Bailey (James Stewart) is saved from the brink of personal ruin by Clarence, an angel who shows George how bleak the world would be without him. Clarence actually does this good deed because he hopes to earn some sweet wings, but everyone ends up so happy with their ringing bells and crushed flower petals that it doesn’t seem to matter.

Everyone’s favorite fish out of water—that’s Buddy the Elf—returns to Madison Square Garden for a brassy-scored good time appropriate for all. Get in the spirit of the season by shadowing the North Pole orphan (played by Erik Gratton) as he follows his heart to New York City.

Rolf’s is what we imagine the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree to feel like on the inside. And it’s nearly impossible not to be enchanted by the balls-out display of twinkling lights, crystal icicles and hundreds of ornaments that hang inside the German restaurant every holiday season. The atmosphere is more special than the food, though the drinks are strong enough to warrant paying $15 for a glass of eggnog or mulled wine.

Looking for a fun opportunity to be part of a slow-moving horde going around in circles repeatedly? Then it’s time to hit up an ice rink. If you want to please your significant other with a wintry date—or prove to your friends once and for all that you can skate backward (jeez, guys)—then go to the only one in the city surrounded by the scenic splendor of Central Park, Wollman Rink, a pretty darn magical backdrop.

Yes, the rink at Rockefeller Center is lovely, but those lines? Not so much. For those who want their Christmas cheer without a long wait and plenty more room to, you know, skate, might we recommend the two outdoor, state-of-the-art rinks in Prospect Park? The recent $74 million project is a worthy alternative, complete with cool events plus the adjacent Bluestone Café, which serves hot chocolate and spiced apple cider. It’s one hell of a deal, set in a gorgeous park atmosphere to boot. Enter at Parkside and Ocean Aves, Brooklyn (718-462-0010, lakesidebrooklyn.com). Various dates and times; weekdays $6, weekends and holidays $9, skate rentals $6. 

Nothing screams Christmas in New York like watching high kicks at this annual extravaganza in the splendid confines of Radio City Music Hall. Hell, even if you don’t have a little one to bring, go by yourself: You needn’t be a kid to appreciate grown women dancing like they’re sparkly reindeer, 1,000-plus festive costumes and the real, live animals in the nativity scene.

This trippy musical performance piece, dreamed up by composer Phil Kline, is downtown’s decidedly arty, secular answer to Christmas caroling. Boom-box–toting participants gather under the Washington Square arch, where they are given a cassette or CD of one of four different atmospheric tracks; you can also download the Unsilent Night app and sync up via smartphone. Everyone presses play at the same time and marches through the streets of New York together, blending their music and filling the air with a beautiful, echoing 45-minute piece. 

Is seasonal affective disorder destroying your motivation to get out the door? Try borrowing a dog! At Williamsburg nonprofit BARC, simply walk in and start volunteering that same day, either by walking doggies or playing with kitties. It’s a way to give back in between Christmas window shopping down Bedford Avenue. Various dates and times.

Having trouble deciding which one of your friends’ apartments to use to host this year’s solstice bonfire and ritual sacrifice? Avoid all that messy virgin blood, and try a more modern tradition: Paul Winter’s annual concert. You'll see a slew of dance and musical guests, including Procol Harum singer Gary Brooker, and of course, the Paul Winter Consort—with Winter himself on sax, right where he belongs.

When you think of volunteering to feed the city’s hungry, you probably think of cafeteria-style soup kitchens. And don’t get us wrong, those organizations are great. But Masbia, Brooklyn’s only kosher soup kitchen, stands out by using volunteer waiters to serve meals and clean up after diners, treating needy New Yorkers—here a largely Orthodox Jewish population—with dignity and respect. Various locations (718-972-4446, masbia.org). Various dates and times.