CULTURE
Holiday Season In New York City: Magic or Myth
By: Tessa Reiner Edited by: Ava Pettigrew
Immediately after Halloween ends, people start to get excited for the holiday season. Putting up decorations, enjoying seasonal drinks, and blasting Christmas music are just a few ways in which people eagerly anticipate this special time of year. As December approaches, there’s a surge of videos circulating the internet about the holiday season in New York City. Montages feature iconic decorations and displays along Fifth Avenue, holiday markets in the area, and festive events such as the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Visiting NYC during this time of year would be a dream come true for many. However, crowded streets, high prices, and tourist traps can make the dream feel more like a nightmare.
Lots of New York City’s popularity during the holiday season can be attributed to Hallmark Christmas movies. A lifestyle company called PureWow just released an article titled “25 New York Christmas Movies to Get You in the Holiday Spirit.” One of the films listed is Elf, widely recognized as an all-time Christmas movie favorite. Elf features iconic holiday sights around the city such as the Rockefeller Center tree and ice skating rink, a fictionalized version of Macy’s department store, and Central Park. The main character Buddy’s childlike excitement and infatuation add to the city’s festive ambiance, leaving the audience feeling like it's a magical place. Other movies listed such as Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Miracle on 34th Street, and Serendipity, idealize the wonders of New York City during Christmas Time and suggest that it’s where miracles happen.
As these films have remained popular over the decades, social media has picked up on the New York City Christmas frenzy. #NYC Christmas has roughly 122,000 posts on Instagram, and multiple Christmas Time in New York videos on TikTok have millions of likes. Syracuse University student Andi Brody from Fort Lauderdale said it’s on her bucket list to experience the holiday season in NYC. When asked what comes to mind when she imagines Christmas in New York, she said “I think of lots of lights, Christmas trees, and displays. I feel like the environment would be so lively, and everyone would be in such a celebratory mood.” This interview and other discussions with people interested in visiting New York during the festive season, reveals a common perception that New Yorkers themselves add to the seasonal magic of the city. In reality, native New Yorkers, such as myself, don’t see the holiday season in NYC through the same rose-colored lenses that the rest of the world does.
The most popular attraction in New York City is arguably the iconic tree at Rockefeller Center. The tradition began in 1931 when staff at the Center decided to liven the area with a fir tree. The first one was only 20 feet tall, but the trees have reached up to 65 feet in recent years. Shortly after this tradition began, an ice skating rink was installed and the lighting of the Rockefeller Tree became a regular ceremony. While it is an amazing spectacle, visitors of Rockefeller Center are lucky if they’re able to get close enough to see the tree at all. Crowds swarm the area at any given day and time, and you’re sure to be bumped or jostled while waiting for your moment in front of the tree. Prone to large crowds, the ice skating rink underneath it is known for its high prices and limited skating time. It’s an area that I know to only visit during the week, and never to ice skate there. The Christmas Spectacular starring the Radio City Rockettes is also one of the most sought after Christmas events. However, with such a high demand around the holiday season, prices soar. The show itself is very impressive from the production value to artistry of the dancers, however some have said that the spectacle has become dated and isn’t appealing to younger audiences. By Rockefeller Center, window shopping along Fifth Avenue is also a popular activity. The displays live up to their reputation of being extravagant and captivating, but lines often form simply to take a picture of them, making the experience feel rushed. Condé Nast advises being patient, slowing your pace, and listening to music to zone out, to make this experience manageable. A final holiday season favorite in New York City is Bryant Park’s Winter Village. While also packed with crowds, what minimizes the quality of this particular event is the prices. Marketed for its variety of 170 kiosks, lots of the items are designed for tourists, and even when you do find something that you like, it’s almost always impossible to justify purchasing it. I’ve gone to this holiday market almost every year of my life, and the only thing I think I’ve ever purchased is hot chocolate.
So it seems as though the answer to the question I posed in the title of this article is Myth, right? Not quite. Despite the crowds, high prices, and occasional tourist traps, the Holiday Season in New York City still holds a special feeling that’s unlike anywhere else, and gives this time of year its charm. The lights, displays, and experiences are all unique to the city, as well as the excitement that fills the air. The drawbacks that I mentioned are true to New York City throughout any time of the year, and instead of holding the city back and diminishing its popularity, more people from around the globe wish to travel there than ever. The crowded streets can be irritating at times, but the collective eagerness adds to the festive spirit of the city. If you’re able to detach yourself from a reality that’s imposed by the media, you’ll find that the Holiday Season in New York City is special in an unfiltered way. It may not be the dream you’ve been imagining, but it’s undeniably magical.
