Hi friends, welcome back! I am officially kicking off the holiday season on my blog with my annual Christmas Bucket List. I’m starting early because there’s a lot to cover. Last year I didn’t make it to any decorations except those within walking distance of my apartment, so I’m excited to make my regular rounds again. The department stores must know I’m back in action because they’re decorating even earlier this year and the Saks light show is back from its one-year hiatus last year. I’m also excited to take Violet to see Santa at the famous Macy’s on 34th Street. It’s going to be a busy holiday season and I’m ready to make the most of it!
NYC Christmas Bucket List 2025:
- Visit Rockefeller Tree
- Visit Bryant Park
- Watch the Saks Fifth Avenue light show
- See all the NYC trees
- Wall Street, Washington Square Park, Seaport District, Bloomberg, Oculus, and Brookfield Place
- Go ice skating at Central Park, Bryant Park, Seaport, or Rockefeller
- Stroll through Central Park sipping hot chocolate
- See the Dyker Heights lights
- Visit the Macy’s on 34th Street Santa and pick out a new ornament
- See the festive holiday displays on 5th Avenue
- View the department store holiday windows (Macys, Bloomingdales, Bergdorfs, & Saks)
- Visit the NY Botanical Gardens Train Show
- Have drinks at a pop-up holiday bar
- Browse through the Union Square Christmas Market (avoid weekends if you can!)
- See the Christmas decor at Chelsea Market
- See the light display at Hudson Yards
- Find some festive townhomes
Christmas Bucket List
- Stock up on Trader Joe’s holiday goodies
- Decorate a gingerbread house
- Bake Christmas cookies
- Send a Christmas card
- Complete a holiday puzzle
- Deck your halls
- Get a Starbucks holiday cup
- Have a Christmas movie marathon
- Enjoy a holiday themed beverage
- Listen to Christmas music
- Make a Christmas themed charcuterie board
- Buy a chocolate advent calendar (we loved the Tony’s Chocoloney one last year)
- Light a holiday scented candle
- See Christmas lights
- Read ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas
- Hang stockings above the fireplace
- Drink hot chocolate while watching a Christmas movie
- Wrap Christmas presents
- Wear an ugly Christmas sweater
- Watch a cheesy Hallmark movie
What’s your favorite part of the holiday season?
Have some family coming to NYC so I shared your post to give them an idea of what to go see! Happy Thanksgiving!
So fun! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
“Put out a sherry and chewed parsnip for Rudolph”
That’s a good one!
A very ambitious list! I’m looking forward to seeing all the photos as you check things off.
Ambitious for sure! Glad to spread the holiday cheer 🙂
Great list! I hope you get to the majority of them this holiday season. My favorite part of the holiday season is simply cooler weather, especially here in LA where it’s been hot even into early November…things are just cooling off this week following a rainy weekend! Hope to stay inside more and bake desserts again, particularly scones! Enjoy your holiday season, Lyssy 🙂
Thank you! I did hear that you guys were getting a lot of rain! I’ll try to send some cool weather your way, it’s been quite chilly here. A day or two after my Central Park post I had to pull out the parka. Baking is a nice cozy activity, I love scones! Hope you have a great holiday season too.
So exciting
I agree!
Looking forward to your Christmas lights tour Lyssy. I can imagine the wide eyes of wonder your little one will have. Happy Monday. ALlan
Glad to hear it! Oh yes Violet loves looking at the tree and so far hasn’t tried to pull anything off. The garland on my tv stand is another story. I told her no and she just laughed. Amazing the difference a year makes!
Remember to take a picture of Violet in the same location EVERY year. It makes for a wonderful tradition. We also started the tradition of giving our children a Christmas ornament every Christmas Eve to put on the tree. It always reflected something about their lives that year (a soccer player, a piano, our summer vacation spot, ballerina, dog ornament, etc.) Honestly, they looked forward to that early gift as much as they did Christmas morning. The plus side was when they grew up and left us they already had a full set of ornaments for their first Christmas tree. The minus…..we now have a basically empty tree.
That is a good idea! I think we are going to try and take her to Rockefeller in the day when it’s not so crowded. Will be a good excuse to always see Christmas in NYC. My mom did the ornament tradition for us for a while too. I got her some last year so that will be easy to keep the tradition going. Hopefully you’ve refilled your tree from all your travels.
No wonder you have to start early, that’s a huge list. Looking forward to seeing your updates on it. Maggie
An ambitious list for sure! Glad to spread some holiday cheer from NYC 🙂
That sounds like such a great list! I wish you all the luck in tackling it all.
Thank you!
Those are two long lists! I’m sure you’ll achieve them all with Violet and Jon’s help.
My favourite part of the Festive Season is spending quality time with my OH.
I’m hoping to get about 75% done. Violet loves our tree so I’m sure she will be amazed when she sees the big ones around the city. That is a very nice favorite part of the Festive Season 🙂
It’s lovely re-seeing things through Violet’s eyes.
Absolutely!
A great list to tick off Lyssy made even more special this year now you are a family of three. I’ve never heard of an ‘ugly Christmas Sweater’ what’s the difference between that and a normal one? I’m not usually a Christmas jumper wearer but I recently bought a lovely cream coloured cardigan with reindeer on it that I’m looking forward to wearing!
It’s amazing how much different Christmas will be now vs with a newborn. An ugly Christmas sweater seem to become a thing about 10 years ago and it is basically a very tacky/over-the-top holiday themed sweater. Your sweater sounds fabulous!
We started ticking things off our holiday bucket list last weekend which is super early for us but like you mentioned things seem to be starting earlier and earlier this year. I also just told my husband I am going to Trader Joe’s tomorrow 😉
Trader Joe’s has the best holiday goodies! I love their peppermint pretzel snacks. I am guessing they are starting to roll out the holiday items.
Best of luck with your Christmas bucket list. I’m sure your little one will be in awe of all the bright and shiny holiday lights.
Thank you! Oh yes she is already infatuated with the Christmas tree and so far has been very good about only looking. We’ll see how long that lasts until she gets bold ha!
Ahh, this list gave me all the cozy Christmas feels! NYC is pure magic during the holidays. Have the best time checking everything off, especially the Saks light show and hot chocolate strolls in Central Park!
Yep, gotta have that Starbucks red cup LOL (maybe even something “Hello Kitty”?) That’s an ambitious Christmas list even for you, but I won’t be surprised if you tick every last box, especially with a newborn to keep you motivated. I remember my son going to a pop-up Christmas market when he lived in Manhattan – somewhere near a lake maybe? He said it was really festive and well done. And I read where the Rockefeller Tree has already been put in place this year. I may not be a fan of the Christmas season starting immediately after Halloween, but I get it – that gigantic tree must take awhile to decorate! Is it already done and on display?
I’m doing an “Oh What Fun Violet is One” party so it’s going to be extra festive around here. Hmm I wonder where that could be I can only think of Lake Placid or the Fingerlakes but that would be pretty far. The tree is currently covered in scaffolding still. They always light it the first Wednesday in December. I’m going to try and go in the early morning this year to avoid the crowds if I can drag myself out of bed. I’m sure a red cup could motivate me 🙂
It’s an impressive list. It shows how cities offer many opportunities for fun during the festive season.
Ooooo amazing, I can’t wait to see all the festive posts!! 🙂
Love this bucket list, so many fun ideas! 🎄 I just finished a big pre-holiday cleanup (thanks to a dumpster rental, so satisfying to clear out the clutter!), and now I feel ready to dive into all the festive activities. We’ve been going to New York over the holidays for the last couple of years, so for this year, I definitely need to check out the Saks light show and Union Square market!
Wonderful bucket list! I can’t wait to read about your seasonal bucket list adventures!
It sounds like you have a full holiday schedule, Lyssy. Enjoy! I love so many things about Christmas, I’m not sure I can choose a favorite. I love the music, lights, and of course family time. Maybe our extended family Christmas Eve party takes the prize! Merry Christmas to you and yours! Thanks for linking up with us.