Christmas in NYC

As part of its fifth annual “Believe” campaign, Macy’s is encouraging kids all across the country to drop off a letter to Santa at their local Macy’s Santa mailbox. For each stamped letter dropped in the letterbox through Christmas Eve, Macy’s will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, to help grant wishes to children who have life-threatening diseases.

Kick off your NYC holiday tour here! We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the Rockettes 85th anniversary than to see the women kick up their heels at their annual Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall.

Looking for a hip gift? Check out the Artists & Fleas pop-up shop in Chelsea Market. This shop sells everything, including art, jewelry, home accessories and clothing -- from more than 50 independent designers, vintage dealers, sellers and artists.

Located at 1000 3rd Avenue, on the Upper East Side, Bloomingdale’s department store chooses classic white lights to illuminate their storefront during the holidays.

Teenage girls have added the 1D pop-up shop to the top of their must-see list. This shop, located in Herald Square, is devoted to the British boy band One Direction, selling T-shirts, beanies, varsity jackets, nail stickers and onesies. Fans can have their picture snapped in an interactive photo booth and sing along to the group’s recent album in the karaoke studio.

Take a casual stroll down any street in NYC and you’ll spot big companies like Conde Nast Publications, celebrating the holiday season with an opulently decorated Christmas tree in their lobby in Times Square -- a grand greeting for guests.

It’s one-stop shopping at Bryant Park through Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. More than 100 boutique-style shops help transform the popular park into a winter wonderland. The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park sell jewelry, decorative goods, local foods, pet gifts and much more.

Look up! Festive decorations have been hung overhead in the halls Chelsea Market’s 6,000-square-foot space. Twenty companies have opened pop-up shops inside the market, selling everything from glass objects and housewares to cashmere sweaters, terrariums and jewelry.

The windows at the Bergdorf Goodman store -- located at 754 5th Avenue, right off Central Park -- are retro, decorated in a 1920s theme for the holidays.

Bergdorf Goodman celebrates the holiday season by paying homage to the 1920s.

Several pop-up shops near 49th Street and 5th Avenue, like this one in Chelsea Market, incorporate Christmas lights and potted poinsettias to give their shops a festive decor.

Everything is big in the Big Apple, including these oversized Christmas lights on display in Midtown West, on the corner of 49th Street and 5th Avenue.

A visit to NYC wouldn’t be complete without making a stop at Serendipity 3, a NYC institution since 1954, located at 225 East 60th Street. It’s too cold to sample the shop’s famous frozen hot chocolate, but you can try their shrimp stuffed avocado, spiced chicken flambé or chocolate blackout cake. Warm things up with their Serendipitous Hot Chocolate or Cinnamon Sticks, an espresso with a cinnamon stirrer.

Go ice skating in Bryant Park for free. The 170-foot-by-100-foot rink features skating shows, special event and activities. Skates are for rent onsite, and professional skating coaches are available for individual and group lessons. If that’s not your thing, then grab a bite to eat at Celsius, a restaurant that offers spectacular views of the rink and park.

’Tis the season to stroll by Macy’s storefront windows -- at 151 West 34th Street in Herald Square -- to see decadent holiday decorations. Professional window dressers usually set up different themes for each window a couple days after Halloween.

Restaurant owners and residents in Little Italy -- near the intersection of Mulberry and Grand Streets -- know how to decorate for the holidays.

Between shopping and looking at Manhattan’s dazzling decorations, stop by the Lincoln Center to see <i>The Nutcracker </i>, choreographed by George Balanchine.

High-end stores on 5th Avenue, like this Fendi store, have donned their storefronts with tasteful icicle lights.

Thousands of people converge on Rockefeller Plaza to visit and snap photos of the awe-inspiring beauty of this 80-foot-tall Christmas tree, meticulously decorated with 45,000 LED lights.