Okay, admittedly this is like picking your favorite child, because we so love New York City during the holidays.  But last week we had the pleasure of showing our LA Partner, Debbie Zipp the joys of NYC this time of year, and if you can only do a few things this year, here are our picks of the “not to be missed”.

The Saks Fifth Avenue Light Show

OMG says it all.  Somehow in the throngs of thousands in the plaza in front of the tree at Rockefeller Plaza, we found a bench and just happened to be sitting in full view of Saks.  Now their windows are also beautiful, and in past years they’ve had a laser snow flake show, but this year is just awe inspiring.  It’s like a Disney show.  Here’s our video.

The Most Christmassy Bar in NYC

Rolf’s German Restaurant, one of the last left in the city, is truly one of a kind. They start decorating in September, and spend about $60,000 a year to turn their bar and restaurant into a Christmas spectacular.  Many of their decorations are vintage, like beautiful dolls and angles, and you won’t know what to look at first.  Their Irish Coffee is on one of the best anywhere, and you’ll get a stein of beer the size of a small dog.  Best time to go is mid to later afternoon.

The Luminaires Show + The French Market

Okay, this requires a trip downtown to the new Winter Garden at Brookfield Place which is at the World Financial Center.  The Winter Garden was built after 9/11 an is truly spectacular.  This year you can enjoy the Luminaire Light Show with 650 .  The best part is that it’s interactive.  You place your hand on a box, make a wish and the lights change colors.  And for each wish, Brookfield will donate $1 (up to $25,000) to the GRAMMY Foundation® to support their GRAMMY in the Schools® music education programs for high school students.  And while you’re at Brookfield Place, you just visit Le District, the new French Market place that opened in the fall.  It’s similar to Eataly, and is a great place to dine, enjoy wine and small tastes, and shop!

Lunch Near the Other Rink

Of course the restaurants on the rink level of the tree at Rock are always fun (and expensive) choices, another choice is the Bryant Park Grill.  It’s really festive, and we especially like the outdoor area that’s been enclosed for the winter, so you can watch all the hustle and bustle of the park.  You can’t see the rink from there, but after a lovely lunch, you just have to stroll a few feet to get there as you enjoy the holiday shops at Bryant Park too.

The Best Holiday Market

We covered several of them last week – like Grand Central and Bryant Park – which have gotten very expensive by the way.  But the one we love is at Union Square Park.  It has a wonderful array of vendors, many of them Brooklyn and NYC based with products made here.  You’ll find a number of unique and reasonably priced items that make perfect gifts.

The Happiest Broadway Show

If you want to see a very funny show (and get discounted tickets too) we highly recommend Sylvia, especially if you’re a dog lover.  Starring Matthew Broderick and a wonderful cast, you’ll laugh out, and maybe even shed a little tear at the end.  The adorable Analeigh Ashford plays the dog, Sylvia, Tony winner Julie White is wonderful and Robert Sella brings down the house.  We just loved this show. But hurry, it closes Jan. 3.