Hot chocolate, Christmas lights, warm woolen sweaters, and roaring fires—the holiday season is invariably paired with the idea of coziness. It is the time of the year when people make every effort to be with family and friends. New York City offers a unique holiday season with its own traditions, such as the Rockefeller Christmas tree, Bryant Park ice skating rink, and the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular Show. Yet, it is also easy to feel lost and lonely amidst the city’s eight million strangers. In the hustle and bustle of the busiest time of the year, there remains one New York tradition that brings a quaint, small-town atmosphere to the Big Apple: the Holiday Market.
“I love going to the Holiday Market every year,” says Macaulay sophomore Kia Delgado. “The shops are huddled close together, and they are really quirky. It makes the nights festive.”
The Holiday Market is an outdoor fair where vendors, both local and international, come to offer New Yorkers their products. The market presents an unparalleled variety of items, some of which may surprise you as you stroll from tent to tent. Walk into one white tent and you’ll come upon Green Jacket Art, a duo from Brooklyn who sell colorful paintings and photography of New York. Walk down to the next tent and you may find Windhorse, a vendor that offers handmade trinkets from artisans in Nepal.
Vastly different from the glitzy department stores offering huge sales, the market’s atmosphere is much more intimate. Vendors take the time to talk to you, show you their products, and inform you about where and how the products were made. Sometimes you can even haggle.
The holiday market is designed to be accessible all over Manhattan, and so its various locations include Union Square, Bryant Park, and Columbus Circle. It runs everyday from the end of November right up until Christmas Eve. From its Belgian hot chocolate to its hand carved wooden photo frames in the shape of Disney characters, the market is the ideal place to shop for presents or just to spend time with loved ones.
Make sure to stop by. It will be sure to put you in the holiday spirit!
