Christmas in the Big Apple

The very sight of the Statue of Liberty can fill you with hope. It was the first thing nearly 12 million immigrants saw as they arrived at Ellis Island to begin a new life across the Atlantic in the early 20th century. In New York, Harry met Sally, and despite all the ups and downs, Rachel and Ross still ended up together. The Ghostbusters defeated the ghosts, and King Kong climbed to the top of the Empire State Building. In New York, anything is possible. Maybe that's all part of the fantasy, but New York is also the most culturally diverse city in the world, with more than 800 languages spoken every day. No matter where you come from, in New York you can be whoever you want to be.

Maybe that's why New York feels even more special at Christmas. To understand why, we need to go back to 1863, when the American Civil War was underway. Hoping to bring a bit more Christmas spirit to that time, New York illustrator Thomas Nast created the first illustration of Santa Claus as we know him today for Harper’s Weekly magazine. He went on to create more illustrations, giving Santa his sleigh and reindeer, along with a toy workshop at the North Pole run by elves. So, in a way, Santa Claus was born in New York.

On the top floor of Macy's, America's largest department store, Santa has his own Christmas village, where children can sit on his lap and tell him their Christmas wishes. This is where the Miracle on 34th Street is said to have happened. Macy's in Herald Square is worth a visit for its spectacular Christmas window displays alone. It almost feels like the shops along Fifth Avenue are competing to see who can create the most beautiful Christmas window displays. The biggest crowd gathers outside Saks Fifth Avenue, where a Christmas light show takes place every evening throughout December.

At Rockefeller Center stands New York's most famous Christmas tree, which is usually more than 20 metres tall. The tradition began on Christmas Eve in 1931, when construction workers at Rockefeller Plaza decorated a small Christmas tree so they could celebrate Christmas too. Just two years later, a Christmas tree with lights was put up outside the building, and in 1936 the ice rink officially opened. Who would have thought that a group of construction workers, almost 100 years ago, would create what is now the city's most iconic Christmas spot?

A different kind of Christmas magic begins in Central Park when the snow starts to fall and the whole park turns white. Central Park is the largest and oldest public park in the United States. It's bigger than the whole of Monaco, although you're probably not going to bump into the Pigeon Lady who helped Kevin. As a consolation, the Plaza Hotel is decorated just like it is in the film, and you're welcome to step inside the lobby even if you're not staying there. You can lace up your skates in Central Park and see if you can capture a little of the romance Jonathan and Sara found in the film Serendipity, with New York's skyscrapers all around you.

Compared to the other two, the ice rink in Bryant Park, next to the New York Public Library, is free to use and usually a lot less crowded. In a city where a good burger can easily cost 30 dollars, you don't say no to something that's free. Bryant Park is also home to the city's biggest Christmas market, with more than 180 stalls. If you haven't finished your Christmas shopping in Bryant Park, you can carry on browsing the markets at Union Square, Columbus Circle or inside Grand Central Terminal.

Manhattan is the smallest of New York's five boroughs by area. It's actually an island, connected to the rest of the city by 21 bridges. The most famous is the Brooklyn Bridge, which was the longest bridge in the world when it opened in 1883. At the time, many New Yorkers were worried it wasn't safe. To put everyone's minds at ease, they turned to circus showman P. T. Barnum, who led 21 elephants across the bridge to prove it was safe.

For the ultimate Christmas experience, head to the residential neighbourhood of Dyker Heights in Brooklyn. The tradition of extravagant Christmas decorations began in 1986, when a woman named Lucy Spata moved into the neighbourhood and started decorating her home in memory of her late mother. At first, her neighbours joined in, and soon the entire street followed. Today, more than 100 houses in the neighbourhood are decorated like Buddy's house in the film Deck the Halls, although unlike in the film, there's no competition between the neighbours.

Once Christmas is over, all eyes turn to New Year's Eve in Times Square, where more than a million people gather each year to watch the famous ball drop and welcome the new year. At the start of the 20th century, the area became the heart of New York's entertainment scene, but the Great Depression forced many of its theatres to close. Instead, the area became known for drugs and prostitution, and what's now one of New York's biggest tourist hotspots was once one of its most dangerous neighbourhoods. Things only started to change in the 1990s, when the city began bringing the area back to life. Today, Times Square is famous for its giant LED screens and is home to some of the world's greatest Broadway shows.

The events of 11 September 2001, when the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center claimed the lives of 2,753 people, will forever be part of New York's history. The city faced an unimaginable tragedy, but from the ruins rose the new One World Trade Center. Today, the site is also home to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. New York has been through its share of dark times, but it has always found a way to bounce back, stronger than before. After all, as Frank Sinatra sang, if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.