(Photo: Getty Images)

Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Plaza at 49th St.; 212-332-6868.
The lighting of city’s most famous tree—which was first erected during the height of the Depression, before Rockefeller Center was even completed—marks the unofficial start of the winter holidays, particularly for tourists.
• Lighting ceremony: Dec. 2, 7 p.m.–9 p.m.
• On display: Dec. 2–Jan. 7, 5:30 a.m.–11:30 p.m.; lights are on 24 hours on Christmas Day
• Ice skating holiday hours: Nov. 6–Jan. 9, 8:30 a.m.–midnight (with 30-minute breaks every 90 minutes)

(Photo: Courtesy of 2wo One 2wo Group)

South Street Seaport
Fulton St. at South St.; 212-732-8257.
Nicknamed the “Seaport Chorus Tree,” this 50-foot Douglas fir has the Big Apple Chorus not only appearing at its unveiling but also performing every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday thereafter until Christmas Eve.
• Lighting ceremony: Nov. 27, 6 p.m.
• On display: Nov. 27–Jan. 2, 10 a.m.–10 p.m.
• Ice skating: Mid-December–Feb. 28, 10 a.m.–10 p.m.

Bryant Park
Fifth Ave. at 42nd St.; 212-768-4242.
Once you've gotten a look at the tree, visit Celsius, the on-site restaurant and bar, then burn off the calories on the admission-free skating rink.
• Lighting ceremony: Dec. 4, 7 p.m.
• On display: Dec. 4–Jan. 7, 24 hours
• Ice skating: Oct. 24–Jan. 25; Sun.–Thurs., 8 a.m.–10 p.m.; Fri.–Sat., 8 a.m.–midnight
• Holiday market: Nov. 22–Dec. 28; Mon.–Fri., 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sun., 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

(Photo: Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Ave., at 82nd St.; 212-879-5500
If your taste is more romantic than gigantic, the twenty-foot-tall spruce at the Met is adorned with 50 eighteenth-century Neapolitan angels and flanked by hundreds of crèche figures.
• Lighting ceremonies: Nov. 24–Jan. 6; Tues.–Thurs. and Sun., 4:30 p.m.; Fri.–Sat., 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.
• On display: Nov. 24–Jan. 6; Tues.–Thurs. and Sun. 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 9:30 a.m.–9 p.m.

American Museum of Natural History
Central Park W. at 79th St.; 212-769-5100.
A team of 40 volunteers begins in July to create some 500 origami figures for this one.
• Lighting ceremony: There's no official event; usually museum employees just gather informally as it's switched on for the first time.
• On display: Nov. 23–Jan. 3, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

(Photo: Muriel Weinerman; courtesy of New York Botanical Garden)

New York Botanical Garden
Bronx River Pkwy. at Fordham Rd., the Bronx; 718-817-8700.
Though the train show and the gingerbread-house display are the main attractions, the 26-foot-tall Fraser fir is nothing to sneeze at.
• Lighting ceremony: Nov. 21, 4 p.m.
• On display: Nov. 21–Jan. 10; Tues.–Sun. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Grand Central Kaleidoscope Light Show
Lexington Ave. at 42nd St.; 212-340-2583.
High-tech meets mass transit: The storied terminal takes its seasonal light show to a new level with choreographed audiovisuals all over the main concourse.
• On display: Nov. 30–Jan. 10, 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; show takes place every half-hour

Winter Garden Holiday Lights
West St. nr. Vesey St.; 212-417-7000.
Forty-five-foot-tall palm trees might sound more like spring break than holiday season, but the Winter Garden still gets in the spirit by hanging a whopping 100,000 twinkling lights overhead.
• On display: Dec. 1–Dec. 28, 7 a.m.–11 p.m.