Happy Monday! This week I am getting ready to decorate my apartment for the holidays and given Thanksgiving is a few days away, I am officially in planning mode for soaking up the holidays in New York. It is one of my favorite parts about living here so I decided to put together a holiday bucket list of everything I want to do this season!

There are a few things I always do during the Christmas season here in the city (I shared lots of them last year) but this year I’m looking to add some new traditions. I’d love to hear what you’re planning to do this season to get in the spirit! (Whether in New York or not…have any favorite ways you get festive!? Do tell!)

Grand Central Holiday Market: I usually inadvertently swing through the holiday market at Union Square sometimes picking up an ornament or a sweet treat but I’ve never made it to the market at Grand Central to see their offerings. I plan to make it happen this year! I really love finding special gifts at markets like this and supporting small businesses when possible.

goop Pop-Up: While goop tends to promote a lot of craziness I don’t buy into, I do love perusing their gift guides each year so will definitely be swinging by their new Noho gift pop-up.

Drinks at Bemelmans Bar: Belmelmans Bar is one of my favorite bars in all of New York. Nestled in The Carlyle Hotel it manages to feel special and secret despite being well known. It is decorated with Ludwig Bemelmans’ famed murals (he wrote the Madeline books!), has a piano man playing and serves up classic cocktails. It is pricey at best which is why it feels appropriate to make a special ocassion out of it during the holidays. The Carlyle’s decorations leading up the bar make it extra festive.

Brookfield Luminaries: I just learned about this annual exhibit so want to be sure to check it out this year! You can “send” a wish from one of three stations to the canopy of hundreds of lanterns above, transforming the wish into a mesmerizing display of colors. The exhibit donates to the GRAMMY museum so participation goes to a good cause.

Holiday Donations: ‘Tis the season for giving and while I have some causes I support every year monetarily, this year I want to find a few specific causes that’ll help communities in New York City.

View the holiday windows: This is a no-brainer but last year I managed to miss most of them. This year I don’t want to miss them!

The New York Pops Holiday Concert: I went to this concert at Carnegie Hall years ago and loved hearing all the festive holiday tunes played by the famed New York pops so decided to go again this year with some girlfriends. There are a few tickets left in case you’re interested.

Visit the Holiday House: I just learned about this from Jackie and now can’t wait to check it out. A beautiful uptown home is decorated providing loads of inspo and proceeds go towards breast cancer awareness so it is a way to also give back this holiday season.

The Met’s Christmas Tree: I have surprisingly never seen the beautiful tree that The Met puts up every year. Given they just opened a brand new Da Vinci exhibit I am dying to see, I plan to strike both off my list at the same time.

Gingerbread Houses at Le Parker Meridien: Over the years I have heard about the various amazing gingerbread houses that Le Parker Meridien decorates with so I want to swing by to see them.

Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity: This isn’t necessarily something related to the holidays but I figured I’d add it to this list as it is an iconic sweet in which I’ve never indulged and this seems like the right time of year to do it given so many holiday decorations also happen nearby in Midtown.

Rockefeller Center Tree: No explanation necessary! This giant tree brings a huge smile to my face every year and despite the crowds I love making time to see it both day & night.

Origami Christmas Tree: Every year the American Museum of Natural History puts up a tree covered in Origami. I’ve never seen it and would love to!

Drinks at Pete’s Tavern: I need a new Rolf’s given how insane that spot got thanks to Instagram and given I spotted some great decorations at Pete’s Tavern, I’m going to plan drinks there in the coming weeks.

Sail to Sable Top (c/o) // Jeans // Heels // Kate Spade Bag (c/o) // J.Crew Jacket + Bow

p.s. check out new additions to the Holiday Shop & affordable holiday outfits.

[Bekka Palmer Photography]