If you're not heading through the woods to grandmother's house this Christmas, check out our neighborhood guides for spending the holiday in style, right on in your own 'nabe. While there isn't a ton open on the holiday, there's much more than you think, and plenty to do and see!

Upper West Side

Christmas Eve

Families can start their festive weekend celebrations by heading over to the Children's Museum of Manhattan for the Best of the Arts Holiday Festival, where chiildren can decorate a snowflake and create a snowman sculpture.

Then, take a trip to Symphony Space, which will be screening the family film “Hugo and the Dragon” (an internationally acclaimed animated musical about a young boy attempting to defeat a dragon to bring back light to his village) on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

After the movie, stretch your legs and take a stroll in Central Park to catch Kris Kringle at the Belvedere Castle, so kids can tell Santa one last time what they’re hoping for this Christmas. If you're feeling truly festive, stop in at the American Museum of Natural History for a glimpse of the Origami Holiday Tree, a 13 foot tree that features hundreds of handmade origami ornaments.

End your night with a bit of Christmas ballet magic by taking in a performance of George Balanchine's "The Nutcracker" at Lincoln Center. The New York City Ballet utilizes its full roster of professional ballerinas, dancers and musicians as well as children from the School of American Ballet to put on this production. Children will love the one ton Christmas tree that appears on stage.

Christmas Eve

Start the day off with a visit to Santa at the Belvedere Castle. Children can take pictures with Jolly St. Nick and ask for last minute gifts.

Then, drop by the Museum of the City of New York, where kids can create their own ornament between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The museum provides the supplies for your little artisans, and they can even hang their masterpiece on the museum's Christmas tree.

 Afterward, take in a Christmas Pageant at the Church of the Heavenly Rest, which will feature the talents of over 100 city children. For families who are interested, a mass will follow the pageant. 

After the heavenly performance, take a look at work of art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Christmas Tree. This magical piece, decorated with 18th Century Neapolitan cherubs and angels as well as a nativity scene, will be a hit with children who love the arts.

Finally, detour to Park Avenue for a look at the Memorial Trees spanning from 48th to 97th streets. These gorgeously decorated conifers have been lit since the close of WWII in the memory of fallen soldiers. 

Tribeca

Christmas Eve

We believe that Christmas celebration is complete without hot cocoa, so start things off with a visit to Tribeca Treats, a bakery known for its wide variety of chocolates, cookies, and scrumptious cupcakes. The shop will be open on Christmas eve until 4 p.m., so make a quick pit stop to grab a cup of hot chocolate (or a chocolate covered banana or brownie!)

Once you've satisfied your sweet tooth, start off the festive activities with a trip to the Financial District's Trinity Church's annual Christmas Eve Family Service from 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. Children are invited by the pastor to the front of the church to hear the Christmas story, and everyone will enjoy the Christmas carols performed by the church's youth choir.

After the service, get a bite to eat at Blaue Gans, which has authentic Austro-German food perfect to warm you up and have a great family feast. (It's open until 12 p.m. on Christmas Eve and until 9 p.m. on Christmas Day).

Christmas Day

After sleeping in or opening all those special gifts, stretch those legs on a morning stroll through the picturesque Washington Market Park. There's a 10% of snow, so you just might get the chance to walk in a winter wonderland!

Murray Hill

Christmas Eve

Start your Christmas Eve by introducing your kids to a classic and check out Macy's Puppet Theare's performance of "Miracle on 34th Street" at Macy's in Herald Square. Afterwards, check out Macy's amazing Santaland and do some last minute shopping. The half-hour shows begin at 9:30 a.m. and cost only $5. While you're in the neighborhood, why not check out all the other amazing holiday windows?

After doing some Christmas sightseeing, warm up with a trip to the nearby Morgan Library and Museum for more Christmas traditions. Take the kids to see the Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" Exhibit. The original manuscript is on display. The library is open till 4 p.m. and you can see the historic story for $15 adults, $10 children.

When you're finished taking in the exhibit, go see the amazing holiday train display and Christmas shop at Grand Central Station. The kids can enjoy the two-level holiday train display while parents finish the last minute shopping. The train display closes at 6 p.m. and the Holiday Shopping Fair ends at 8 p.m.

Finish your day with a trip to the famous Magnolia Bakery at Grand Central Station, which will be open until 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve, for a cup of hot chocolate and a treat (and maybe an extra one for Saint Nick!)

Christmas Day

After opening some presents, bundle the kids up and take a walk up to 50th Street to catch the iconic Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center, which will be lit at 5 a.m., for the last time this season.

If you feel like dining out for Christmas dinner, head to Fagiolini on Lexington Avenue for some scrumptious  traditional Italian food. From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. they offer some of the finest trattoria dishes that the whole family will devour.

West Village

Christmas Eve 

Of course, no Christmas holiday is complete without a cup of hot chocolate! On Christmas Eve, families can head to the artisan hot chocolate outpost Chocolate Bar. Kids can try their cocoa in flavors like caramel, raspberry and peppermint or indulge in a sweet treat. Chocolate Bar is open until 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day.

After fueling up on cocoa, bundle up and head to Washington Square Park’s annual Holiday Caroling event at 5 p.m. Families can check out the square’s 45-foot Christmas tree (which is one of the city’s oldest Christmas traditions, even older than the Rockefeller Center tree!), before crooning to their favorite carols, led by the Rob Susman Brass Quartet. Song books will be distributed.

Or families can visit The Church of St. Luke in the Fields (487 Hudson Street) on Christmas Eve for a night of festive holiday cheer. A Christmas pageant and Holy Eucharist takes place at 5 p.m., followed by a reception, then prelude and congregational carol singing at 9:30 p.m. and a festive choral Eucharist at 10 p.m.

If you're looking for a bilingual Christmas service, join the Church of the Village (201 West 13th Street) for a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. This English and Spanish service will be held jointly with Broken Builders Korean Methodist Mission Church, will carols, lessons and a Christmas meditation.

Nothing says Christmas like a zip around the ice. If you feel like leaving the hood, check out all of our favorite rinks, but a great, close option is Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers, which will be open on Christmas Eve from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and on Christmas Day from 12 p.m. to 5:20 p.m.

Feeling adventurous? Bundle up, hop on the subway and head to one of the city's zoos (all except the Bronx Zoo will be open) to check out their various holiday happenings, including "Presents to the Animals" at the Prospect Park Zoo and Queens Zoo.

Park Slope

Before Christmas Eve

Have some last-minute shopping to do? Hosted by the Brooklyn Flea and Design*Sponge, the hip holiday market “Gifted” features more than 100 vendors spanning three floors inside One Hanson Place in Fort Greene. (Through December 23, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.)

Christmas Eve

Find your holiday spirit and join the Old First Reformed Church for a festive Christmas Eve service. Music begins at 6:45 p.m., followed by service at 7:30, including lessons, candlelight and carols.

Or, bring the kids to the Park Slope United Methodist Church for a special family friendly service on Christmas Eve. A simplified service suited to families with young kids starts at 4 p.m., followed by carol singing. A social hour takes place following the service.

Christmas Day

So it’s Christmas morning and, as expected, it took the kids approximately 8.5 seconds to tear through every last present. Why not head to the Prospect Park Zoo to watch the animals open some gifts of their own? At the zoo’s annual “Presents to the Animals,” families can watch as animals like meercats, baboons and otters tear open their own gift-wrapped boxes full of treats! (December 25-26, 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.)

If you’re not quite chilled to the bone yet, why not take a few turns on the swings at J. J. Byrne Park? Before you go, line up the kids in front of the Christmas tree for a festive photo opp. (Between 4^th and 5^th Avenues and 3^rd and 4^th Streets)

And what better way to top off a winter outing than with a steaming cup of something sweet and chocolatey? Stop by the Cocoa Bar (7^th Avenue between 3^rd and 4^th Streets) to enjoy some hot chocolate before heading home to cure the Christmas ham! (Open December 25 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m.)