Elwood Christmas Tree Farm

If you are looking for a beautiful and expansive tree farm, we have you covered! Visit Elwood’s 20+ acres in Long Island, NY. You will be met with both the jolly views of all the Douglas Fir trees and the incredible scents that only real trees give off! If you need assistance- Elwood Tree Farm employees are more than friendly and ready to help you get your tree tied to your car. Note that the sawing down of your own tree only takes place on the weekends. (They also have precut trees if you would rather pick one up that has already been prepared.) The address is: 1500 E Jericho Turnpike, Huntington, NY 11743. It is about 1 hour from NYC.

Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm

Both Douglas and Fraiser Firs await you at Wilken Fruit & Fir Farm! They not only have great trees- but also a Christmas village for you to browse! Plus- they will give all those who purchase a tree a free hot apple cider. A great experience for all! The Fir Farm is located in Westchester County at 1335 White Hill Rd, Yorktown Heights, NY. It is about 55 minutes from NYC.

Averill Farm

If you are looking for a bit of a holiday full day trip- check out Averill Farm located in Washington Depot, CT. While this is 2 hours from NYC- there is a lot of holiday cheer around this part of CT. You can pop into all the towns charming holiday stores and you are close to what is one of the best egg nogs out there, Arethusa Farms! This is a must stop for freshly made egg nog, pies and ice cream! So, if you are looking to fill a day up with an adventure that ends with bringing home a perfect tree- visit Averill Farm. 250 Calhoun Street, Washington Depot CT. There is also an incredibly beautiful hotel in town called the Mayflower Inn and Spa if you want to escape the city for a night. Highly recommend this Inn for a luxurious stay out of the city.

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Discover West Side Luxury at Emerald Green

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For The Foodie

If you love gathering family and friends around the table to break bread together, focusing your decorating on all things food and eating is a great use of energy. Head to Williams-Sonoma on the Westside near The Encore (located right inside the Time Warner Center) to pick up kitchen essentials in fun holiday colors (think: aprons, pot-holders, and dish rags) as well as cookie cutters in fun shapes such as menorahs, dradils, snowmen, angels, and trees. They also have an array of festive cooking ingredients, with whimsical delights such as gingerbread house making kits to practical meal making kits, like Christmas and Hanukkah crepes.

Take time to update your tablescape, as well. The home department at Bloomingdale’s in Midtown East has a fabulous selection of items, ranging from extreme luxury to more budget friendly. Whether you choose to do a full-on Hanukkah or Christmas theme with your dishes, or a more subtle holiday-esque theme that could also be used throughout the year (perhaps white dishes with a touch of gold sparkle around the rim), there’ss something for every budget and style.

Gift Idea For This Theme: If you’re looking for a sweet gift for the foodie in your life, consider sending a cheesecake from NYC’s iconic dessert spot, Junior’s. Or a coffee subscription from NYC’s famous Brooklyn Roasting Company is the perfect way to have them thinking of you all year long!

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Choose Luxury Amenities at The Encore

The Encore offers pristine apartments with the finest amenities and services. Contact us today for a showing.

For The Minimalist

The minimalist Scandinavian style has been in full swing in the states the last few years, and this works great with many NYC apartments because the idea is “less is more” and “natural, natural, natural.” A great place to start is taking a walk through Central Park and foraging sticks and acorns to set up around your living space. Just add a simple string of tiny white twinkle lights and few white candles, and you’ll be embracing the Denmark love of hygge. This method of decorating also has its perks in that after the holidays are over, you can simply take the sticks and acorns back out to the park and responsibly recycle them…no off-season storage required!

Gift Idea For This Theme: For any minimalists in your life, the gift of something that can be used up is always appreciated. Perhaps a candle from Jo Malone or a delicious smelling hand soap from Aesop, both with locations on the Upper East Side.

For The Traditionalist

Just because we don’t live in houses with the ability to string lights all over the roof, does not mean we can’t go full on Christmas or Hanukkah inside our Glenwood homes! If you’re the type that loves to go all out, first nail down what your theme of the year is going to be. Is it “Classic Christmas”? Or “Homey Hanukkah?” Perhaps “All Things Snowmen”? Maybe “Holidays At The Seashore”? Once you have a theme picked out, go wild! Stop on the sidewalk and pick up your live Christmas tree. Head to the Christmas Markets and find menorahs and ornaments that correspond with your theme, and deck the apartment out (there’ss a great market Downtown in Union Square)! And don’t forget to head to your local Duane Reade for strands of twinkle lights, packs of candy canes, plastic dreidels, and colored balls to finish decking the halls!

Gift Idea For This Theme: For a true lover of the holidays, you just can’t go wrong with holiday themed pajamas for the whole family. These can range from a red tartan, blue snowflake, or even reindeer pj’s! A good spot to find coordinating ones for everyone is Burt’s Bees Baby.

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Luxury Living at Tribeca Bridge Tower

Schedule a tour today of Tribeca Bridge Tower's luxury Downtown Manhattan apartments.

How do you decorate for the holidays? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter!

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There are obviously hundreds of great places in this amazing city where you can find exactly the right gift(s) for your friends and loved ones this holiday season, from boutiques to big boxes, chain stores to pop-ups. Another increasingly ubiquitous option, and one especially well-suited for the procrastinators among us: the so-called Holiday Markets, which ten years ago numbered one or two in all of NYC, but can now be found, in various guises, suddenly appearing in neighborhoods all over town. And although all have different vendors (for the most part), the mix of hand-crafted items, vintage finds, and themed gift "shops"–also: plenty of food–remain pretty consistent no matter where you wind up. Most important, all really come in handy when you need some inspiration. Here's a look at six that stand out.

Union Square Holiday Market 

The granddaddy of them all, Urban Space's Union Square Holiday Market has been taking over the south end of the park for some 19 years now, and the 2014 edition shows no sign of slowing down. Here you'll find literally dozens of red-and-white-striped booths with vendors from all over the world, though because this is the most New York-y of the big Manhattan markets (as opposed to the more touristy pop-ups uptown), there always seems to be an emphasis on local–read: Brooklyn–crafts people and artisanal food here. Open weekdays from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays from 10:00 to 8:00; Sundays from 11:00 to 7:00. Note: Closed on Thanksgiving. Through December 24.       

Artists and Fleas: in Williamsburg and at the Chelsea Market 

The Artists and Fleas concept began in a warehouse in Williamsburg, back in 2003, when that neighborhood was still loaded with gritty, artsy, DIY appeal. Today Artists and Fleas is not only fully ensconced on North 7th Street there across the river, but has also found a permanent home on the southwest corner of the Chelsea Market. Here in Chelsea you'll find 30 rotating vendors all festively packed into the high-ceilinged space, hawking both vintage goods and clothing (the "fleas") and hand-designed and -crafted jewelry, accessories, t-shirts, and the like (the "artists"). No food, but there are plenty of good eats in the Chelsea Market proper. Artists and Fleas Chelsea is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 10:00 to 8:00. Closed Thanksgiving. Artist and Fleas Williamsburg is weekends-only, from 10:00 to 7:00. Both are open year-round. 

Grand Central Holiday Fair 

For a mix that includes more high-end items (and, given its location in commuter-ville, one that has a more suburban feel to its offerings than, say, the market in Union Square), the Grand Central Holiday Fair might be the better way to go. Now in its 15th year, and with more than 75 different vendors taking over the entire Vanderbilt Hall, the Grand Central market also has the advantage of taking place indoors, in case the weather gets nasty on the afternoon you've set aside to get all your shopping done. Definitely worth checking out if you work nearby, or combined with a trip to the Holiday Train Show in the nearby Transit Museum annex. The Holiday Fair is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and on Sunday from 11:00 to 7:00. Closed Thanksgiving. Through December 24.  Photo courtesty MTA on Flickr. 

Winter Village at Bryant Park 

Bryant Park used to just be kind of desolate this time of year (and don't get me started on what it was like in the 1970s and '80s!). Then they started warming things up in the winter by laying down a huge, free ice skating rink. Then they shrunk the skating rink to make room for dozens of holiday-market booths, some of which are actually indoors Then they added lots of food kiosks (yay!), and even a trying-to-be-trendy bar and restaurant (yay?), the two-story Celsius, complete with VIP area. And today we have the Winter Village, generally jammed with tourists, but still exceptionally festive and even pretty, what with the back of the New York Public Library presiding over things. And despite some obvious lapses in good taste, the vendors are always more appealing than I expect. Worth a trip at least once before the New Year. The shops are open through January 4, on Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., on Saturday from 10:00 to 9:00, and on Sunday from 10:00 to 6:00. Closed Thanksgiving. For ice skating info, see here. 

Columbus Circle Holiday Market 

If the Columbus Circle Holiday Market feels a little (or a lot) like the one in Union Square, well, that because this is yet another Urban Space venture. And, I must say, they really have this pop-up market thing down. First opened in 2010 and now an established part of the West Side holiday landscape, the Columbus Circle Holiday Market may be smaller than its elder sibling downtown, but the line up here is strong, filled with boutique-style booths, gifty goods from local artisans and designers, and, of course, lots of food, both the packaged sort to give away if you can bear it (think chocolates, and exotic jams), and the cooked-right-there-to-eat-right now variety, to enjoy at some of the tables they've set up, or to take across the street into the center of Columbus Circle itself, which is always a surprisingly pleasant place to sit for a bit. The Market is open through December 24, on Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and on Sunday from 10:00 until 7:00. Closed Thanksgiving.   

Hester Holiday Market at One Penn Plaza

The folks behind the Hester Street Fair–NYC's other OTHER ever-expanding food-and-goods-market empire (after Urban Space and Brooklyn Flea)–are setting up shop this season with 30 booths in the heart of Herald Square. True, this part of town is usually a must-avoid zone during the holidays, but if you DO find yourself at Macy's (visiting Santa?), or Koreatown, or if you happen to work nearby, know that the Hester crew almost always has the best food (like the okanomiyaki at Oconomi, above), and the most unusual and unique vendors of them all. The Hester Holiday Market will run from December 1 to December 21, and is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Also note: there will be a variety activities throughout the month, including "open-mic" caroling and origami classes. 

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