With the holiday season upon us and winter break from school near, we asked a few of our dads for suggestions on what to do with their children in and around NYC during this time of the year. Here are some of their suggestions, and if you want more check out our summary of fun winter activities for kids.

MTA Holiday Nostalgia Rides

The MTA is continuing its annual tradition of Holiday Nostalgia Rides on vintage trains. Having grown up in the city, I always think this means the cars will be covered in graffiti and I’ll be mugged by a guy named Fleabag Jimmy, but no! Vintage subway cars from the 1930s will roll out along the A, C, D and F lines on Sunday afternoons during the holidays. My 5-year-old daughter loves going on these cars at the Transit Museum and it’ll be great for her to see them in action as we schlep around the city doing our Christmas shopping. Rumor has it that the MTA’s infrastructure is also from the 1930s, but you already knew that.

— Peter Duffy

Skating and window shopping

We love to ice skate during this time of year and are fortunate to be near so many thrilling ice rinks in NYC. Our favorite is Wollman Rink in the middle of Central Park with its expansive ice rink, sweet skyline views, and warm hot chocolate when you’re ready for a break. We also love Bryant Park’s Ice Skating Rink because of its convenient location and if you own your own skates, it’s free admission.  Plus, the surrounding Winter Village is fun to walk around before or after our family skate.

Another favorite winter break tradition is doing a Department Store Window Walking Tour. First, we get large cups of hot chocolate. Then, we stroll from Barneys to Bergdorf Goodman to Saks. Saks has an amazing and free light show on their building that’s entertaining for the kids. It’s also right next to the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree so that’s a mandatory stop on our tour as well. This year we plan to make a pit stop in FAO Schwartz now that our favorite toy store has reopened in a new location at Rock Center.

— Lance Somerfeld

Gingerbread Lane

Every year during the holiday season, we go to the New York Hall of Science to see Gingerbread Lane. It is the biggest collection of gingerbread houses. Sometimes you can even meet the baker who created all of these gingerbread houses and have a talk with him.

— Larry Interrante

Other suggestions:

• The annual Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx
• Winter ONEderland  at One World Observatory
• Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Raising a family in New York City means living life you are in a classic holiday movie every December. To me,  there isn’t a better place to grab some Christmas spirit than visiting the Rockettes and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

My family loves to watch the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and we make an event of the day when we can. We start out with ice-skating at Bryant Park (because there are less people in the morning) and then have lunch before the show. After the show, we walk by Macy’s and drink hot chocolate as we check out the Christmas displays.

But the day revolves around the Christmas Spectacular.

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is just that … spectacular. The famous Rockettes put on a dancing show that is second to none, while excellent musicians and singers entertain throughout the performance. Special 3D effects and amazing sets add to the magic. It is impossible to leave the show without feeling a bit of holiday cheer.

There is something within the show for every holiday lover. For those who focus on the traditional Biblical story, there is a retelling of the Christ’s birth, complete with live camels and donkeys parading across the stage. It culminates with a full Nativity scene. As the curtain closed, my toddler jumped up and yelled, “Bye, Jesus.” It was pretty cute. (Or maybe you had to be there.)

Another story line revolves around two brothers searching for the perfect gift for their sister. The older brother has lost his belief in Santa Claus and the true meaning of Christmas. As they search for the gift, they meet Santa Claus who helps them find their perfect gift and imbues them with big dose of Christmas Spirit.

My family loves the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. When he wasn’t yelling at Jesus, my toddler was also amazed at the live animals and all the colors and performances. The true star of the show to my youngest was, of course, Santa Claus. Sorry, Rockettes — you were a close second. We left as we do every time, singing carols and enjoying each other’s company. The show wasn’t just enthralling for my toddler, but my 10- and 8-year-olds also equally loved the show, if not more. The show, which last 90 minutes, is perfectly tailored to the attention span of kids even though it runs without an intermission.

Disclaimer: Tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular were given to my family for review, but I was not otherwise compensated and the opinions are my own.

Below is the latest guest blog post from Scott M., active father of Byron & Dashiell, describing his continued passion for enjoying theater in NYC with his family:

‘Tis the season when there’s a large selection of shows in the city, all trying to get us to use our precious holiday time to entertain our family. I had the opportunity to take my family to a nice range of shows this month.

In the over-the-top category, a visit to The Radio City Music Hall was in line for the whole family to view the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. The advantage of the show that you won’t find anywhere except for an article for parents, is of the constant action and sustained noise level. When my 6-month-old son started crying because it was his nap time, I thought it was a baby from far away until I looked down and saw him crying. I was able to inconspicuously pat him to sleep and realized I didn’t see any of the multitudes of babies in the audience being covertly carried out by a huddling parent into the lobby so I must have not been the only one.

Next in scale came a visit to the Big Apple Circus in Lincoln Center, an intimate one-ring show where everyone has a great view. As with all shows, the center section is preferred. My three-and-a-half-year-old loved the performance, as he did in the past years but I had to take my six-month-old out for a breather right before intermission. For parents who have to do this for babies or young children who are a bit overwhelmed, there are monitors in the concession area for you to view what’s going on in the ring. My frugal mind loves this circus because they don’t skimp on quality and the prices are very decent. For example, in the concessions you’ll find normal-priced items, you’re not paying $15 for cotton candy!

A visit to one of my favorite small family-friendly theatres, the MMAC Theatre, took us to see The Amazing Max and the Box of Interesting Things. I was very fortunate to grab some press tickets for this show. I say fortunate because I would have missed out on this performance if I didn’t, as a magic show wasn’t on my radar this season. The show runs for 50 min and is quick-paced. Therefore it is one of the shows I’d recommend if someone wants to introduce their child to the wonderful world of New York live shows but not sure if they could sit throughout the entirety. Think Nickelodeon game show humor without the goop but full of magic tricks, this one-man show is filled with potty and light physical humor, perfect for the range of ages in the room.

By the end of the show, my cheeks were a little sore from all my smiling. A man who can entertain a room full of kids and adults with his magic tricks for an hour? Just his skills, voice and showmanship? As my son yelled to him after the show when he had the opportunity to meet him, “That’s AMAZING!”