It's officially holiday season in New York City. Before you know it, you'll find yourself waiting in line at NYC's holiday markets, planning for your office's secret Santa, and buying a fake Christmas tree for your apartment.

At this time of year, it's necessary for you to celebrate. Immersing yourself in all the holiday cheer is essential.

It's easy to get grumpy about holiday markups, advertising, and capitalism, but it's much more fun to just lose yourself in holiday cheer, isn't it?

So we're giving you permission. Go ice skating. Buy a ticket to The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol. Attend a tree lighting ceremony. Don an ugly sweater and spend your night getting wasted with your friends.

Whatever you do to celebrate the holiday season in NYC, do it with gusto. In fact, we triple-dog-dare you to cross every item off the following bucket list of holiday activities in NYC. If you do it, you'll have had a supremely NYC holiday experience. 

That sounds like a holiday experience you want to have, doesn't it? Read on to discover 5 holiday activities you must cross off your bucket list this season in NYC.

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1. Tree lighting ceremonies

Let's face it: all the stunning, soaring Christmas trees in NYC are part of what makes holiday season in this city so beautiful. Well, the trees and the lights that adorn them.

So you should probably make it out to a tree lighting ceremony this season, don't you think? 

NYC's Christmas tree lighting ceremonies are beautiful, brimming with holiday cheer, and usually supplemented by live musical performances and, in some cases, steaming hot chocolate.

South Street Seaport's 60-foot tall Christmas tree will be lit at a ceremony from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on December 1st. There will be plenty of musical performances, plus a visit from Santa Claus.

Rockefeller Center's 83rd Annual Tree Lighting will pop off on December 2nd, and Central Park's will go down on December 3rd with a live ice carving demonstration, carols, hot cocoa, and a lighting of a flotilla of trees on the Harlem Meer.

Astoria Park's Holiday Tree Lighting will be on December 5th from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Queens Botanical Garden's Winter Solstice and Tree Lighting will erupt with live musical performances, a garden tour, and botanical crafts on December 6th from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Park Avenue's 70th Annual tree lighting will be on December 6th at 6:30 p.m. and Madison Square Garden's will be on December 8th from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

There are so many beautiful tree lighting ceremonies taking place this year in NYC. You can make it out to at least one, can't you?

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2. Ice skating

Ice skating is an essential winter activity, and it's made even more beautiful in NYC. Twirling pirouettes and practicing skating backwards is much more fun while surrounded by skyscrapers.

So where should you ice skate in NYC? We have some ideas. 

If you already own your own skates, the Bryant Park Winter Village is your move; as their ice rink is free admission. Even if you don't own skates, the Winter Village is still a pretty great option. Renting skates only costs around $15.

We're also fans of the indoor Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers; at $10 for admission and $5 for skate rentals, it's the perfect opportunity for winter cheer without wrecking your winter budget.

The City Ice Pavilion in Queens costs $9 for admission and $5 for skate rentals, and the absolutely stunning and virtually tourist-free Wollman Rink in Central Park costs $11.25 for admission and $8 for skate rentals.

Of course, we've got to shout out the brand-spanking-new LeFrak Center at Prospect Park, where you can glide around their two state-of-the-art rinks for $12; $6 for admission and $6 for skate rentals.

Don't ice skate at Rockefeller Center unless you've got the cash to burn. Skating at Rockefeller Center will run you $45 for admission and rentals.

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3. Holiday shows

Attending at least one holiday-themed show, whether it's a play or a concert, is entirely mandatory if you're looking to take part in NYC holiday cheer.

Of course, there are different types of holiday shows in NYC. There are the requisite, time-old holiday shows like Jingle Ball, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, The Nutcracker, and A Christmas Carol.

These shows are as stunning and bursting with Christmas spirit as they are tourist traps. If you take off your cynic hat and put on your enchanted hat, you'll probably find yourself having a very good time.

Then, of course, there are the #OnlyInNYC holiday shows.

There's the Nutcracker Rouge; a burlesque Nutcracker.  There's The Imbible: Christmas Carol Cocktails, where you get to watch Ebenezer Scrooge learn to make Christmas cocktails-- then, you get to drink those cocktails. 

Of course, there's also Unsilent Night on December 12th, where New Yorkers parade around the city, caroling via boom boxes slung over their shoulders.

You could also jam out at a high-profile, holiday themed concert. 

Ingrid Michaelson is performing her annual Holiday Hop at Webster Hall on December 7th. Mariah Carey will rock her annual All I Want For Christmas Is You concert series from December 8th to December 18th. Plus, you don't want to miss Cyndi Lauper's Home for the Holidays on December 5th.

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4. Bar crawls

Bar crawling is essential NYC, isn't it? We're pretty sure one of NYC's perks are how many excellent bars we've got in such close proximity. So bar crawling is a necessary aspect of living in NYC, and this necessity is amplified during the holidays.

Of course, you could participate in the city's most infamous bar crawl: SantaCon. This year's SantaCon will go down on December 12th, and its route will be published here on December 11th. 

All you really need to know about SantaCon is that you should dress like Santa Claus and show up to a bar in midtown on the morning of December 12th. Also, the whole thing is much more fun if you drink heavily ahead of time.

You could also participate in some of the city's other bar crawls. The Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl on December 5th only costs $4, and it allows you $3 draft beers and half priced well drinks and cocktails at some of the most excellent bars in the East Village.

We figured you've probably been looking for an excuse to sport that ridiculous sweater your grandmother knitted for you, haven't you?

There's also the New Year's Eve Pub Crawl, which is perfect for everyone who doesn't want to spend their New Year's cooped up in one bar. With the New Year's Eve Pub Crawl, you'll get free admission to some of NYC's hottest bars, and drink specials at all of these bars.

Doesn't sound too shabby to us.

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5. Hanukah celebrations

All this Christmas cheer wouldn't be right without the festival of lights, would it?

Let's face it. The one day of Christmas is cool and everything, but Hanukah is pretty excellent. It's eight days long, which means eight days of presents. Also, there are latkes, and latkes are way tasty.

What can you do to get down for these eight crazy nights? 

Well, there's the NYC Latke Tasting Festival, of course. It'll go down on December 7th from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and its participants will get to grub hard on the tastiest, greasiest, most succulent latkes made by the most talented latke chefs and restaurants throughout the city.

You could also attend the lighting of the world's largest menorah at the Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn on December 6th. The Hakhel Concert will be at 5 p.m. and the lighting will be at 6 p.m. Of course, there will be latkes.

Wollman Rink in Central Park will also put on Chanukah on Ice NYC on December 7th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will be live music played by the Ta Shma Orchestra, kosher food like mushroom barley soup and donuts, and you'll get to skate past a giant, illuminated menorah.

Check out 13 Incredible Events Going Down This December in NYC. 

[Feature Image Courtesy BroadwayBox.com]