We wouldn't be telling you anything you didn't already know if we said we tend to spend a lot of money during the holidays, right?
From holiday markups to buying presents for everyone you've ever met at New York City's holiday markets, the holiday season takes a toll on all our bank accounts in a big way.
Combine this with the already exorbitant amounts we pay every month in rent and cost of living in NYC, and we'll all be overdrawn by January.
Unless ... we all find a way to have a blast in NYC without spending any money.
Let us tell you, it can be done. There are plenty of free events rocking out in this city during the month of December. You should go to them. It's basically the return on your investment for paying so much to live here, right?
Read on to discover 7 excellent free holiday activities going down in December in NYC.
1. The Ice Rink at Bryant Park's Winter Village (41 West 40th Street)
The Ice Rink at Bryant Park's Winter Village charges nothing for admission. Like, literally, it's free to ice skate there.
You do have to pay for skate rentals, but if you're the kind of person who goes wild over ice skating every year, you should just buy your own pair, then you can enjoy the blissful freedom of Bryant Park's ice rink without shelling out any cash whatsoever to skate in Bryant Park.
There are other tantalizing factors of the Winter Village: there are some really tempting, delicious food vendors, and there's that whole added factor of those 125 gift vendors. So, yeah, you do have to pay for the food and the gifts, but the ice rink doesn't cost a thing.
2. Merry Tuba Christmas (49th and 50th Streets between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)
One of the most excellent parts about the holidays is all the holiday music, right?
So why wouldn't you make it out to the free concert at Rockefeller Center on Sunday, December 13th? We can't really imagine a better Sunday funday to rejuvenate from SantaCon, get enchanted by some Christmas carols, and marvel at the famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree.
Here's what's going down: hundreds of tenor and bass tuba players will congregate at The Rink at Rockefeller Center at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday the 13th, and they'll be blasting out Christmas carols and other crowd favorites.
They'll deck that famous Christmas tree with the organ-line sound of low brass, and spectators are encouraged to sing along.
Merry Tuba Christmas is a NYC holiday tradition, and it's been going down at Rockefeller Center every year since 1974. It also goes on in over 200 cities around the world. Be a part of it, why don't you?
3. World's Largest Menorah Lighting (Grand Army Plaza - Brooklyn)
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This just in: the world's largest menorah is in Brooklyn. Does that information shock you? We're asking because it doesn't surprise us in the slightest.
The 32-foot-tall menorah at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn will be lit during the Hakhel Concert on the evening of December 6th to kick off Hanukkah. The free concert will be at 5 p.m., and the menorah will be lit at 6 p.m.
Every night for the rest of Hanukkah, the menorah will be lit, and there will be live music and hot latkes available to the public. Yes, for free. The lighting times are at 6 p.m. on the weekends and at 3:30 p.m. on Friday December 11th and 7 p.m. on Saturday December 12th.
Free concerts, free latkes, and the world's largest menorah? We're definitely in. Are you?
4. NYC's Christmas Trees (various locations)
concretejungledreams The city is already ready for Christmas #christmas #nycchristmas #nyc #decoration
There are some truly splendid Christmas trees being lit up around this city every day, and going to visit them doesn't cost a single penny. The Rockefeller Tree, known far and wide as the most stunning, enchanting, colorful tree in the city will have its free lighting ceremony from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
If you miss the lighting ceremony, though, don't fret. It's free to go and check out the Rockefeller Tree for the duration of the season; its visiting hours are daily from 5:30 a.m. through midnight until January 6th.
We'd also suggest you head out to check out the Christmas tree at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center in Central Park. It's located in the middle of the Harlem Meer, and it's stunning to behold.
The Dana Holiday Lighting will be on December 3rd from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues and, for free, you'll get to warm up with hot cocoa, munch on cookies, and light a flotilla of trees on the Harlem Meer.
If you miss the lighting ceremony, don't freak out. You can still go marvel at the tree. The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. There are plenty of other gorgeous Christmas trees to check out in the city this season, and going to visit them is a great, free holiday activity.
Check out where all the Christmas trees in NYC are here.
,5. Make Music Winter (various locations)
prospect_park Today at 4pm: join in a musical winter solstice celebration with @makemusicny! Bring your bike, bells will be provided. Don't miss the finale @LakesideBKLYN. More info on our website - link in profile. #MMWinter2014 #prospectpark #MakeMusicWinter #brooklyn #bikes #music #solstice
Make Music Winter is a free, outdoor musical event held every season. It takes audience members and turns them into music makers. This year's event is going down on December 21st, and it's a series of a dozen parades taking place throughout the city on the same day.
Village in Volume starts at 4 p.m. in Washington Square Park, and all participants are encouraged to bring something to drum on. RPM/BLINK/Wheels starts in Grand Army Plaza at 4 p.m., and participants can join by bringing their bicycle and a screwdriver to attach a bell.
Prelude James Holt starts at 4 p.m. at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, and participants can perform by downloading the Susync app to their iPhones, and bring it along with a pair of earbuds.
To be a part of this participatory, audience driven, free music event, check out the full schedule here. Participating in community based music events is what living in NYC's all about, isn't it?
6. Christmas Eve Caroling (Washington Square Arch)
From 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Washington Square Arch on December 24th, the Rob Susman Brass Quartet, a song leader, and revelers from all over the city will belt out all your favorite holiday songs.
The Washington Square Association will distribute free songbooks with the lyrics, but we're willing to take a gamble that you'll know most of the songs by heart.
You should come because it's free music because it'll ring with the spirit of Christmas, and because joining together in song with the community is what's special about the holidays in NYC. Plus, Washington Square Park is the locally-beloved, world-famous heart of Greenwich Village.
Why wouldn't you want to belt out some songs there on Christmas Eve?
7. New Year's at Central Park (Naumburg Bandshell)
Don't have New Year's plans yet? Well, let's talk on the real about this: Who wants to spend $150 to get into a club and spend your whole night shoving and being shoved to get to the bar, waiting in thirty-minute bathroom lines, and getting puked on?
We have a much more wonderful idea for how you can spend your New Year's. In Central Park on New Year's Eve, there will be free music and dancing at the Bandshell, beginning at 10 p.m.
This will segue into midnight fireworks, and then a 4-mile Midnight Run. What better way is there to start out 2016 by running a 4-mile run while fireworks explode overhead?
That's right, we can't think of one. You do have to pay to participate in the run, but if you come to the Bandshell to jam to music, cheer for the runners, and watch the fireworks, the entire event is gratis. Sounds excellent, right?
Check out The Definitive Guide to the Absolute Best Hanukkah in NYC.