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The 2022-2023 holiday season is a great time to explore New York City, according to NYC & Company, the convention and visitors bureau and official destination marketing agency of New York City.

Here’s a list of festive hotel offerings and shop at small businesses and flagship stores in NYC:

Festive Hotel Offerings

NYC Hotel Week: Give the Gift of an NYC Hotel Stay this Winter

On sale from mid-November, Citywide

NYC & Company’s second iteration of NYC Hotel Week will return for 2023 alongside signature programs, NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway WeekSM and NYC Must-See WeekSM. On sale from mid-November, shoppers can give the gift of New York City with a 23 per cent off discount. Valid for stays over January 3-February 12, 2023.

Celebrating the Holiday season in New York City.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Holidays at The Plaza

November 24-January 1, Midtown Manhattan

Enjoy afternoon tea at The Palm Court at The Plaza, an iconic destination for holiday festivities, as well as Santa Claus visits, the “Home Alone 2” experience and one-of-a-kind gifts at the Eloise Pop-Up.

Letters to Santa at Lotte New York Palace

November 27-December 23, Midtown Manhattan

The hotel will hold its annual Letters to Santa program, where customized postcards are provided to all guests upon check-in, allowing visitors to write their very own letter to Santa and “mail” them in the property’s Santa mailbox. Each evening, a North Pole Postman will pick up the cards, which are read by the hotel’s “Guest Experience Elves” and Santa Claus himself. Each guest will magically find a personalized response from the desk of Santa Claus, placed in their room to create treasured memories.

Winter Spectacular at The Refinery Hotel

December 1-31, Midtown Manhattan

Prospective guests will delight in The Refinery Hotel’s Winter Spectacular. All December long, each stay booked with this special offer comes with a live Christmas tree, decorated and set up for guest arrival, along with hot chocolate, milk, cookies and gingerbread house kits upon request. Perfect for travellers or locals looking for a festive staycation.

Ring in the 2023 New Year at The Knickerbocker

December 31, Midtown Manhattan

The Knickerbocker Hotel continues with tradition, ringing in 2023 with its annual New Year’s Eve party. The one-of-a-kind celebration will host guests with a night of surprise and excitement just 150 feet below the Times Square Ball – the closest live view of the event in the world.

Shop Local at small businesses and flagship stores

Make Merry at Nordstrom

Available now throughout the holiday season, Midtown Manhattan

Nordstrom once again invites shoppers to Make Merry with the arrival of its holiday campaign featuring Tony Award-winning performer Leslie Odom Jr., Emmy-nominated actress Christina Ricci and their families. The campaign will showcase a curated selection of the best products, stories and experiences shared within the homes of Odom Jr. and Ricci, just in time for visitors to plan ahead for holiday shopping. The catalogue is now available online and in select stores.

Flagship Store Shopping

Available now throughout the holiday season, Midtown Manhattan

Locals and visitors alike are invited to various flagship stores, such as Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Cartier, Saks Fifth Avenue and more, to find this season’s most brilliant holiday presents for friends and family.

36th Annual Miracle on Madison Avenue

Throughout holiday season, Upper East Side, Manhattan

The 36th Annual Miracle on Madison Avenue, NYC’s holiday shopping tradition, will benefit the pediatric programs of The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park

October 28 throughout holiday season, Bryant Park, Manhattan

This year, the European-style Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park welcomes travellers and locals alike to kick off the festive season with must-buy gifts and sweets matched with cosy libations and winter activities.

Shop at Grand Central Terminal

November 14-December 24, Midtown Manhattan

Grand Central Terminal welcomes back its famous indoor Holiday Fair to the splendour of Vanderbilt Hall this November after a two-year hiatus. The Grand Central Holiday Fair is one of New York City’s most coveted attractions, welcoming thousands of locals, commuters and visitors for a curated holiday shopping and gifting experience. This year’s event will feature 36 vendors, including Ekologic, Garden of Silver and Rebel Designs.

Union Square Holiday Market

November 17-December 24, Union Square, Manhattan

Urbanspace’s longest running holiday market will return this year with over 160 vendors featuring unique gifts created by local craftsmen, artists and entrepreneurs.

Brooklyn Flea Holiday Market

Sundays, November 24-December 24, Dumbo, Brooklyn

Visitors are welcomed once again to Pearl Street for Dumbo’s iconic Brooklyn Flea Holiday Market. One of the borough’s most popular attractions, shoppers will support local vendors and cross off holiday shopping with vintage and antique items, crafts and gourmet food stands.

Celebrating the Holiday season in New York City.(Photo:IANSLIFE)

Grand Holiday Bazaar

Sundays, November 27-December 18, Upper West Side, Manhattan

Find one-of-a-kind handmade holiday decoration and giftable items: candles, skincare, fashion, handbags, vintage accessories and collectibles, handmade jewellery and furniture, rare antique silver and glassware, and of course delicious artisanal treats and foods. Annually, the market provides more than 1,000 independent local merchants with much-needed affordable retail space.

Columbus Circle Holiday Market

November 28-December 24, Upper West Side, Manhattan

Internationally known as one of the most elegant places for holiday shopping, visitors will lose themselves in aisles of art, jewellery, home goods and delicious eats from local artisans and designers, all while roaming through NYC’s iconic Central Park, just a stone’s throw away.

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“I genuinely don’t think it gets classified as a party,” Raab said. “I don’t think it was a party.”…reports Asian Lite News.

A photograph of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and more than a dozen other people drinking wine in the garden of his Downing Street residence during a lockdown last year does not show a party, his deputy said on Monday.

The picture, published by the Guardian, shows Johnson with his wife Carrie, who appears to be holding their newborn son, and two other people at a table on a terrace in the Downing Street garden with cheese and wine.

Nearby is another table of four other people, and a short distance away are a larger group standing on the grass around a table with bottles of wine.

“Downing Street use that garden as a place of work,” Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Times Radio. “That’s not against the regulations.”

“I genuinely don’t think it gets classified as a party,” Raab said. “I don’t think it was a party.”

The scenes depicted in the photograph add to the scrutiny on Johnson following revelations that his staff held a series of gatherings during COVID-19 lockdowns while the population was being told not to mix with others.

He has faced a barrage of criticism since a video emerged showing his staff laughing and joking about a Downing Street party during a 2020 Christmas lockdown when such festivities were banned.

Raab said the new photograph was taken on a day when the government had just held news conference and that sometimes staff had a drink after a long day in the garden. It was a work gathering, he said.

Johnson’s wife Carrie, Raab said, had popped down from the Downing Street flat to spend some time with her husband.

Besides anger over alleged parties, Johnson is grappling with a rebellion inside his party over the direction of his government which critics say is chaotic and has dramatically expanded the power of the state.

Brexit minister David Frost resigned on Saturday over disillusionment with the direction of the government.

“You know my concerns about the current direction of travel,” Frost told Johnson in a resignation letter released by Downing Street.

“I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low tax, entrepreneurial economy, at the cutting edge of modern science and economic change.”

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