Ditch the same ol holiday events and celebrate the season with NYCs best shopping, Yule thrills and more

New Yorkers don’t hibernate — they decorate, caffeinate and recreate.And despite what every cookie-cutter holiday guide would have you believe, the Big Apple’s winter wonderland is more than the same old tree-lighting, rink-skating, cocoa-sipping circuit that gets trotted out year after year.This season, the city’s serving up a blizzard of new ways to feel festive — from a just-unveiled ice rink at the top of Central Park, to hot chocolate so couture it should come with a runway, to nostalgia-packed subway rides that make the “Polar Express” look basic and hidden-gem holiday haunts that TikTok is desperately trying to gatekeep.So bundle up: here are unique ways to sleigh the season without doing the usual song and dance.Forget the powdery stuff served in souvenir mugs — NYC’s reigning cocoa connoisseur, Rachel Brotman, (who’s sampled close to 120 cups since 2023), says the city’s hot chocolate scene has officially reached couture status.Her top-tier picks for 2025? Caffé Panna, Rigor Hill Market, Frenchette Bakery, Hani’s and LA Burdick.“My preferred cup of hot chocolate is thick, bitter and rich, and preferably is topped with a homemade marshmallow that will melt into the drink and cut the richness,” Brotman, known as @thecarboholic on social media, told The Post, noting that she knows exactly what she’s looking for in a perfect cup.All five of her winners, she says, “are rich and have a deep chocolate-y taste,” though each has its own personality.Take Tribeca’s Rigor Hill Market at 227 W.Broadway, whose cocoa she describes as: “Rich like the inside of a lava cake.

It’s more dessert-like than it is sippable, and is even served in a soup cup rather than a cup, but I love it.”Or Gramercy’s Caffè Panna, the Italian-style stunner at 77 Irving Place that comes topped with their signature panna: “The pro-move here is to pour this hot chocolate over your ice cream as if it’s hot fudge.”If you prefer something you can ac...