Europe has its iconic Christmas markets, with Mulled wine perfumed with cinnamon and cloves. In the US, New York embraces the spirit of Christmas. The Big Apple kicks off the Christmas season with the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade at the end of November. Then, on December 4th, it gets fully in the spirit with the Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony. This year’s event will be hosted by Kelly Clarkson and feature performances from the Backstreet Boys, Dan + Shay, Megan Hilty, Jennifer Hudson, Coco Jones, Little Big Town, RAYE, and Thalia.