Artnet News has compiled a guide to holiday art shows in New York City for December 2025. The featured exhibitions include the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual "Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche" (November 25–January 6), the American Museum of Natural History's "Origami Holiday Tree" (November 24–January 20) inspired by its dinosaur extinction exhibition, the Morgan Library and Museum's display of Charles Dickens's original manuscript of "A Christmas Carol" (November 25–January 11), and the New York Public Library's "Best Friends Forever: Holiday Greeting Cards" (December 3–January 4). Each venue offers a unique artistic take on the holiday season, from 18th-century Neapolitan figurines and thousands of origami animals to literary history and vintage greeting cards.
This roundup matters because it highlights how major New York cultural institutions use the holiday season to draw visitors with art-centered experiences that blend tradition, craftsmanship, and scholarship. The shows demonstrate the enduring appeal of holiday-themed exhibitions as a way to engage broad audiences, while also showcasing rare collections—such as the Met's Neapolitan crèche and the Morgan's Dickens manuscript—that might otherwise be overlooked. For art lovers and tourists alike, these exhibitions offer a meaningful alternative to commercial holiday displays, reinforcing the role of museums as community gathering places during the festive season.