From in-room Christmas trees to a Home Alone limo tour, these Manhattan hotels make a holiday trip with kids a lot easier (and a lot more fun).

Courtesy of The Peninsula New York

There's nothing quite like New York at Christmas . When I lived in the city with my family, December was always our favorite month. We'd bundle up to see the windows on Fifth Avenue, drink hot chocolate while watching the skaters at Bryant Park , and crane our necks at the tree in Rockefeller Center . The whole city feels magical this time of year, and kids pick up on it the second they step outside.

My family and I just moved to Barcelona , but we're heading back to NYC for the holidays. And since we'll be visitors this time, I started looking for hotels that would make the trip feel extra special for my kids. It turns out that many of the city's most popular properties go big for Christmas—and plenty have kids in mind when it comes to programming.…