Every Christmas season the Philadelphia area comes alive with stunning holiday lights and decorative displays. Festive light shows can be found everywhere, including farms, gardens, and even theme parks.

We've picked some of the best Christmas lights events in Philly and the suburbs for families, many professionally choreographed to Christmas music. While most of these events are FREE, some are so spectacular they are worth the price of admission.

Looking for more seasonal ideas? Our Philadelphia Holiday Guide includes details on cut-your-own tree farms, Christmas season day trips, and more.

We all have our hands full with family and work obligations, and the holidays certainly don't lighten the load. And yet, it's a time of year when we're extra-inspired to count our blessings—and teach our children to do the same. Volunteering with kids helps them learn to give back to their schools, churches, and communities. These charitable organizations invite families to help individuals in need over the holiday season while keeping social distance, from collecting warm clothing to packaging up wholesome meals to creating stockings for veterans.

Around turkey day, kids can crafty with these Fun Projects That Help Kids Give Thanks, too. And as we head deeper into winter, consider these 20 ways kids and teens can help others during coronavirus. Never has there been a better time to teach our youth the importance of spreading love and hope, near and far.

A ride on the Metro-North can whisk your family away to close-enough-to-see-in-a-day destinations minus the hassle of a car. Even better, the Metro-North offers discount packages and deals for many nearby attractions in Westchester, the Hudson Valley, and Connecticut. So, grab a ticket out of town to explore these five train-friendly destinations along popular Metro-North lines.

All are less than under an hour and a half from Midtown Manhattan, and Westchester families are likely to find these little mini family day trips are made extra special with the thrill of a ride on a train.

Holiday trains, like many of our annual traditions, have been hit hard by the restrictions of a pandemic holiday season—but the good news is that there are still a few running! Some of our favorites, most notably the two rides families love in Griffith Park, are on hiatus in 2020, but the train rides below have found ways to make their holiday experience COVID-friendly. Obviously masks are a must, and Santa Claus won't be hugging anyone, but there are seats available (so far!) on the train rides below, from Thanksgiving weekend until just before Christmas. We recommend booking ASAP, especially since fewer seats are being offered, to allow for social distancing.

If you don't manage to book the Polar Express experience, though, you could always play the Polar Express soundtrack while driving your crew through one of LA's Holiday Light Drive-thrus!

**This post is currently being updated for 2021**

If you have a little train lover in your life, taking a real Christmas train ride might just be at the top of the list for Santa this year. Help make kids' dreams come true by celebrating the holiday season with a memorable Christmas-themed train ride at a number of festive venues throughout the greater Houston area. Many of them even feature a visit from the big guy himself! 

Find more ways to celebrate the holidays in 2020 in our Holiday and Christmas Events Guide.

Thanksgiving celebrations may look different in 2020, but this holiday is still best spent gathered around a table with loved ones. If you're looking for places that will prepare a Thanksgiving meal for you—more appealing than ever, perhaps, this stressful year—look no further than these Connecticut restaurants offering turkey and all the trimmings for takeout or pickup dinner. Think roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, kid-friendly mac and cheese, and, of course, pies of all kids.

If you are in the mood to cook (and learn a little history), consider rounding up your little chefs to try these old-fashioned, "first" Thanksgiving recipes that you can make with kids. Our Connecticut holiday guide has even more ideas for making your time at home and with family more festive and meaningful than ever in 2020.

Fans of the uber-popular American Ninja Warrior television show have a brand new place to play and train. New York Ninja Academy recently opened in Midtown West, bringing with it a state-of-the-art gym offering classes for kids and adults and giving visitors a chance to experience the challenging obstacles the ninja warrior movement has made famous.

Hiding behind a roll-up garage door on unassuming West 55th Street, this unexpected addition to the kid scene aims to challenge kids physically and mentally, building skills far beyond physical strength. Read on for our review of this new action-packed ninja gym and find more spots to entertain active kids in our Guide to Sports Centers, Gyms, and Fun Zones.

Hacklebarney State Park is quickly becoming my family’s favorite place to hike in New Jersey. It has bridges, rocks to scramble over, stairs, plenty of picnic tables, big trees soaring overhead, and wild rivers and creeks running through it. There’s even a modest playground tucked into a little clearing toward the very end of the hike, a nice reward for kids and all their hard work.