This Week: Macy's Santaland Opens, Cut Your Own Christmas Trees in NJ & LI, Holiday Illuminations, Thanksgiving Weekend Event Picks

11/27/14 - By Raven Snook

There's a lot going on this holiday weekend in NYC beyond Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Our Thanksgiving and Holiday Guides are packed with plenty of ways to celebrate the season, including the best places to see Santa like Macy's Santaland, festive Christmas tree illuminations and the kickoff weekend for the jaw-dropping Dyker Lights displays in Dyker Heights.

There's lots of holiday fun in New Jersey, Westchester, Long Island and Connecticut, too. You can cut your own Christmas trees on LI and in NJ, take a train ride with Santa in NJ or gawk at amazing holiday displays in Philly.

If you happen to be traveling up I-95, our Connecticut site has a list of fun family pit stops if you need a break along the way. And if you're in the market for a virtual vacation, our Travel site has a slide show about the best family activities in Jamaica's Negril, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week. We hope you and your family have a happy Thanksgiving!

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

We finished updating our Thanksgiving Fun Guide with a roundup of things to do on the holiday (besides the obvious), and a list of the top Black Friday deals in NYC

Santa flies into town on the heels of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We've rounded up the best places to pose for pics with Kris Kringle, and we have an entire post about Macy's Santaland, which is quite different than in years past.

Our biweekly news post includes good news about Lasker Rink in Central Park, plus details about a new marine center coming to Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The big Rockefeller Tree Lighting takes place next week but we've got the scoop on less touristy (and a lot less crowded) holiday illuminations throughout the five boroughs.

This week's WeeWork activity is an easy-to-make Thanksgiving cookie recipe.

Best bets for the weekend include the awesome MTA Holiday Season Nostalgia Trains, Brooklyn Nets Kids' Day at Barclays Center, and lots of holiday shows and displays.