Bundle up the kids and grab your thermos of hot chocolate because it is time for the Christmas parades and tree lightings throughout Montgomery County.  A few towns welcome Santa Claus even before Thanksgiving!  

These festive community events are a great opportunity for friends and neighbors to gather and celebrate the holiday season.  Enjoy caroling, dance performances, and photo opportunities with Santa at these hometown parades and tree lightings.

Black Friday is almost upon us, but this year, you can hit the snooze button! Instead of making your way, bleary-eyed, through the crowds of people clamoring for the season's most-sought toys and tech, take advantage of all that the Philadelphia area offers for holiday cheer. Get out, get some fresh air, work off the turkey, and enjoy the season with family, with many activities at low or no cost. Let's spend time, not money!

Winters can feel like they never end in New England, but one sure way to combat cabin fever is to get the kids having fun outside. Living within driving distance of dozens of ski mountains in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts makes it easy to hit the slopes for the day or a whole weekend. But with a lift ticket usually costing upward of $50 per session, a ski day can get expensive. Luckily, several mountains offer great deals on ski passes for fourth and fifth graders. Here’s how to score one for a super skiing season.

As the saying goes, one thing they can’t make more of is land. It is sometimes hard to believe that Los Angeles was initially populated by people who wanted to grow things; they came for the oranges, stayed for the weather, and soon our rural western outpost became a city. Los Angeles is no longer the big suburb it was when I was growing up. I miss that old city but am perpetually grateful for all of the open land that we still have. Huge amounts of acreage have been donated or conserved. This means that on any given day our children can be surrounded by nature on public land that belongs to them and to us. We can leave the city behind to go picnicking, hiking or camping. We have beaches, deserts, the Santa Monica Mountains, and in Orange County, the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks: 37,000 acres of permanently protected wilderness designated as national natural landmarks by the State of California and U.S. Department of Interior.

The holidays are right around the corner and your to-do list is probably overflowing.

It doesn't help that schools across the five boroughs let out for winter break recess from December 24-January 1. If you need to be back to work, or just need a day to catch up, there are plenty of holiday break camps in NYC that offer enriching drop-off programs running until New Year's Day.

Whether they're into art, theater, animals, academic enrichment or sports, there are plenty of options for children of all ages. We've rounded up some of our favorite full-day camps to cover your winter recess child care needs.

Could your kid be the next Food Network star? If only they had proper instruction! Throwing your little one a cooking- or baking-themed birthday party is a great way to introduce him or her (and guests) to kitchen basics. Best yet, you don’t have to deal with the messy aftermath of pots and pans. From decorating cupcakes to crafting quesadillas, here are the best places in Westchester that can give them the skills to be Top Chefs for their birthdays. 

Don’t forget to consult our Kids’ Party Planner Guide for additional party ideas, and sign up for our FREE newsletter!

Black Friday is known as one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Retailers try to lure us in with deep discounts on everything from toys to electronics. Let's face it, though, dragging the kids to the mall isn't the most fun way to kick off the holiday season. This year, why not look for a family activity that will make everyone merry? From holiday shows to winter festivals, we've come up with a great list of things to do on Black Friday that are far away from the busy shopping centers. Be sure to check our Events Calendar regularly for even more great holiday activities throughout November and December.

Must be the Santa Anas, because I'm sensing change in the wind. Harvest gold has given way to red and green; there's a serious CHILL in the air, and our kids are starting to tally up their naughty and nice scores. (Here are a few ways to help tip the scales in their favor.)

We're one week shy of T-Day, and we all know that turkey won't even be cold before we enter a non-stop marathon of holiday frenzy. But luckily, we get to put our own SoCal spin on things. We may do a few turns on the ice, but we'll follow up with a day at the beach (and make sure to brag about it to our friends and family who are not so climatologically blessed).

If you're not feeling the Thankschrismakkuh spirit just yet, there's plenty of non-seasonal fun to keep you happy this weekend: think dinos and Doo Dah, stars and Cirque, mariachi and American Girl. Holiday, shmoliday, we're just here to watch the birds. Next week, however, it's game on.

Keep reading for our not-the-holidays-yet picks for this weekend....