Although we sent out our holiday deals email a few weeks back, we realize not everyone subscribes to our free newsletters (gasp!). And since these deals are so timely and great, we wanted to make sure all of our readers got a chance to check them out.

We reached out to some of our favorite organizations to secure discounts and bargains on awesome NYC experiences including the annual Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden, the charming new stage adaptation of The Velveteen Rabbit, private music lessons on all kinds of instruments from Hey Joe Guitar and more. So while you're running around town this season enjoying all of the holiday fun NYC has to offer, see if any of these deals can help you keep a little more money in your pocket.

As Mr. Rogers famously said, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world." There are no words to express the shock and grief that so many around the world are experiencing over this unbelievable tragedy right here in our own state at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. It's safe to say that every parent's heart is broken. So many want to come together to show support, love and strength for the victims' families, for this community that is in so much pain. Indeed, there are so many helpers. Here is a list of vigils scheduled to occur over the next few days. Our hearts are broken for all of those affected.

There are certain things we've come to expect around the holidays, and Disney's annual touring ice show is one of them. This year's sparkling edition, Disney on Ice: Dare To Dream, is toe-looping and sit-spinning its way through the Southland already, from Downtown to Orange County, and we definitely recommend grabbing some rink-side seats!

As Cleopatra: the Exhibition enters its last few weeks (ending Jan 6) at the California Science Center - the tour's only stop on the west coast - perhaps you're wondering whether this is an exhibit that would hold the attention of your kids. Well the good news is you don't need to be an Egyptologist to enjoy exploring this homage to Egypt's most famous woman pharaoh. Come to the Science Center for the Endeavour, but stay for the Queen of the Nile.

Is there a clever new way for us to reiterate that the holidays are here? Nope. Assuming your to-do list is as long as ours, you don't have a minute to waste, so we're going to keep it brief this week.

In NYC, we took a photo-filled tour of the incredible Dyker Heights Christmas lights and rounded up our favorite restaurants with kids' entertainment in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Meanwhile our Travel site is profiling gorgeous beach towns like Akumal, Mexico and Islamorada, Florida in case you want to plan (or just fantasize about) your next vacation. We also have a roundup of holiday travel packages and deals and many destinations are within driving distance of NYC.

It's your very last chance to enter Mommy Poppins' Biggest Holiday Giveaway. We've got a few more prizes to win before it ends on Friday, December 14. See the complete list on our giveaway site.

As always, you can find a slew of posts about the best things to do, see, buy and experience this magical season in our Holiday Fun Guides for NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut. Here's what else we covered on the NYC this week.

This weekend we got your holiday celebrations still going strong, as well as some secular fun. Shrek the Musical is playing at LIU Tilles Center in Greenvale, there's an adorable production at the Nassau County Museum of Art called "If You Really Love Polar Bears," kids can have breakfast with Santa at Cupcake Corner in Garden City, and of course, it wouldn't be the holidays without a production of The Nutcracker, by the Lynch Ballet Company at the Huntington High School auditorium.

I’m having a slightly hard time keeping track of the dates lately. Because whatever the calendar may say, all I can hear is LESS THAN TWO WEEKS 'TIL CHRISTMAS ALL IS LOST ABANDON HOPE PACK IT IN NOW. Or something to that effect. Luckily, Mommy Poppins is here to help me separate the nuts from the Nutcrackers, to keep me from getting light-headed with all the light displays, and, most importantly, to help put a little booty in my stockings. (I refer, of course, to the final days of our Biggest Holiday Giveaway - one of the many perks of being a Mommy Poppins reader.)

We have enough events this week to fill three or four newsletters. It's only through serious exercise of self-restraint that I've kept this post down to mere Russian novel length; you can find scores of other events on our daily calendar. No doubt things will slow down next week, because that's the week before Christmas and... oh. Well, after that there's Christmas week, which means some serious school break time, and then New Years Eve... I'm sorry, but for the next few weeks we simply have no choice but to provide you with an overabundance of fun, festive, and frequently free activities. If you need a break, I suggest you pencil it in sometime early 2013.

Keep reading for a small sampling of our favorite picks for this weekend...