The official start of winter is upon us this weekend with plenty to do in Westchester (if you’re not too busy trying to get all your last minute shopping done before Christmas). Take a winter solstice hike at Westmoreland Sanctuary on Saturday to slow down and enjoy the winter around us before the hustle of the holidays.

Also on Saturday, little ones can participate in a dance class at the Sugar Plum Party at the Dance Gallery in Tuckahoe, where each dancer will receive a tutu to take home. In Peekskill, make a Christmas craft at the Field Library or decorate a tree for wildlife at Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining. On Sunday, play with the wolves at the Holiday Howl in South Salem.

All weekend long you can take the family to visit the Westchester County Center to see the Nutcracker, enjoy A Christmas Wizard of Oz at the Westchester Sandbox Theater or head over to Ridge Hill for the Holly Jolly Celebration at Legoland. Also, don't forget to enter our Biggest Holiday Giveaway! Maybe you'll win a fantastic gift for you or someone you love. Good luck! 

Read on for our top weekend picks. If you see something that piques your interest, click through to the event listing to view full details. Looking for more options? Be sure to check our Event Calendar for more fun happening this weekend and beyond.

It's the last weekend before Christmas and NYC is overflowing with holiday cheer. Get into the spirit at multiple multicultural celebrations like the annual East Meets West Christmas Parade in Chinatown and Little Italy, Mano a Mano's Mexican fiesta Posadas y Pastorelas and El Museo's early Three Kings Day fete. Or go caroling in Greenwich Village and Jackson Heights, catch a host of holiday shows, hit the ice at the brand-new Prospect Park rinks or make a joyful noise in one of the interactive Make Music Winter parades throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.

It's also a great weekend to hit all the seasonal sights before the tourists take over. So in between last-minute gift shopping, make sure you carve out time to see Santa, gawk at awesome holiday windows and light displays, and enter our Biggest Holiday Giveaway. Who knows? Maybe you can win some of your Christmas presents this year!

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Holiday Fun Guide. Before heading out on your adventures, be sure to download our FREE Mommy Poppins Kids on the Go app so you can find the best family destinations wherever you happen to be in NYC.

I've spoken of my affection for NY Waterway before; my usual mode of travel when hauling myself and two kids to NYC involves a jumpy bus ride or a claustrophobic journey on the PATH, but my few experiences on the NY Waterway ferry have been downright--dare I say it?--pleasurable, and fun, even. So we are happy to tell you that NY Waterway is making the holidays even more festive (and affordable) by letting all children travel free from the Port Imperial terminal in Weehawken to the Midtown/39th Street terminal! Read on to find out the details of this special "Kids Ride Free" deal and all the other reasons why NY Waterway ferry is a great choice for your holiday travel to Manhattan.

This is it, New Jersey - the last weekend to get in some holiday cheer before Christmas! Our state is full of festive fun whether you check out the Holiday Lights at Turtle Back Zoo, get crafty at Liberty Hall’s Gingerbread Workshop or enjoy a Holiday Parade down the shore in Seaside Heights. This Saturday is also the Winter Solstice, so celebrate the shortest day of the year with a Solstice Hike at the Round Valley Recreation Center. Don't miss our spectacular Biggest Holiday Giveaway contest with huge prizes every day and remember, you can find a full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

Whenever I need recommendations on what to buy, I turn to my friends at Cool Mom Picks. Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase, the founders of Cool Mom Picks and Cool Mom Tech, know their stuff; especially when it comes to the very best gear, toys and design for stylish kids and their grown-ups. So I'm super psyched that Liz has offered to give us her best tech holiday gift picks specifically for New Yorkers, because, you know, we have special needs.

Check out her great gift ideas that will make anybody's tiny-apartment-living, stinky-subway-commuting, trying-to-stick-to-a-budget please just a little bit better. And then read on because we've got a great giveaway from Target for a Skylanders Swap Force Starter Pack with an Exclusive Target Two-Pack.

Tucked between Montclair and Clifton, Nutley is a charming small town located 10 miles from Manhattan. It may be known as the birthplace of Martha Stewart, but this quaint little Essex County village is also full of parks, annual events, and family-friendly eateries. If the idea of a sweet little village floats your boat, check out our other posts on Cranford, Millburn, Chester and Sparta. Get out there and explore our great state in one of these wonderful small towns!

Can you believe that Christmas is less than two weeks away?! If you’re anything like me then you haven’t even started your holiday shopping yet. Yikes, it will be here before we know it! If you prefer to skip the mall scene then head over to Avon, a town in Hartford County, that offers an array of shopping options from local shops to national retailers. There are many other things to do in Avon as well as shopping so be sure to check out what else there is to see here. 

If you have found something fun to do in Roslindale, there is a good chance that the Roslindale Village Main Streets (RVMS) organization is behind it somehow.   A non-profit organization, RVMS works to make Roslindale a vibrant place to live or visit by sponsoring events, supporting local businesses, and making the neighborhood beautiful.