Snow in LA? Where To Find Holiday Snow without Leaving Town

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Of course actual snow in Los Angeles County is rare enough to be saleable on ebay (anyone still have that 2007 Malibu snow in the freezer?), but several Southland locales offer a reasonable facsimile of snow at this time of year. From Anaheim to Pasadena, we get several opportunities in the coming weeks to introduce our kids to snow, without introducing them to picking up their wet snow gear from the floor. And most of the events below are free!

Outdoor Gift Picks to “Gear Up” the Kids for Winter

Local mom and “Outdoors with Kids Boston” guidebook author, Kim Foley MacKinnon, shares her best family outing tips and picks with you as part of our guest blog series with the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Kids Outdoors Boston free online community.

Winter, blustery weather, and the holidays are upon us, and it’s good to have a few strategies in place, especially when you have kids. Here’s a list of some cool products that can make winter even more fun for your family, and they all make great gifts as well.

This Week: Best Things to Do Thanksgiving Weekend with NYC Kids, Where to See Santa, Cut Your Own Christmas Trees in LI and NJ

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 must-see Santaland; festive Christmas tree and menorah lightings such as the big Friday night shindig at the South Street Seaport 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, see amazing holiday displays in Hartford, CT and check out tips for having an eco-friendly holiday from our Boston site, some specific to the area but easily adapted for families everywhere. Our giveaway this week is also good for families everywhere: one-year subscriptions to the meal-planning service Relish. Since we're giving away 20 of them, your odds of winning are pretty good.

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

News: RIP Graffiti Mecca 5 Pointz, 2-for-1 Newsies Tickets, New Board Game Cafe in NYC, New Kindergarten Applications Deadline

We've got lots of interesting tidbits to share this Thanksgiving week. There's definitely some bad news, like the death of Long Island City graffiti mecca 5 Pointz, the passing of a beloved kid-lit author and the era of the three-minute middle school parent-teacher conference. But we've got some good stories to share, too, including a two-for-one ticket deal to Newsies, the opening of Manhattan's first-ever board game cafe and a new Chocolate Works is coming to Brooklyn Heights.

Mostly Free & Fun Things To Do With NJ Kids This Weekend Nov 30-Dec 1: Hanukkah Craft, Santa Train, Geology Workshop & More!

Most of our weekend plans probably include a huge plate of mouth watering Thanksgiving leftovers. But if you’re looking to burn off some of that turkey and stuffing (or entertain the family you’ve still got in town), New Jersey definitely has some great things going on. For an early dose of holiday cheer, check out Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at the Palace or Breakfast with Santa at Imagine That! You can also get scientific at the Rock and Mineral Weekend at Morris Museum, or brave chilly temps with a Guided Nature Hike at Tenafly Nature Center. And remember, you can find a full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

Black Friday Deals, Sales, and Shopping Tips for Families

Whether you're a compulsive shopper or a conscientious objector, it's hard to ignore the fact that Black Friday, the day formerly known as the day after Thanksgiving, is packed with major deals. While the idea of starting holiday shopping in a throbbing mob at midnight (or right after Thanksgiving dinner at some locations) sends some people off in search of anything else that's open on Thanksgiving, those who can't resist the deals might be interested in these kid-centric highlights. And if your family is divided right down the middle, why not divide the day between shopping and volunteering?

Whether you shop Friday or another day this holiday season, you may want to check out these national retailers who give a percentage to charity with every purchase, too.

Black Friday: 5 Fun Things to do in NJ with Kids (no shopping required)

Dun-dun-dun! If the words ‘Black Friday’—the term used to describe the day after Thanksgiving in which many stores have monster sales—send you into a tizzy, just relax. Here at MommyPoppins, we’ve got some good news for your November 29th. When you and the kiddies need to burn off those turkey calories, consider checking out these fun-for-the-whole-family Black Friday events. And keep checking our calendar, too; we're adding more events all the time!

Save Big on the Holiday Train Show, Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train Stage Show, Let's Gogh Art Classes & More Deals for NYC Kids

There's no denying that the holiday season is a magical time for families in NYC. It also tends to be quite expensive. From beloved annual attractions like the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show to special kids' shows like Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train—Live to posing for family photos for your holiday card, everything seems to designed to plunge you in to debt, and that's not even counting all the presents you need to buy!

That's why we're particularly excited about our latest roundup of great deals for families. Save big on lots of seasonal fun, including the aforementioned Holiday Train Show and Dinosaur Train—Live, (two of our top event picks for November), plus deals on family photo sessions, art, music and dance classes, cool kids' shows and more! Don't wait to take advantage of these great bargains. Deals this good will be gone before you finish those turkey leftovers.

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