‘Tis the season…to shop. Yes, we love the holiday season. We look forward to checking out the holiday light displays and train shows around town. We have fun celebrating the season with family fun events all month long. Even so, my kids have been counting down the days until Christmas since…Thanksgiving! We encourage them to remember that this season is about more than just gifts and we look for ways to get involved and give back to our communities; yet we have to admit seeing those gifts under the tree on Christmas morning is where the magic and wonder lie in our children's eyes. So shopping goes without saying.

Sure you can head to the big box stores, but why not shop local instead? There are fantastic local toy and book shops around Westchester where you’ll discover eclectic finds and mainstream staples plus great customer service and merchandise expertise. Did we mention some even offer free gift wrapping? Sweet! Of course, these shops are open year round and definitely worth stopping in. Read on for seven top picks for neighborhood toy and book shops in Westchester.

Normally, I have a firm “no-Christmas-decorations-before-Thanksgiving-has-come-and-gone” policy in our house.  To my mind, November is no time for Santas and snowmen to be dotting lawns and rooftops.  But this year, with the late Thanksgiving and early Hanukkah, I have to admit…I’ve been in the holiday mood since before Thanksgiving (I’ll deny it if asked). 

If you too are in the holiday mood, hop in the car and head to Greenwich, for Greenwich is a town that knows how to do Christmas right.  Christmas lights down their idyllic Avenue?  Check.  Beautiful churches with crèches?  Check.  Fun way to spend time with the kids in Fairfield County? Check. Fantastic shopping?  Check and doublecheck. For more fun things to do in December in CT check out our December Go List.

Are you still looking for good camp options for December Vacation? Need some structure for your little one during the time off from preschool, or a great gift for your budding artist? We’ve found a few more vacation week camps, and a couple of them are for little tykes, too! Read on to find out more about camps for nature enthusiasts, LEGO fanatics, young artists, and preschoolers with a lot of energy to burn. 

The holiday season is the one time of year when I hate working for Mommy Poppins. That's because I'm not eligible to enter our amazing Biggest Holiday Giveaway. Luckily, you are. We're giving away more than $3,000 in awesome prizes, including tickets to top holiday shows like A Christmas Story: The Musical and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, prize packages from Disney and Hello Kitty, and lots of other awesome swag. Just typing this post makes me green as the Grinch with envy!

We're awarding a prize a day through Christmas so read on for details on how to enter so you don't miss out.

There's so much for SoCal kids to look forward to in December, and we're not just talking Santa Claus, Christmas lights, and sand sledding; December is when Disney on Ice comes to town. This year, the twirling, touring ice show hits Downtown, Anaheim, Ontario, and Long Beach with Disney on Ice: Rockin' Ever After - a show worthy of a full-on family outing, from toddlers to grandparents.

They say that giving is better than receiving so we're testing out that theory with our second annual Biggest Holiday Giveaway. We're giving away more than $3,000 in awesome prizes including tickets to see A Christmas Story and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, packages from Disney and Hello Kitty, and lots of other cool swag. You can find all of the prizes on our giveaway page. Enter to win one or all! We're ending one giveaway a day starting next week so don't miss out. Start entering today.

Of course the season isn't all about stuff, it's about spending quality time together, too. So we keep filling our Holiday Fun Guides with the best ways to celebrate in NYC, Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. Cool new posts this week include roundups of the best holiday light displays in Southern Westchester and Connecticut, a list of holiday train shows in Westchester and historical Christmas celebrations in New Jersey. We also added some great posts to our Holiday Gift Guide like at-home DIY presents, great new kids' and YA books and our favorite educational construction kits.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

'Tis the season... for children to cut themselves on broken ornaments, burn themselves on melting candles and crash their sleds into inconveniently placed trees. (What? Just my kids?) But really, any season has the potential for injury or illness. So even though it's not something we parents like to think about, it's important to know where to find an emergency room.

But when it comes to kids, not all emergency rooms are created equal. If at all possible, it's best to bring children to a pediatric ER where the staff is specifically trained to deal with the anatomical, physiological and psychological issues unique to kids.

This being New York City where we have everything, you probably won't be surprised to hear that we've got lots of pediatric ERs throughout the five boroughs. There are so many in fact, we decided to start with a list of pediatric ERs in Manhattan. You can find our follow-up list of pediatric ERs in the outer boroughs here. Obviously, when you've got a bleeding, wheezing or otherwise in distress child on your hands, you won't have time to go online, so jot the nearest one down on your emergency contact list—and then hope you'll never need to visit.

It’s the second-to-last full weekend before Christmas (!), and the choices of things Boston families can do to celebrate this season continues to grow. One of our annual favorites, The Christmas Revels, opens this week. Other picks this weekend include the opening of Wheelock Family Theatre’s It’s a Wonderful Life, a Live Radio Play and The Heart of Robin Hood in Cambridge. Alastair Moock hosts his annual Holiday Extravaganza in Brookline, and Karen K and the Jitterbugs host a Holiday Jamboree in Natick.

Also on Mommy Poppins Boston this week:

• Where to See Holiday Lights in and Around Boston
• Keeping kids busy with December vacation camps
• Rachel finds 20 Things to Do in Roslindale with Kids; and
• Kristin returns from maternity leave and shares insights on 5 indoor places to go with a toddler and a baby

Finally, our Biggest Holiday Giveaway is back! There are 12 awesome prizes - but they end one per day, so enter to win before they expire. And follow us on Facebook to learn about our flash giveaways - you never know when they will appear.

Enjoy!