Santa is hearing wish lists, Christmas trees are lighting up, Nutcrackers are twirling and holiday department store windows are attracting crowds. Yup, the holiday season is in full swing in NYC!

This weekend brings some of our favorite annual tree illuminations, the New York Public Library's Holiday Open House and the premiere of the New Victory Theater's holiday-themed circus spectacle Mother Africa. If you're not quite ready to dive into the season, there's non-holiday fun like the Great Randall's Island Treasure Hunt and FREE family films, too.

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Holiday Fun Guide. And if you're looking to plan ahead, our December NYC Go List highlights the absolute best things to do with kids throughout the month.

By now, you’ve probably had your fair share of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce leftovers- not to mention tons of latkes! With Thanksgiving and Hanukkah already over, Christmas events are taking center stage in New Jersey. Meet the Big Man himself at Alstede Farm’s Country Christmas or at the Santa Fly-In at the Aviation Hall of Fame. And of course, you can check out the awesome annual holiday lights at Turtle Back Zoo. And if you’re not quite ready for a full on dose of the holidays, you can engage your inner geologist at Newark Museum’s Dynamic Earth or even Meet a Penguin at Manasquan Reservoir. And remember, you can find a full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

We wrap up our month-long focus of Scarsdale with the best places to shop for kids in the area. We've mentioned the best kid-friendly eateries in Scarsdale; now we've got the scoop on the best toy shops and boutiques for kids in the neighborhood. Many have been in business for quite some time, owing to their great customer service and knowledge of customer preferences. Each has a unique, local feel and seems to know what you’re looking for before you enter the store. Read on for more info about these Scarsdale gems.  

Shopping with kids (groan). It can be a drag, both for the children and the adults. But sometimes it is necessary, especially during the holidays. Some Boston stores really go out of their way to make kids and families happy, and we love ‘em for it. Many offer free activities, a few have play spaces, and others are like theme parks! Check out these places to take the kids during your shopping excursions to add a little (or lot of) fun to running errands.

Want more ideas for free things to do with kids in Boston? Take a look at my posts about visiting museums for free in the city of Boston and in Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline. 

The Christmas holiday season is already in full swing. The shopping, music, decorating, parties, potlucks…your list of “to-dos” and “must-attends” is building exponentially!

Before you bust at the seams, visit one of the historic holiday events in New Jersey. It will transport you to a more simple, yet festive time. Many of New Jersey's local museums, homes, venues and towns are celebrating the holidays in the spirit of yesteryear. Whether you are a history buff or a holiday fiend, we’re sure you will find many ways to go back in time to experience the Historic Holidays here in the Garden State.

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!

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.

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!