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.

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.

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!

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.

The holidays are just around the corner. What better way to get your kids into the spirit of the season than by bringing them to enjoy some fun-filled and activities? The town of Brookhaven will host several family-friendly holiday-themed activities for you to enjoy! From tree lightings to parades, these holiday activities are guaranteed to spread holiday cheer.

Already feeling some seasonal stress? We hear you. I had a panic attack the other day when I saw that El Museo del Barrio already put its three kings out when Three Kinds Day is in January! While we can't do your holiday shopping for you we can tell you about the best ways to celebrate Thanksgiving, Hanukkah (which overlap next week) and Christmas with kids in NYC, New Jersey, Westchester, Long Island, Connecticut and beyond.

A big thank you to all of our readers who attended our Holiday Photo Event last weekend. (That's my daughter looking deceptively innocent in the Santa pic by Big Apple Portraits above.) If you didn't make it, that's okay since St. Nick is flying into town in just a week on the tail end of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Speaking of the parade, you can get a fantastic sneak peek at the brand-new floats debuting this year on our Facebook page. We've got great pics of Bloomingdale's recently unveiled holiday windows, too.

Outside of NYC, our Boston site posted a wonderful list of picture books about Boston inspired by the one we did a while back about our favorite NYC children's books. The site also has an excellent primer on how to start a babysitting co-op in your community. Closer to home, our Westchester site rounded up the top 25 things to do with kids in Scarsdale and our New Jersey site continued its series on Great Small Towns with a profile of Clifton, NJ. Both destinations make great day trips for NYC families.

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

It's that time again, New Jersey! Although it seems like Halloween was five minutes ago, we are knee-deep in turkeys, Christmas trees, menorahs, Nutcracker-ing and all the other fun (and hopefully only mildly stressful) things that say "holidays in NJ". Take a peek at our Holiday Guide and find out everything that our state has to offer to max out your holiday spirit. And Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, NJ!

This weekend, celebrate the Long Island Children's Museum's 20th Birthday. Festivities include a birthday party, complete with dance performances, along with a puppet show featuring King Midas. In the mood for some pre-Thanksgiving activities? There's a Turkey Trot in Massapequa, a Native American Feast in Glen Cove, and fun on the farm in Yaphank. Hanukkah is also just around the corner. Check out Thanksgivukkah at the Bernice Jacobson Day School and Camp, along with the Hanukkah Family Day at the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center. As always, check our events calendar every day for fun activities for the family.