[UPDATED: NOVEMBER 12, 2012]

We're big fans of shopping local, which is why we gave our Holiday Gift Guide a local focus. Shopping at New York City's wonderful holiday craft fairs and bazaars is a great way to find one-of-a-kind gifts for everyone on your list while supporting resident artisans. You can pick up all kinds of treasures like handmade jewelry, accessories, toys, clothing and other original goods created by craftspeople. Read on for our round-up of six spectacular holiday craft fairs in NYC this season. Several of the events even offer entertainment for the kids so you can shop without the little ones tugging at your sleeve.

[UPDATED: NOVEMBER 11, 2012]

There are many wonderful holiday stories but none as iconic as Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. In fact, the tale was so popular when it was first published in 1843 that revelers took the holiday greeting "Merry Christmas" straight from its pages. This spooky Christmas ghost story is the ultimate tale of redemption and it still rings true after two centuries.

So this holiday season, don’t be a Scrooge! Take your Tiny Tim to see a family-friendly adaptation of this treasured classic. Since there are many stage versions of A Christmas Carol around New York City, we've highlighted the ones that are the most family-friendly.

[UPDATED: July 26, 2010]

We don't usually post about NYC hotels since, well, we all live here, and most of our readers do too. But with the holidays coming up, we know lots of out-of-town families will be looking for affordable kid-friendly places to stay. While staying in Times Square or another tourist area may seem like the way to go, we recommend the Upper West Side.

We've been focusing on this super-family-friendly neighborhood all month long, and it really is a kids' paradise with big attractions like the American Museum of Natural History and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Riverside and Central Park, and tons of places to play, eat and have fun. While hotels here are no bargain, they're usually a bit cheaper than their Midtown Manhattan counterparts. (We're not including prices though, since they change so often and many websites offer discounted rates.) Plus, since it's a residential area, visiting families can get a taste of how "real" New Yorkers live.

As a longtime UWS resident, I suggest these hotels to my family and friends when they come to town (they can't stay with me, my apartment barely fits my own family!). All five are within walking distance of the UWS' best spots and near subway lines that will have you in Midtown in minutes.

With leaves falling from the trees, temperatures dropping and holiday decorations strung up, autumn is quickly on its way out, and so are Jersey City’s wonderful farmers markets. The abundance of berries, zucchini and tomatoes that we cherish in the summer and early fall are hard to come by as the winter months close in, but three of the markets in Jersey City are still open for just a few more weeks. Savor the last of the season and try a few new recipes!

During our month-long series of posts focusing on the Upper West Side, we've shared many of our favorite neighborhood haunts, including toy stores, play spots and family-friendly restaurants. Now we've got something really sweet for you: our top dessert spots on the UWS.

There are of course a slew of UWS places where you can pop in for a quick treat. We've picked the nine that we always have trouble resisting, jam-packed with all kinds of goodies from cupcakes to ice cream, cake to cookies.

By Katie Owsley

This is it.  This is the year.  The year that we will get those holiday photos in the mail before, well...Valentine’s Day.  This is our year!!!!  But how to make the photo unique, adorable, and creative?  A few ideas to help get your wheels turning:

Bring It On: The Musical has kicked off its national tour at the Ahmanson Theatre, and one lucky family in the Mommy Poppins community gets to see the show for free! Read on to find out how to score four free tickets to the December 8th performance!

This week was all about Thanksgiving. Now that the parade is done and the turkey's been eaten, we're turning our attention to the holiday season. Black Friday sales are here, and the first big tree lighting of the season at South Street Seaport is on Friday night. There are also a bunch of spectacular illuminations and celebrations next week, including Winter's Eve at Lincoln Square, the Holiday Lighting Extravaganza at the Winter Garden and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

While holiday fetes are fun, one of the best things to do at this time of year is give back to your community. In addition to launching a MommyPoppins food drive to help 10,000 NYC children this holiday season, we updated our post on volunteering with kids in NYC and we even have suggestions for ways you can help without leaving home. We'll continue to update our Holiday Fun and Holiday Gift Guides over the next few weeks, so be sure to check back throughout the season.

And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut, as well as selected stories from our sites in Boston and Los Angeles.