There are few places to take pictures with Santa in New York City that compare with Macy's Santaland. It's a magical experience for tourists and natives alike during the Christmas season.

Macy's opens its 13,000-square-foot winter wonderland on Friday, November 28, 2025. Overflowing with holiday cheer from its live elves to an enchanted forest, animatronic toys, and a train display, Macy's Santaland 2025 is open daily through Christmas Eve: Wednesday, December 24, 2025.

As in previous years, visitors must book a FREE reservation to take pictures with Santa at Macy's Santaland, which requires some planning. Read on for everything you need to know about visiting Macy's Santaland 2025, and find more top picks for holiday fun in our NYC Kids' Guide Christmas and the Holidays, including the season's can't-miss Christmas activities for families.

Kids love learning silly, surprising, and magical tidbits about the holidays—and Christmas is full of them! Fun facts about Christmas are perfect for trivia games, long holiday car rides, classroom projects, or simply getting into the holiday spirit.

From reindeer fun facts and Santa Claus facts to trivia about history and Christmas traditions around the world, here are 45 Christmas fun facts for curious kids (and parents, too!). Our Ultimate Collection of Fun Facts and Mind-Blowing Trivia for Kids has even more fun facts, including our lists of fun animal facts and 125 fun facts for kids that will blow their minds. 

Check out this new museum installation while it's in Houston.

Christmas lights shine brightly in New Jersey, and you can enjoy amazingly decked-out houses with stunning holiday displays throughout the state. There are many different ways to see Christmas lights—from walk-through spectacles at amusement parks to over-the-top drive-thru displays and stunning displays on private homes. There are even entire towns that go all out with holiday light installations!

These sparkling holiday spectacles—some of which feature more than 1 million lights—are sure to impress even the grinchiest member of your family. So, bundle up the kids and head out to one of these illuminating local light shows before the sun sets on the Christmas season!

Check out our roundup of New Jersey Christmas towns that go all out for the holidays, and find more ways to be merry in our New Jersey Kids' Guide to Holiday Fun.

Looking for the best free Christmas lights in Dallas-Fort Worth? From the must-see neighborhoods to that one home everyone talks about, we've got the best places to check out holiday lights in the metroplex. 

North Texas loves its Christmas lights like it loves its Tex-Mex. Extra everything. That's why it's not hard to blink and find some pretty cool neighborhood light displays just about anywhere in DFW. And, not surprisingly, a few of them have made an appearance on ABC's Great Christmas Light Fight. We've narrowed it down to our absolute favorites, and I can tell you that while my kids might be tweens and teens, they're still always up for hopping in the car and driving the distance to check out some of these displays—with a drive through Starbucks for hot chocolate first, of course. 

If you're looking for more holiday and Christmas fun, check out these festive hotels and Christmas towns in Dallas-Fort Worth and our favorite must-do Christmas events in DFW. 

New River Gorge in West Virginia has long been a favorite of outdoorsy families because of its unique beauty (that iconic bridge!) and recreational offerings, from hiking to white water rafting and mountain biking. In 2020, the area was elevated to national park status, making it an even more popular travel destination. 

Spanning over 72,000 acres of protected land that includes 53 miles of the New River, New River Gorge National Park (located in the small town of Fayetteville) is the perfect place for families looking to unplug in nature. My kids and I couldn't wait to explore America's newest national park, both by boat and by foot!

Read on for our guide to visiting New River Gorge with kids, including the best things to do in New River Gorge National Park, New River Gorge hotels and camping, family-friendly hikes in New River Gorge, and more. Check out our US National Parks Family Travel Guide for more national parks to visit with kids, including our top-ten list of family-friendly national parks.

Find the neighborhoods with the best holiday lights in Greater Boston in 2025!

See some amazing Christmas lights and holiday displays in CT in 2025!