[UPDATED: December 1, 2012]

There are many benefits to buying handmade goods this holiday season. It makes for more meaningful giving, it supports local craftsmen and is overall better for the environment. The accumulating effects of mass production are a major cause of global warming. If buying with a conscious is high on your list of things to do this holiday season, where do you find high quality handmade goods? The internet is crawling with items that claim to be unique and handmade but it is almost impossible to discern the junk from the gems. Here is the 411 on where to get unique handmade goods in NYC.

Since we've become parents we've grown used to the period between Thanksgiving and New Years being a big blur of activity. The Holidays are a wonderful time in New York City and we try to enjoy its magical moments, whether it's with out of town guests or just with our own children. One thing we know is that there's always too much to do.

We hope our Holiday Guide will help you a little bit by providing you with lots of information organized and in one place, whether it's how to get a Christmas tree or where to volunteer with your children, and lots and lots of fun Holiday activities which we'll keep posting as the information becomes available. One event we hope you'll make time for is our Holiday Toy Swap and Drive.

These weekend events post are so hard to write. Not because it's hard to find cool things to recommend, but because it's hard to pick which ones to include. We've some cool, free events for this weekend that we think should be on your radar, but if you're not checking the calendar for other events, you're really missing out. Below you'll find stuff like the Commemoration of the 233^rd Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Washington (which looks really cool!), a Lenape Indian Hike, a pop-up book celebration, free Sesame Street fun, a jamboree and more.

If you haven't noticed, Sesame Street has been celebrating its 40th Birthday. And it's been quite a celebration. They've gotten a street named after them and Google has been doing cute Sesame Street artwork on their homepage. But I think the coolest thing is happening at the Brooklyn Public Library where they are having some special events and kids can get a very special library card.

Thank you to everyone who entered our launch giveaway for our artists and Artisans Guide and left such great comments. We have picked our winners using a random number generator.