They say that giving is better than receiving so we're testing out that theory with our second annual Biggest Holiday Giveaway. We're giving away more than $3,000 in awesome prizes including tickets to see A Christmas Story and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, packages from Disney and Hello Kitty, and lots of other cool swag. You can find all of the prizes on our giveaway page. Enter to win one or all! We're ending one giveaway a day starting next week so don't miss out. Start entering today.

Of course the season isn't all about stuff, it's about spending quality time together, too. So we keep filling our Holiday Fun Guides with the best ways to celebrate in NYC, Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. Cool new posts this week include roundups of the best holiday light displays in Southern Westchester and Connecticut, a list of holiday train shows in Westchester and historical Christmas celebrations in New Jersey. We also added some great posts to our Holiday Gift Guide like at-home DIY presents, great new kids' and YA books and our favorite educational construction kits.

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

It's beginning to look a lot like... well, you know. Over the past week, my daughter and I have been rushing around playing tourist, seeing all of NYC's iconic holiday sights like Santa at Macy's, the spectacular department store holiday windows and the tree at Rockefeller Center. Admittedly, we experienced that last one from the comfort of an MTA bus. We're not crazy enough to try to get close!

Our NYC Holiday Guide includes all kinds of festive fun in the city as well as links to our tri-state-area Holiday Guides. There are some seasonal experiences you can only have outside of the five boroughs, like Polar Express Santa trains and cutting your own Christmas tree.

Since it's a new month, we also posted our December Go Lists highlighting the absolute best things to do throughout the month in NYC, Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. The sheer number of activities in December is overwhelming and we hope these Go Lists help you plan out your family's calendar so you don't miss the really special stuff.

And a couple of cool odds and ends: There's still time to enter this week's awesome giveaway: a family-four pack to Sahara Sam's indoor water park in New Jersey. Got a car? Then you may want to plan a night trip to see some of the best holiday displays in the outer boroughs, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. And our Travel site has a wonderful post about spending Christmas in Dublin, Ireland.

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

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!

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.

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 beginning to look a lot like the holidays in NYC. The Rock Center tree has arrived (though it's not lit yet), the ice-cream truck perpetually parked by my daughter's school is playing Christmas songs (no, I am not making that up) and we're furiously updating our Holiday Fun Guide to help you plan out your season. New holiday-related posts this week include everything you need to know about Macy's Balloon Inflation the night before the big Thanksgiving Day Parade, what's new at the annual Grand Central Terminal and New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Shows and turkey farms you can visit on Long Island.

Speaking of planning your season, are you coming to our Mommy Poppins Holiday Photo Event this Saturday on the Upper East Side? Cross holiday cards off your to-do list as the pros from Big Apple Portrait shoot playful pics of your kids with Santa or against a seasonal background. Other activities include cookie decorating, crafts and storytime, plus giveaways and discounts on cards. Although the morning sessions are pretty much sold out, we still have space in the afternoon so reserve your spot now!

We also have a super-awesome giveaway this week: Four tickets to see the musical Annie on Broadway. Enter now as the giveaway ends early on Friday.

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

Election Day is a big deal for the candidates and for NYC public school students. They may not have a say in who gets elected but they do get the day off! While we hope that voting is at the top of your to-do list on November 5 (with kids in tow, it's never too early to bring them), that's not going to fill up your day. So we've got some suggestions for fun family outings, all FREE. From a must-see display of "canned" art to a hands-on technology museum to no-cost ice-skating, here are seven great things to do with New York City kids on Election Day. Wherever you end up going, be sure to download our FREE Mommy Poppins Kids on the Go app so you find out about all of the other cool things to do nearby.

All of those ghoulish decorations (like the Grim Reaper pictured) will soon be replaced by colorful twinkling lights. The period between Halloween and the holidays is always such a blur. So much seems to happen so quickly in those two months—especially this year with the mayoral election coming up next week and Hanukkah coinciding with Thanksgiving. We're not trying to stress you out! In fact, we want to help you get a jump on your seasonal to-do list by holding our second annual Mommy Poppins Holiday Photo Event early on Saturday, November 16. The awesome photographers from Big Apple Portraits will be snapping pictures of kids with Santa (or against a seasonal background), plus you'll get a $25 credit toward holiday cards and there will be fun crafts, storytime and other activities. Sessions are selling out fast so book yours today.

Speaking of planning ahead, many of our sites published their November Go Lists this week and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade isn't the only must-do tri-state area event. Find out about the best things to do throughout the month in NYC, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Another theme across all of our sites this week? What to do with all of that Halloween candy. We've got lots of recommendations including repurposing it, using it for crafts and science experiments, bringing it to a dentist participating in a candy buy back, or, our favorite, donating it to worthy charities.

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