Happy Holidays, folks! We're smack dab in the middle of a festivity frenzy, with Christmas and Kwanzaa coming on strong. (Those of us who are been-there, dreidel'd-that, done with Hanukkah can turn our attention to the Baby New Year's impending arrival. And Mary Poppins!)

This weekend offers the last chance to put the finishing touches on Christmas, before the big guy comes down the chimney late Monday night. Across Southern California, lights are twinkling, nuts are cracking, and reindeer are romping, as moms and dads scramble to buy last minute gifts (while finding time for a seasonal spectacle or two).

And then comes Christmas. No doubt many of you plan to spend Christmas Day at home with friends and family. For those of you looking for activities outside the home, good news: we're here to help. First up, we offer 25 Things To Do on Christmas Day. And if your kitchen closes on Christmas Day, we present a list of restaurants that are open. Christmas is the gift that keeps on giving, and after the presents are all exchanged we can still enjoy the gift of other people being gone. (Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the freeways much more bearable.) For holiday cheer that continues on into next week, might we suggest some of LA's finest Christmas light displays, or some in Orange County (and, if you're willing to spend a little, some holiday light displays are worth the ticket price). 

And this year we have a special surprise under our tree: Mommy Poppins has just launched sites in Washington, DC and Chicago!  Thank you, Santa, it's exactly what we wanted!

Virtual Reality: it may sound like a phrase describing the half-awake state in which most parenting takes place, but in fact it's something way cooler. VR to our kids is putting on a pair of goggles and going somewhere entirely different, to experience things that aren't remotely happening. And that type of adventure is the trade of a seemingly uneventful little space in Glendale and Anaheim called The VOID, whose newest VR experience lets visitors enter the world of Ralph Breaks the Internet. 

As we approach Thanksgiving week, we are reminded of all we have to be grateful for, and perhaps much we have taken for granted in the past. Our wild, beautiful woodlands and coastline are the heart and soul of our city, but can also represent great vulnerability. Our hearts go out to all who have experienced loss in the last week.

According to the most recent reports, 98,362 acres have been burned by the Woolsey and fire, and 435 structures have been destroyed, with another 57,000 still listed as being in danger. Even in areas where the immediate risk of fire has passed there may still hazards due to debris, utility outages, and damaged infrastructure such as roadways and power lines.

Many venues were closed and whole communities evacuated during the fires, due to air quality, road accessibility, and continued fire risk. As our emergency responders get the flames under control, we can start to take stock of the damage that has been done.

Below we list the status of some popular locations in the affected area that may impact your family. We will update the list as we get more information.

Summer vacation ain't what it used to be. The majority of SoCal school districts now opt for an August start date, with only a few South Bay stragglers sticking with the old-school, post-Labor Day start. And beware assuming that school starts and finishes roughly when it did last year, because schedules seem to change all the time. This year Alhambra is first out of the gate, leading the back-to-school race with a pool-party-pooper start date of August 10; Torrance kids still get the most out of summer with their September 6 first day.

Wondering where your district fits in, and how much time you have left for these 50 Free Things To Do in Summer? Bookmark our list below with start and finish dates for the 2018-2019 school year all over LA County. And if what you read makes you wonder about what other school options are available to you, maybe our school guide can help.

How is a theme park like your kids? Because just when you think you know everything about them, they up and change on you. And just like with your kid, those changes are (mostly) good. Sure, we may have to say good-bye to a couple of old favorites, but look at all we get in their place. Sit back, buckle up, keep your arms inside the ride at all times, and see what our local theme parks have in store for you this summer.  

Google, let's play mini golf! The Google Mini Golf pop-up coming to Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica finds a cool way to demonstrate Google Home products: with a voice and putter activated mini golf game.  

And... action! As summer kicks off, a familiar annual scene is playing out at locations throughout the Southland: the season of free, nearly free, and gloriously cheap outdoor summer movie series has started rolling. At museums, parks, beaches, and malls, indoors and outdoors, in the early morning and by the light of the moon, families can catch both recent blockbusters and timeless classics for free or close to it. (While free is awesome, we think a dollar is still pretty good!)

Below you can find our comprehensive guide to free (and darn close to it) summer movie screenings and festivals. Click on the event names for more details, including movie titles. And keep checking back, because we'll continue to post more listings as they are announced, throughout the 2017 summer movie season.

Well take a look at that! An Observation Wheel—which is another way of saying a really huge Ferris wheel with a great view—is setting up shop in Long Beach next to the Queen Mary, for one month only. No mere amusement park ride (though we like those very much!), the Observation Wheel offers birds-eye views of the picturesque Long Beach sky line, the majestic Queen Mary, and beyond. This thing is so tall you may be able to spot the buffalo grazing on Catalina Island.