Because of a personal loss as well as some of the disturbing things going on in our city and country these days, I've been putting a lot of energy into making my family's holiday season feel even more special than usual (in between some tough conversations about grief and justice with my daughter). In addition to our annual traditions such as going to Macy's Santaland and seeing all the department store windows, we've been crossing things off our holiday bucket list, like enjoying tea with Santa at the Plaza and splurging on holiday spectacles like Cirque Ziva and the family opera Puss in Boots/El Gato con Botas.

Of course, you don't need to spend lots of money to make the season magical. This week, we wrote about no-cost ways to connect with Santa online and over the phone, shared a pair of inexpensive and easy-to-make holiday crafts, and posted slide shows of gloriously over-the-top holiday homes on Long Island, in Philly and Connecticut, all FREE to see.

In the market for a winter getaway? Our Travel site has a roundup of enticing vacation deals near and far, and a few are even valid during the upcoming school break.

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