When looking for truly unique presents for my family, I skip the big chains and shop locally at some of my favorite independent stores. Lucky for me, many of my go-to gift spots are located right in my home borough of Queens.

Over the past few years, lots of cool, locally owned Queens boutiques have been opening up or expanding. These are the kind of places where you can pick up interesting (and often eco-friendly) toys, clothes, books, gear and other items for children and sometimes adults, too. If you don't have time to stop in, most of these stores have websites so you can buy online while still supporting a community business.

After Thanksgiving (and after you've had a day to relax), consider spending some quality time with your family celebrating "Small Business Saturday", (November 29th) supporting the local "mom and pop" shops in your neighborhood. Some NJ towns, such as Haddonfield and Red Bank, go all out on Small Business Saturday, involve the whole town, and really make the day something memorable. Don't forget to check out MommyPoppins.com's Fun Holiday Activity Guide, too.

It's beginning to feel a lot like winter, what with the Arctic chill, the record snow fall; I think there's another Polar Vortex on the way and.... oh, not here of course. Here we have our standard 72 and sunny. Kind of hard to get in the holiday spirit when you look outside and all you see is... snow?  Snow in Los Angeles - that can't be right...  I mean, check out the thermometer, it's a balmy...

...9 degrees Fahrenheit?!?! What kind of insane Bizarro World, SoCal ice wonderland are we talking about? (I bet that Elsa chick had something to do with it!) What am I going to do? I'll have to put on a sweater, or one of those coat things I've heard people talk about...

No. No, it's just not right. I'm going to go to my happy place, chill hang out at the beach and watch the waves come in, and sunshine and butterflies...  And Santa Claus surfing to shore. If anyone needs me I'll be hibernating 'til spring.

Keep reading for our most chilling picks for the weekend. 

As a big fan of kids' movies and an even bigger fan of small flightless birds who wear tuxedos, I was very happy that my family was invited by DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox to an event that highlighted both. A morning spent at the Bronx Zoo would have been cool enough, but followed by a private advance screening of the new Penguins of Madagascar movie? That's my kind of family fun. Read on for my review of the film, and some real live penguins as well.

It's beginning to look a lot like all the holidays. The weekend before Thanksgiving brings a holiday train display at the New-York Historical Society, and seasonal shows like Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas at Vital Children's Theatre and TheatreworksUSA's musical take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center.

Speaking of great family shows, the master mimes of Mummenschanz are back at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Plus, we're hosting a special Mommy Poppins Night at the New Victory Theater on Saturday night. Catch the extreme sports spectacle 360 Allstars, enjoy post-show cookie decorating and save 20% on tickets.

These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Holiday Fun Guide.

If your son or daughter has a dream of becoming a famous Olympic figure or speed skater -- or even an ice hockey player -- you'll want to sign them up for lessons. Across Long Island there are a number of rinks that offer classes throughout the year, including these five. And you can help your child practice their skating skills by bringing them to one of Long Island's Top Outdoor or Indoor Rinks.

And for other activities and enrichment options, check out our Long Island Classes Guide.