It's the last weekend before Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the official start of the holiday season. But before you begin your annual gift-shopping in earnest, make sure to take some time out to give back to the community and have a little family fun. This weekend there are several volunteer opportunities in Stamford, Bridgeport, and New Canaan.  If you simply can't wait to start getting into the Christmas spirit, check out the annual Fantasy of Lights, with 60 animated displays containing over 100,000 lights in a mile-long display. Of course, there's the annual Stamford Parade Spectacular, too. 

You'll find all sorts of holiday fun recommendations in our Holiday Fun Guide. For even more ideas, make sure that you subscribe to our free, weekly newsletters and follow us on Facebook and Instagram so that you won't miss any of the fun. Have a great weekend!

Brace yourselves: This weekend brings a veritable blizzard of much-loved holiday events to Chicagoland, from the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, to the opening weekend of Illuminations at the Morton Arboretum, to the Chicago Toy and Game Fair. Holiday train season rolls into town this weekend, too, with the return of the CTA Holiday Trains downtown, the Polar Express Train Ride from Union Station, and the Fox River Trolley Polar Express train ride out in Aurora. And families can get a head start on presents at holiday markets around town: There's the annual Millennium Park Art Market, the seasonal Randolph Street Holiday Market, and the traditional Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza and at Gallagher Way in Wrigleyville.

If you think it feels a little early for all this holiday stuff, there's plenty of Christmas-free activity too. Teens can build their comedy skills at a FREE workshop hosted by Second City, a new exhibit devoted to the Chicago Night Sky opens at the Adler Planetarium, kids can learn about the origins of the written word at the Oriental Institute Museum, and families can drop in for FREE, hands-on activities sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Biennial. 

Meanwhile, Frozen 2 fever reaches its peak this weekend with Snow Queen-inspired events like a meet-and-greet, a Frozen sing-along, and a sensory-friendly screening of the film. 

For even more fun things to do with Chicago kids, check out our highlights below, and keep an eye on the event calendar.

Assorted fun is coming up this weekend for Westchester and Hudson Valley kids, including several ways to get a jumpstart on Thanksgiving festivities.

For starters, there's the Annual Valenti Thanksgiving Day Parade, one of the largest Thanksgiving parades in the state. In a similar vein, celebrate National Native American Heritage Month by creating wampum beads and viewing exhibits, or immerse your family in our early settlers' lifestyle at Living Off the Land. Families can also honor the bird of the month by learning more about it at Turkey Day. For a departure from the holiday, snag a seat at the performance by Arch 8, a multi-genre production with a message.

These are just a few of our top picks for the weekend; the rest can be found below, and there are even more fun and enriching opportunities on our Event Calendar. Consult our November GoList to plan ahead, and sign up for our weekly newsletters to stay current with all our great findings!