It's New Year's and time for reflecting on all things as we put the blur of the Holiday's behind us and move on to a fresh start. I have Lady Gaga’s “Christmas Tree” song stuck in my head, I’m suffering from three wrapping paper-cuts and don’t get me started on the constant search for new spots to place our Elf on the Shelf. Why am I so behind on my To Do list? You know it – I’ve been surfing around, discovering some interesting tidbits to pass along to you. Kick back with some left over egg nog, turn on anything but holiday tunes, and enjoy these finds.

Have you made your New Year’s Resolutions yet? What’s on your list? Eating healthier? Getting to the gym three times a week? Paring down the reality TV shows you watch from nine, to say, three? All of these are great goals, but what about adding a few you can do as a family? The start of a new year is a perfect way to start a good family “habit.” We’ve listed a few for you to kick off in January.

We've had a great week of giveaways this week and made some very happy Holidays for a few folks. While there's still time to enter our giveaway for a $100 Best Buy Gift card (closing Thursday, December 23 at 10PM), today we're giving away 4 tickets to Cirque de Soleil's Wintuk.

Do you like to connect to the internet from wherever you are? Browse Facebook while waiting for the kids at Karate? Watch streaming video between meetings? New WiMAX-enabled laptops mean you can connect wherever you are at 4G speeds. To celebrate, Intel asked us to give away a $100 Best Buy gift cards and let you know how you can get another one too.

How does the New Victory Theater manage to have so many amazing shows that are sophisticated, entertaining, and yet, great for young audiences? I don't know, but I love it. Their latest feat is MOMENTUM a feisty interactive dance performance that kids and adults will both love. We're giving away four tickets to this fun show that will certainly make your Holidays a splash.

To show our appreciation for our readers (you) and add a little excitement into your Holiday celebrations, we are doing a week of giveaways this week. Starting today, we will be giving away one big ticket item each day this week. Each giveaway will only last one or two days, so don't blink. We're kicking this event off with tickets to the Big Apple Circus! And we've got other great prizes coming too: more great tickets and prizes, including a Best Buy gift card.

This weekend, the last weekend before Christmas, has something for everyone! Fun shopping events, live holiday music and dance, arts and crafts programs, bird counting and a very cool sounding Winter Solstice Party.  Plus, down at the Seaport Museum you can check out some old fashioned theater in the form of a magic lantern show or visit one of the city’s zoos to watch the animals go crazy ripping open their gifts.  For a nice early holiday celebration head to an elegant yet family friendly high tea service or you could try to catch one of those nostalgic trains the MTA is running before they put them back in the shed till next year.

There is a ton of fun waiting for you in our events calendar or in the Mommy Poppins Holiday Activity Guide.  Read on for our best bets for the weekend and we hope you make it a great one.

Only one week left until Christmas!  Keep the kids busy with free festivals like the Kwanzaa Festival at NJPAC with everything from dance classes to crafts, or the free Maplewood Dickens Village Holiday Event with a petting zoo, face painting, horse and wagon rides and holiday crafts.  Grinch lovers can enjoy a Whoville Feast at Liberty Hall Museum with real Roast Beast.  Santa will also be making an early appearance at local ice skating rinks in West Windsor, Roselle, Secaucus and Jersey City.  Finally, check out some holiday lights, either the old fashioned kind in the form of a candlelight tour of the Historic Allaire Village, or the more modern kind at the Turtleback zoo and the Planetarium.

And for more great holiday fun, see our Holiday Guide.