Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced sweeping admissions changes for public middle and high schools. Spurred by pandemic-induced limitations, middle schools will put a one-year pause on all screening requirements. High schools are eliminating geographic priorities over the next two years, plus conducting the specialized high school entrance exam at local middle schools, and allowing auditions for selective performing arts schools to be completed online.

In addition to announcing admissions changes, officials detailed the long-delayed application timeline; in a normal year, applications are submitted by the holiday break.

Find plenty more information about the NYC Department of Education, plus after-school classes and distance learning support in our Schools Guide.

Ready or not, Santa Claus is coming to town! For kids who may not have gotten the chance to deliver their letters in person this year, let them call Santa for a big thrill. We've rounded up several ways to call Santa, get Santa to call your kids (or text them), and more Christmas fun, like tracking Santa on the big night.

Want to really blow their minds? There are apps that let you share a photo of Santa handing out presents in your very own living room. Christmastime is already among the most magical seasons for children, but these fun tools take it to the next level. Read on for our favorite ways to check in with Santa before Christmas. Our special gift for you: These special Santa calls and experiences are (mostly) FREE!

For 2020, the elves have taken it a step further with virtual visits with Santa Claus, where kids can interact with the big guy from the safety of home.

Lights are as synonymous with the holidays as trees and trains. From festive holiday window displays to luminous drive-thru installations and dazzling residential displays, lighted artistic creations evoke holiday magic throughout NYC and beyond. In 2020, the New York Botanical Garden has added a brand new spectacular light display, NYBG Glow, to its seasonal calendar.

A long-time seasonal destination for its annual holiday train show, which is limiting attendance to members this year, NYBG Glow is a creative outdoor light exhibition offering holiday cheer and fun for the whole family.

Read on for more details on the inaugural light display, and be sure to peruse our Holiday Fun Guide for more ways to enjoy the season.

Keep the holiday spirits high this season by knocking your kids' socks off with a showstopping Christmas dessert. To top off your at-home Christmas dinner, we’ve combed through Westchester bakeries in search of the most festive, mouth-watering holiday sweets to end your holiday on a high note.

Whether you crave cake or cookies, are traditional or experimental, we've got Christmas dessert options galore. What's more, these special holiday offerings even include hot cocoa bombs, the trendy new treat for sipping in holiday flavors and styles.

Read on for the skinny on Christmas desserts, plus be sure to check out our ideas for new holiday traditions you can start with your family this year.

Let me guess: Your kids are spending more time at home than usual this holiday season. In between virtual gingerbread competitions, Zoom Christmas crafts, and backyard candy cane hunts, put on your thinking caps (they might be red with a white pom-pom on top) and make reindeer toothpaste. This holiday twist on the popular elephant toothpaste experiment uses hydrogen peroxide, active dry yeast, dish soap, and colored sanding sugar or food dye to create a fizzy, festive foam—the sort of stuff Rudolph might use to clean his teeth after sampling all those cookies on Christmas Eve.

Check out our mega list of easy science experiments using household stuff for more ideas to keep kids busy over holiday break.

If Christmas lights are your jam, you may have wondered about the oodles of drive-thru holiday light displays that have sprung up around LA this season as antidotes to the pandemic blues. With so many holiday traditions canceled for Christmas 2020, it's pretty exciting to find new ones. But are these commercial drive-thrus worth the price of admission? In the case of Holiday Road at King Gillette Ranch, I'm going to go out on a Christmas tree limb to say yes! If you're able to spend some of the cash you're saving by missing out on Disneyland and holiday travel, then Holiday Road could be a delightful and festive evening excursion for the whole family.

Grab your PJs and pack an overnight bag because FAO Schwarz has teamed up with Airbnb to offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an only-in-New-York slumber party.

The experience, which is available for booking Tuesday, December 15, for the bargain-basement price of just $25, offers a one-night-only stay in the iconic toy store, complete with a real FAO Schwarz toy soldier as your host and tour guide, a glittering living room setup overlooking the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, and plenty more perks with exclusive access to the toy store for the entirety of your stay.

Trying to find fun things to do with kids during the pandemic is tricky, especially as the seasons change, but Christmas lights shows are coming to the rescue. There are tons of drive-thru options ranging from elaborate home displays to large-scale professional extravaganzas nearby. While some of these light shows are newcomers, the Skylands Stadium Christmas Light Show in Augusta, New Jersey, is a long-running drive-thru display that's already deep into its 2020 run. Boasting more than 2 million sparkling lights and some interactive outdoor elements, we had to check it out for ourselves. 

Read on for our full review of the Skylands Stadium Christmas Light Show, and find more safe, seasonal fun in our Holiday Guide for New Jersey Families.