We hope you're having a happy holiday season, especially now that the big day has come and gone (no more shopping and wrapping—all that's left is to pay the credit card bills). While we're enjoying lots of family time this week just like you, the news marches on, and we've got plenty of interesting tidbits, including the launch of a pilot program that will allow parents in select districts to apply to kindergarten online, a brand-new film series for kids (and the end of another one), a possible school bus strike and a slew of new Times Square tourist traps... ahem, we mean businesses, including a big one for young horror buffs.

The latter part of 2012 has been difficult for Nutmeggers. The tragedy in Newtown and Hurricane Sandy's wrath has left many of us picking up the pieces of our lives, and others searching for ways to help those in need. For suggestions, check out our post on Ways to Help Sandy Hook Elementary School and the Newtown Community. 

As we turn to 2013, let us all be grateful for our blessings and hope for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. We at Mommy Poppins CT are thankful for our readers and will continue being your top resource for events around the state. 

We've already told you about some fun things to do with the kids next week when they’re home with you 24/7, but we have a few more up our sleeve, everything from special stuff you can do together to cool spots where you can drop them off and enjoy some alone time.  Read on for our top picks, including museum adventures, day trips and several mini-camps to keep 'em busy.

Um... still have a to-do list that’s a mile long? We’ve all been there – too many things to get done and not enough time. So, while you were planning out your Christmas menu, we pulled together a list of last minute gift ideas, many of them New Jersey-specific. The best part – all you need is a printer to make most of these gift ideas come to life.

A decade after it was made, Monsters, Inc almost counts as a family classic, and a fun choice for the holiday season. Of course, just because a movie's been around for 10 years doesn't mean moms and dads have all had time to see it yet, so we thought one of our parent reviews might be helpful. What's it all about? Monsters generate their city's power by scaring children, but they are terribly afraid themselves of being contaminated by children. When a child enters Monstropolis, top scarer Sulley finds his world disrupted.

School's out for the holidays, but after a day or two, once the kids get tired of playing with their new toys, they're bored again and looking for something to do. No worries! Plenty of local venues are offering wonderfully enriching activities for kids. Whether you're looking to expend some energy or get the creative juices flowing with some art or perhaps you just want the kids to get outside more, we've found a class for you. Be sure to check your local library as well, many are offering holiday activities, crafts and movies next week. Enjoy!

As excited as we are that Christmas Day is almost here, it's been a bittersweet holiday season for all of us. First Hurricane Sandy. Then the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. We here at Mommy Poppins have been personally touched by both tragedies. One of our NYC contributors, Alison, lost pretty much everything in her Broad Channel, Queens home due to the storm. And last Friday, one of our Connecticut bloggers, Christine, lost a close family friend in Newtown.

It's been hard to stay positive during this trying time and yet, as Christine so eloquently wrote on the CT site, that's exactly what we need to do. As she explained, "As parents our hearts may be heavy but our children are counting down the days until Christmas arrives. One of the most important things we can do right now is to be fully present with our children and maintain a sense of routine and normalcy in their lives. This week, that includes moving forward with our holiday plans, traditions and family outings."

With that in mind, in addition to sharing advice about talking to kids about Sandy Hook and ways to help the victims, all of our sites have continued to post about holiday fun in our respective communities. In NYC, we added posts about things to do on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and throughout holiday break to our Holiday Fun Guide. Connecticut rounded up festive train rides with Santa and Long Island has a slide show of spectacular holiday light displays.

You can find out about all of the best things to do over the holidays in the tri-state area in our Holiday Fun Guides for NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut. From all of the moms here at Mommy Poppins, we wish you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season.

Here's what else we covered in NYC this week:

It's the weekend before Christmas! If you celebrate, no doubt you've got lots of last-minute shopping to do. But the kiddies still need to be entertained. We've got you covered. Santa's at the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery again, there's a great production of the Nutcracker at the LIU Tilles Center, the Cupcake Corner in Garden City's got gingerbread decorating, Take One Theatre has a couple of holiday productions this weekend, and the there's Family Sundays once again at the Nassau County Museum of Art. Check out our Holiday Fun Guide for more great things to do this holiday season.