We were all about Thanksgiving, Black Friday and the start of the holiday season this week. We officially launched our NYC Holiday Guide, which is chock-full of the best places to see Santa, Christmas tree and menorah lightings, various versions of The Nutcracker and more seasonal fun.

Our sister sites are also gearing up for the holidays. New Jersey and Boston have already launched their Holiday Guides, and our Travel site rounded up Black Friday and Cyber Monday travel deals.

If you haven't gotten a chance to book a session at our Hurricane Sandy Holiday Portrait Fundraiser, which takes place on Saturday, December 2 at J&R Jr, now's the time. There will be fun family activities, discounted shopping and amazing kids' portraits courtesy of Stomping Ground Photo, with all proceeds going to Hurricane Sandy relief. It's a wonderful way to give back to those in need this holiday season.

Here's what else we covered on our NYC site this week:

Thanksgiving is the only holiday that I don't host at my home for our extended family.  This makes it the most laid back of holidays in my household.  Instead of spending hours cooking and cleaning the house I get to simply enjoy spending time with my husband and children. During dinner we like to go around the table and state what we are grateful for. It's a nice family tradition that brings gratitude to the forefront. Speaking of gratitude, we here at Mommy Poppins CT would like our readers and sponsors to know that we are grateful for all of your support for our site. We strive to provide great content for you each week that in turn helps you to create wonderful experiences with your families. This weekend is no exception...

Thanksgiving is just about behind us, and already Long Island is turning its eyes toward Christmas, with tree lightings and holiday celebrations. There's a holiday parade and Miracle on Main Street in Sayville, the lighting of the lighthouse and Family Holiday Fun Day in Montauk, and a tree lighting in Glen Cove, to name just a few. Check out our roundup of Christmas tree lightings for more. And the Nutcracker is playing in Port Washington. You can also take your little one to have breakfast with Woody and his crew from Toy Story at United Skates in Seaford. You'll also find a few turkey trots still going on this weekend. And check out our events calendar for still more fun this holiday weekend.

After all the hectic Thanksgiving festivities come to an end and the extended family leaves, settle down and spend some time relaxing with the kids during the rest of your holiday break. There are many activities going on around town that can help to keep you all entertained after the cooking, cleaning and chaos has ceased here in Hartford County.

So you’ve got a belly full of turkey, a fridge full of leftovers and out of town guests waiting to be entertained? Tackle the holiday season full on with the Turtle Back Zoo Holiday Lights Spectacular, Pictures with Santa at Jackrabbit Toys or American Repertory Ballet’s Nutcracker. For some regular fun without candy canes, check out the Rock and Mineral weekend or Aesop’s Fables: A Zany Adaptation! Read on for our top picks and remember you can find a listing of all NJ activities in our Event Calendar.

Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, your holiday head can spin like a sparkly top. That's where we come in! Check out our Holiday Fun Guide for the best activities in caroling, gingerbreading, menorah-ing, and all those other holiday "ing" words. We'll be adding new events daily so check back often for what's awesome in NJ during the happiest time of the year. And don't forget to check out Mommy Poppins NYC's Guide for NY fun. Happy holidays!