Before New York was New York, it was New Amsterdam and before Santa Claus was Santa Claus, he was Sinterklaas. In the Netherlands, children leave their shoes out on the night of December 5^th for Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) who comes to their houses and fills the shoes with chocolates and candies (or bundles of sticks for the naughty) in celebration of St. Nicholas’s Day on December 6th.

Celebrate Christmas in New York the old school way by adding a little Sinterklaas to your Holiday mix.

One of the things I enjoy more than anything else that comes out of this blog is when I have a chance to use it to make a difference in the world. A year ago, with just one post to our readers, we helped provide over $1000 worth of school supplies for NYC children who had none. This weekend we are hosting (with A Child Grows in Brooklyn and Kidville) a toy swap which is not only going to be lots of fun, but promises to provide hundreds of toys for children this Holiday season. Now I have a new opportunity that I am very excited to be part of and you should be excited too because it involves great prizes.

I've got a hodgepodge of cool info to share today. Starting with a fun event for this evening, free tennis lessons, and one Cyber Monday sale perfect for little New Yorkers, Plus I'm announcing a couple of new projects that 'm very excited to be part of. Check it out:

We braved the crowds and made it to the parade this year. Lots of time to reflect as the balloons and floats go by, kids shouting with glee at each one. I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Our family has had many struggles, but I feel we've come a long way with lots of help and support. Thank you for supporting this site with your comments, tips, feedback, kind words and encouragement and sharing it with your friends. Working on this site has been an amazing adventure. Thank you for reading Mommy Poppins and being part of this community.

Click here to see the amazing 2014 Department Store Holiday Windows.

Your children's holiday memories won't be about the toys they get under the tree, they're going going to be about the wonderful holiday traditions that your family shared. One of these traditions should be going to see the department store Holiday window displays. These festive holiday windows are a great way to get into the holiday spirit and this simply magical experience is completely free.

Lots of people like to do the Holiday Windows Walk on Christmas Eve, but it's also a great way to walk off your Thanksgiving dinner because it tends to be less crowded when the stores are closed. We've rounded up the best ones for kids (the more traditional displays), plus some other great Holiday stops to visit while you're in the neighborhood.

My daughter who is 7 years old had an educational workshop about fire safety at her after school program. I'm interested in taking her to a real fire house to help bring his lesson home. Do you know of any? — Yolanda

It's great to teach our children about fire safety and I've always found the firemen at our local firehouse to be really friendly. If they're not rushing off to a fire, they generally will welcome kids into the station to check out the trucks and see what they do. But, there are also two special museums set up just to teach children about fire fighting and fire safety rather than just trying to show up at your local fire house.

Aigner Chocolates, formerly known as Krause’s Candy Kitchen, is a magical walk back to the time when small shops ruled New York City. This unassuming storefront on the corner of Metropolitan Ave and 71st Road in Forest Hills, Queens has small town charm combined with homemade quality. As soon as you walk in the door, one is hit with the smell of chocolate which instantly takes me back to my childhood.

I’ve always found the weekend before Thanksgiving to be exciting, since the whole family is starting to get in the holiday spirit and kids know vacations (and presents, of course) are coming. But before you start thinking about gifts or prepping food before the big cook-off, take some time to enjoy the pre-Rockefeller Tree-d city—it won’t look like this again until mid-January. This weekend there’s an incredible array of free and cheap art events, live music and food at El Museo del Barrio, a scarecrow making contest, circus fun, a gross (but awesome) icky festival and more.