Holiday festivities, academic enrichment and hands-on fun are all in store for Westchester families this week.

Stimulate your gray matter while fostering a love of reading at the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School – Release Party or learn to optimize your college-admissions strategy at Amazing Extracurriculars. With Thanksgiving around the corner, it might seem a bit early for celebrations of the December holidays, but the Annual Tree Lighting Celebration—the first of the season—is packed with fun attractions (so just pretend it’s December).

Not ready to think Christmas? Not a problem: Our Event Calendar has plenty of alternatives to choose from and is loaded with options for every day of the week! Read on for our top weekday picks!

It's one of the most iconic symbols of our city, but have you ever hiked to the Hollywood sign? Sure, you can't get close enough to touch it, but you can hike to the top of Mt. Lee, reaching a vantage point above and behind it, and enjoy one of the most amazing views of the Griffith Observatory, Downtown LA, and Hollywood. The most kid-friendly route follows the wide, graded Hollyridge Trail to a paved road (closed to cars) up Mt. Lee. Roughly 3.5 miles round trip, it is not too much for most kids; there are generally plenty of preschoolers out on the trail. The entire hike follows fire roads and paved road, so even a stroller can make this trip—if you don't mind pushing it up about 800 feet of elevation gain, and controlling it on the way back down.

Hand-print turkeys, corn husk dolls, leaf collages and Thanksgiving Day parade floats—now is the time of year when kids begin making those adorable seasonal and decorative crafts.

Most young kids love making crafts, and it’s a great way to engage their imaginations, enhance their motor skills and get into the holiday spirit.

While you can make crafts at home and older children often create them at school, it’s fun to take your toddler or preschooler somewhere new for crafting projects. We’ve rounded up several craft destinations where toddlers can make Thanksgiving-related decorations. Read on for our favorites, and make sure to find lots of room in your home to showcase your tot’s handiwork.

This time of year can be wonderful and magical for kids and adults alike, but I often worry about my kids turning into little “gimme” trolls when the holidays come around. To help the whole family focus a little less on getting and a little more on giving this holiday season, take a look at these local opportunities. They are easy to incorporate into hectic schedules and perfect for teaching kids the joy of giving in a meaningful way. If you’d rather donate your time as a family, check out my post about volunteering with kids during the holidays. 

The Statue of Liberty, despite its world-renowned status, is one of those iconic local landmarks that few NYC families may think to visit. After all, you have to take a ferry to it and order tickets in advance—not exactly the makings of a spontaneous weekend outing with the kids.

But a tour of Lady Liberty, including a hike to the crown and a ferry stop at Ellis Island for a bit of history, actually has plenty to offer families, whether local or visiting from elsewhere, especially for those with kids ages 5 and up.

Eager to see this monument up close and cross it off our family’s NYC bucket list, I recently made my way to the Statue of Liberty with four kids, ages 5 to 7, in tow and just one other adult. Read on for the scoop on how to score tickets, as well as must-know tips for families like kid height requirements for tours of the crown. 

The countdown to Thanksgiving is in full swing and that means the NYC Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is looming large on the horizon. We've already given you our insider tips for where to watch the parade and how to manage the crowds at the balloon inflation, but now we're sharing a sneak peek of four of the giant balloons set to join the 89th annual parade on Thursday, November 26, for the very first time—or the first time in a number of years.

Macy's held a test flight Sunday in the Citi Field parking lot so new additions could get a few steps under their wings before the big parade day. Read on to meet the cast of (new) characters.

I admit, last weekend I was sort of freaking out about the whole "November isn't Christmas" thing, but it's cool now. We met Santa,  hung with a few elves; there's red cups all over town, and we're even thinking of meeting up with Santa again (because we'll have lots of opportunities).

Stuff may not be over 'til the fat lady sings, but the holidays ain't even started until the Family Guy (creator) gets his croon on. Twice. But you can also do science by way of animation, twice, and I don't think it has anything to do with the holidays. We've got Smurfs, Giant Robot, Sir Topham Hatt, and the Peanuts; we've got stunt dogs and Okee Dokee Bros, all of it non-denominational.

Yes, you can start your holiday shopping now. Yes, you can skate and play in the snow. And break out the pecans because we've got Nutcrackers, twice. And if there is one lesson that this weekend in November can teach us, it is that the holidays are there for you if you want to find them. Me, personally, I look in those red cups. Twice.

Keep reading for our most down for the season picks for this weekend....

By mid-November, Philly families can sense the excitement of the holidays. So, does our Events Calendar, as it is jam-packed with events celebrating the season. Santa has arrived at the mall and holiday shows have already hit the stage.

However, if you aren't quite ready to delve into the holidays, there are tons of wonderful non-holiday events this weekend. Attend the National Dog Show at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. Learn about the Native Americans at Great Valley Nature Center's Lenape Festival. Or, hear the West Philadelphia Orchestra at its free concert, held at Philadelphia's Central Library.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter, which is delivered on Thursday mornings. And, don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram to keep up with the latest postings. In the meantime, read below to check out this weekend's top picks.