The holidays are in full swing now, and plenty of fun events await you and your family this weekend! It's the last chance to catch the Festival of Trees in Wellesley and the ChristmasTime Musical Revue in Waltham. Santa and his helpers are all around town, including at the Santa Skate & Toy Drive in Boston and a Brunch With Santa in Canton.

Free events this weekend include Holiday on Ice to kick off the public skating season in Cambridge, Free Holiday Flicks at Assembly Row in Somerville, and the Polar Express Story Hour in Boston.

The Urban Nutcracker, a jazzy spin on the classic, is opening this weekend in Boston. Across the river in Cambridge, The Christmas Revels is another great holiday show opening. Be among the first to see the Flip Flops, a new musical duo collaboration between two Boston favorites. Other performances the entire family can enjoy include a Kids' Magic Show in Brookline, the Ben Rudnick & Friends Holiday Extravaganza in Arlington, and a Chanukah Cantata at the Central Reform Temple of Boston.

Also on Mommy Poppins this week:

• Michelle shares 6 favorite places to indulge in a cup of hot chocolate, from Brookline to the North Shore. 
• Our list of Where to See Holiday Light Displays will brighten up any evening.
• We give you the inside scoop on how to find Hot Holiday Deals on theater, babysitting, and more in NYC and beyond.
• Bring a little High-Tech Holiday Magic into your home with a call or video message from Santa.
• These Thumbprint Holiday Cards are as much fun to make as receive.

Enjoy your weekend, and don't forget to check out the full events calendar!

You can do no wrong this weekend.  There’s fun and frivolity at every turn, much of it free, and all of it fabulous. A lot of the festivities center around some guy named Kringle, but boats are big this weekend too, as are Nutcrackers and “winter” (as in snow).  And we may have dodged a Thanksgivvikah bullet this year, but that means it’s full-on dreidel time this week. (Let me hear you say men-orah).

But here’s where I’ve got to warn you: there’s just too much. We can’t fit it all in this post; even our calendar is bursting at the seams.  What we’ve got here is a highlights reel, but I guarantee you if you read the whole events calendar, you’ll find something you think we’re crazy for not including here. (And you’d be right!)

You may not be able to do it all, but we're confident that you will nonetheless find something awesome, something inspiring, something spectacular to fill your days. And remember, as always, the best is yet to come!

Keep reading for our some of our favorite picks for the weekend. 

“Max and Ruby! Ruby and her little brother Max!”…and so begins Max and Ruby in the Nutcracker Suite. This re-imagined performance at the Tarrytown Music Hall was so much fun (especially for my Max-and-Ruby-adoring daughter), we've seen the show two years in a row. This unique live performance is filled with original music and dance numbers, colorful characters and some interesting twists on the classic Nutcracker tale.

If you are looking for a theater experience that will engage the whole family, allow for a certain amount of noisy restlessness and leave you with some great stories to tell at the next parenting meet up, this is the show for you. Read on for details about this live performance and tips to know before you go. Looking for more holiday productions? Check out our post on kid-friendly holiday shows. Also, be sure to check out our Holiday Fun Guide.

It's the most wonderful time of the year... or so the song goes. Some may feel stressed through the holidays. Others look forward to December with great anticipation. Either way, the Mommy Poppins calendar has something for everyone.

Put on your ugliest Christmas sweater and run off holiday tension at the Ugly Sweater 5K at Fairmount Park. Be still and star gaze at the Delaware Museum of Natural History or enjoy the peacefulness of the Holiday Luminaria at Lock 60. 

Or, if your family has been stoked for the holidays for months, has already seen The Nutcracker twice, put the tree up weeks ago and is looking for a twist to the traditional holiday fun, consider watching a boat parade, see Santa arrive helicopter style or take a lunch cruise with Santa himself. No matter what you chose, enjoy the holiday as there are only two weeks left.

This weekend, there are lots of ways to get out there and experience the spirit of the season, no matter what holiday you celebrate. Christmas fetes include offbeat annual favorites like the Unsilent Night musical parade in the Village, Tuba Christmas at Rockefeller Center and Chinatown's East Meets West Christmas Fest. While Hanukkah technically begins next week, you can enjoy early celebrations at the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the 92nd Street Y.

This weekend also marks the reopening of the overhauled Cooper Hewitt Museum and the end of the road for restaurant/play space The Moxie Spot, which is going out with a big goodbye bash.

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Holiday Fun Guide.

To say my family loves college football is an understatement. I originally met my husband at a game, and our firstborn's birth announcement was a replica of a Sports Illustrated cover with our son proudly wearing my alma mater's colors. Given our obsession, for us, the holiday season isn't just about seeing Santa, Christmas trees and department store windows, it's about watching college football. There are plenty of big college football events around this time of year, including the presentation of the Heisman Trophy and the annual Pinstripe Bowl, both of which take place right here in NYC.

Read on for all the details plus other ways your family can root for your favorite teams (be they near or far) right here in New York City.

Who’s ready for a break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season? Take a breather from shopping, gift-wrapping and decorating, and enjoy the spirit of the holiday season at these fun and festive weekend events. Indulge your sweet tooth at Liberty Hall’s Gingerbread Workshop and Gerrard Berman Day School’s Chanukah Cookie Decorating. Celebrate everything Christmas at A. Casola Farms’ Winter Wonderland and down the shore at Casino Pier Holiday Party. And warm up with some great family-friendly performances of Elf at Paper Mill Playhouse and Max & Ruby in the Nutcracker Suite at iPlay America. For even more weekend fun, check out the full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.