For some of us, shopping on Black Friday has about as much appeal as jumping into a lake in December*. Small Business Saturday, on November 24th this year, is much more my speed. Keeping things local, supporting our small businesses and all that they do for our communities is a good thing to do. I don't know about you, but I just feel better when I shop local which in turn is a little gift for me. Supporting my neighbors and helping our environment while getting holiday shopping done? Score! Plus, the small businesses in my area have lots of cool, unusual and creative gifts not to mention beautiful little villages to stroll about in. There are some great children's boutiques and toy stores in Litchfield County that will have their doors wide open for you this Saturday. Oh, and if you noticed the asterisk next to "jumping into the lake in December" you can do just that this year at Lake Waramaug on December 2nd during the Polar Plunge event. Sounds like a fun new (and chilly) family tradition to me! Read on for a listing of boutiques and shops that you can support in Litchfield County on Small Business Saturday (as well as every other day of the year).

Boom! Pow! Crash! Zap! If your kid's hero is more Tony Stark than LeBron James, finding a local comic book shop is a must. Just think of all the cool things your kid can learn through reading comic books: the battle of good and evil, visual storytelling, hilarious (intentional and unintentional) dialogue, and how to rock a cape. Read on for quotes and recommendations from some Jersey comic book store owners and a listing of great Northern NJ stores.

All of our sites are busy gearing up for the holiday season. In New York City, we've been working around the clock updating our Holiday Fun Guide with important info on big seasonal attractions like the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show, all of the different Nutcracker ballets dancing around town and next week's main event: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Our regional sites have been very focused on Turkey Day this week, with posts about family-friendly restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinner in New Jersey and Fairfield County, Connecticut, while our Boston site has a mouth-watering list of Thanksgiving recipes from the 1600s that are so easy, kids can help make them. If you're thinking of travel, we've posted a list of Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday travel deals. 

While the holidays are a magical time when our communities come together and go all out with sparkling lights and holiday displays, this year it's a bittersweet experience since we're all still worrying about those whose lives were derailed by Hurricane Sandy. That's why we here at Mommy Poppins were inspired to organize a Holiday Portrait Fundraiser, equal parts holiday photo session and family party, with all proceeds going to Hurricane Sandy relief. Read on for details about this one-day-only event and everything else we covered on our NYC site this week.

If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving getaway, a Black Friday shop-till-you-drop special, a bargain in Orlando or a tropical getaway, there are good family travel deals to be had this month.  Consider spending Thanksgiving on the slopes in Maine, get online to score a Cyber Monday special in Los Angeles or plan a money-saving trip to Myrtle Beach, Palm Springs or Vermont. There is also an Aruba resort with a heart, which is donating funds to East Coast victims of Sandy.  Read on for the full scoop.

Happy weekend before Thanksgiving! In between your preparations, this weekend you can take the kids to a Thanksgiving celebration at the Long Island Science Center, a nature walk at the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center in Yaphank, or how about a show? Beauty and the Beast's Magical Christmas is playing at the Vanderbilt Carriage House, and The Velveteen Rabbit is playing at the Tilles Center. As always, check out our events calendar for more great activities.

Holiday Portrait Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser Sunday, December 2 at J&R Jr.
Limited space available. Reserve your portrait session now!

Mommy Poppins is hosting a special holiday event that we hope will add some holiday cheer, make your life a little easier and give to those who need it most this year.

Our Holiday Portrait Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser will help you check one of the toughest seasonal tasks off your list: holiday cards. You'll get cool portraits, discounted holiday cards and gift shopping, fun holiday activities all in one—and 100% of the proceeds go to Hurricane Sandy relief. That's a true win-win-win. Read on for all the details about our Holiday Portrait Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser.

So I'm chatting with this friend and she's all "la la la, Thanksgiving next week," and I'm all "la la la, um, no it isn't," and then I'm all, looking at the calendar and I'm totally "no way! Thanksgiving's next week! How can that be?!" True, the writing has been on the wall, the trees quietly being lit, the jolly old elves popping out of chimneys and into the malls. And perhaps my favorite harbinger of the season, the appearance of the red cups at our favorite coffee joints (I, for one, will be getting my caffeine on this weekend). But doesn't it seem as if the turkey is getting short shrift in this arrangement? Or maybe that's just the way he wants it...

In the meantime, you can use this building-up-to-the-holidays time to blackmail strongarm encourage some good works in your children. This weekend, kids can help clean up the California coastline and participate in a fundraising walk. Perhaps they'll be so inspired they might even clean their rooms. (A mom can dream.)

We've got another newsletter giveaway this week. If you're reading this in our newsletter, look up, there it is!  If you're a subscriber reading this on the website, go check your email! If you're not a subscriber, I just don't know what to say to you. Except maybe: subscribe!  Then you, too, can participate in our super cool, subscriber-only giveaways!

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

Our roundup of weekend events for kids and families in and around Boston features lots of outdoor activities, from a Dog Sled Fun Run in Milton to the Big Woods Hike in Ipswich. Other activities include a concert with SteveSongs, the second weekend of the Family Film Festival, and the opening of the new Boston Blinks! at Faneuil Hall. Read on for details, and remember that our Events Calendar is filled with many more ideas.

With Thanksgiving preparations just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to take a look back to 1621 and the first Thanksgiving; check out some recipes from that first celebration. The holiday season is poised to launch into full gear, and we begin our coverage with a roundup of dazzling tree lighting events, some of which take place this Saturday! Plus, for families hoping to focus a little less on getting and a little more on giving this holiday season, we’ve found some truly wonderful family volunteering and charitable giving opportunities.

Enjoy!