My kids have cold-weather birthdays, and when it comes time to plan their parties, I often find myself fantasizing about a summer backyard birthday party, with kids running around in the grass, playing games, and blowing bubbles.

Are you in the same boat? If your child has a late fall or winter birthday, and you’re looking for ideas to overcome (or circumvent) the low temps, stuffy noses, and busy schedules that often accompany the season, read on. Whether it’s a strategy of avoiding or embracing winter birthday challenges, here are a few that have worked for us. 

Starting Friday, December 21 (or even earlier for private school students), New York City kids are in for a nice, long holiday break. Parents, not so much—especially if you need to work on many of the days the kids are off from school. Luckily, NYC has plenty of holiday camps to keep children entertained while you head to the office, to the grocery store or to the spa (hey, it could happen).

Although in past posts we've lumped different kinds of school break camps together, from arts to athletics to academics, this time around we're focusing specifically on enrichment programs, where kids can get hands-on experience in robotics, chess, fashion, foreign languages and even construction. Some of the camps sound so cool, we wish they took grown-ups. You can find even more December break camps and other seasonal fun in our Holiday Guide.

In our Shopping Local Holiday Gift Guide, we highlight our favorite places to buy unique gifts in New York City including craft fairs and holiday markets. But we also love browsing the eclectic wares at all of the pop-up shops that appear in NYC at this time of year.

These temporary retail outlets are often (but not always) set up by businesses that don't normally sell goods directly to the public, or don't have stores in NYC. This holiday, returning pop-up favorites include Wired magazine's tech magnet, along with newcomers like kids' toy and gear great The Land of Nod, Microsoft and a shop dedicated to hot boy band One Direction. Read on for the scoop on ten awesome pop-up shops in NYC this season and find more fun in our Holiday Guide.

Wreck-It Ralph is fun, funny, moving, laugh out loud clever, and nostalgic (but be warned - it's likely to be too scary for younger viewers). This latest film from Disney Feature Animation is a love letter to video games old and new. When my daughter and I decided to see it, our choice was for a theater was clear; we hopped in the car and made the journey to the "happiest theater on earth" - Hollywood's El Capitan.

I can't imagine life without our two quirky rescue dogs. Stanley is a mix of at least 3 different breeds and is one of the most intelligent pups I've ever known. Henry is a fiesty Chihuahua/Maltese hybrid of some sort and has bitten everyone from a FedEx worker to our wedding photographer. Each year when the anniversary of their adoption rolls around, I remember all of the animals sitting in cages next to them that we couldn't take home. And then I look at our lazy, spoiled pups as they snooze on the living room couch... and I wish that every animal could be so lucky. New Jersey, like many other states, struggles with pet overpopulation, but it also has some amazing shelters and rescue groups that host all sorts of fun holiday adoption events.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or winter solstice, our sites are overflowing with seasonal fun. In NYC this week, we added posts about inexpensive holiday shows, Hanukkah happenings and department store holiday windows to our Holiday Fun Guide.

Looking to cut your own Christmas tree? We've got roundups of the best places to chop your own on Long Island, in New Jersey and Connecticut. Turn the outing into a day trip by also hitting holiday events like Christmas tree lightings on Long Island or Santa trains in New Jersey. And if you're aiming to be eco-conscious this season, our Boston site has wonderful tips about how to have a green Christmas.

Mommy Poppins is also hosting two big events this holiday season. This Sunday is our Holiday Portrait Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser, where you can enjoy fun family activities, discounted shopping and walk away with one-of-a-kind pics of your kids courtesy of Stomping Ground Photo, with all proceeds going to storm relief. And on Monday, we launch our Big Holiday Giveaway. We'll be awarding a different prize every day, really exceptional stuff like a gift package from Toys "R" Us, tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and more. So be sure to visit our site every day throughout the season and subscribe to our free newsletters so you don't miss out.

Here's what else we covered this week in NYC:

Holiday Winterfest in the Village with Tree and Menorah Lighting
Westhampton Beach Village
10:30am
Starting at 10:30 in the Hampton Arts Twin Cinema enjoy holiday movies for kids. Then, beginning at noon, enjoy a horse and buggy ride down Main Street. Come discover the year-round shops and restaurants as they host kids activity craft stations, holiday treat stations, and holiday discounts, while visiting with Santa in the Gazebo, storytime with Mrs. Claus in the WHB Library, and giveaways with local radio stations broadcasting live. The Christmas Tree and Menorah Lighting begins at 5:30 pm. Rain Date Saturday, December 8, 2012

Montauk Point Lighthouse Holiday Lights
Montauk Point Lighthouse
4:30pm
Free
The house will light up at 4:30pm and will remain lit until January 1, 2013.

Lots going on this weekend. There are a couple of concerts: Monkey Monkey Music is putting on a free concert at Buckley Day Camp, and there's a free Christmas concert at the Oyster Bay High School Performing Arts Center; there's a gingerbread competition at West Islip Library; Hallockville Farm is celebrating Christmas; and Cinderella's Christmas is playing at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury. Check our events calendar for more great activities and our guide to tree lightings for more holiday fun.