Now that winter has arrived, it's time to embrace the chill. We've rounded up some of the best skiing and snowboarding spots within a few hours of New York City.

A winter sport like skiing is great way to get outdoors as a family, and it will make the warm weather seem to come much sooner. Read on for our rundown of these nine nearby slopes, so you can pick one or two that match your kids' skill levels and interests. Want info on more family skiing and other snow sports? Check out our Ski Guide, covering the tristate area, New England, and even California for more options, including snowboarding parks or snow tubing.

Happy skiing!

How do you find out if your kid's New York City school is closed because of the snow? While NYC public schools close infrequently, private schools and nursery schools close more often and it's important to know whether your child's school will be open before you head out the door. Note: NYC's public schools often don't make the call until the last minute. (Calling might not work if the administrators stayed home, although texting a day care provider might work in a pinch!)

Here are the best resources for finding out if New York City schools are closing for a snow day, as well as ideas for what to do in the event of snowmageddon, like NYC's Top Sledding Hills and 40 Snow Day Boredom Busters to do indoors.

Every year we share articles about how families can volunteer and donate during the holiday season. But, we are also parents raising our children and working to improve our communities ourselves. Even as our website has grown (Hello, DC and Chicago!), we are proud to say that the values and mission of Mommy Poppins have not changed. We are committed to helping children and families, both online and in real life.

This year, we invited team members from each of our local areas to pick a holiday drive or organization that helps children in need. We funded a shopping spree or, if the holiday season was just too crazy, made a direct donation. In order to do as much good as possible, not just for children, but for local businesses too, we targeted some of our favorite local toy stores to make our purchases. Our children were great helpers in picking out gifts and delivering them.

As the founder of Mommy Poppins, I am grateful to our amazing team for rallying during the hectic holiday season and doing so much good. In all, we donated over $8500! Thanks also to all the local businesses, large and small, who support Mommy Poppins with advertising dollars throughout the year. It makes providing this resource to families for free possible, as well as these donations and our other initiatives. We are humbled and grateful for the support of our readers and local business community.

Read on to find out where our local families shopped and donated.