Growing up in Los Angeles, I enjoyed a New Year's Day tradition that my own children have yet to experience up close: the Rose Parade. My parents staked out curbside viewing several times when I was small, and one year we even watched the floats get decorated before the parade. It nags at me that the closest my own children have come to this quintessential, rain-or-shine LA experience is the television screen in our living room. I can't guarantee we will get there this year, either; nevertheless, I am highlighting two opportunities this week—one before and one after the parade. See the floats as they are assembled, or see them as they are disassembled. Or just get your family to the parade.

There may be a few of you who have not made it to Star Wars:The Force Awakens yet, and others whose children are clamoring for a second viewing. There’s nothing better than a movie matinee in the quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s. A fun alternative to Star Wars is the Marx Brothers double feature at Santa Monica’s Aero Theatre.

Finally, New Year’s Eve is not a holiday aimed at children, but the Discovery Cubes in LA and OC have a few ideas, as do the Zimmer Museum and Kidspace. One kid-friendly thing that caught my eye is the Skating Plus New Year’s Eve Party in Ventura. The roller rink celebrates with the clocks set forward to reach “midnight” at 3pm, after which parents can take the kids home, tuck them into bed, and crack open a bottle of well-deserved bubbly.

While December is usually about counting down to Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza and other winter festivities, in 2015 we also have a countdown to a movie, and this Friday night it premieres. If you haven’t yet scored tickets to Stars Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (or perhaps plan to wait for the crowds to subside), the next best way to mark this monumental occasional (laugh, but in my house it is a huge deal) is downtown in Pershing Square, where $10 gets you a lightsaber and a spot on one of two teams: Sith or Jedi. 

Meanwhile, with only eleven days left until Christmas, there are plenty of ways to anticipate the season this week: Now is the time to pick up those last minute toys or give your kids face time with Santa Claus. Boats continue to deck their decks with boughs of holly and lights, parading all around the Southland. And the annual One Voice event at Santa Monica Airport is a great way for families to aid those whose holidays are limited by financial constraints.

There is a dizzying array of diversions in Los Angeles this holiday season. Be sure to peruse our Daily Events Calendar, December GoList and Holiday Guide.

As of January 1, 2016, California becomes one of just three states (along with Mississippi and West Virginia) with mandatory vaccination requirements. This means that personal or religious belief exemptions will no longer be allowed for children entering school at the following three points: Childcare/Preschool, Kindergarten, and 7th grade. This affects many more families than just those who oppose vaccines, and probably many who don't yet realize they are affected. Parents who have made use of the personal belief exemption as a means to buy time (perhaps because they fully intend to vaccinate their kids, but not on the same schedule as their school district), need to know that this strategy is no longer an option. Complete proof of vaccination must be presented at the time of enrollment, which may be several months prior to the start of the actual school year.