This Week: Winter Travel Deals, Christmas Tree Farms Near NYC, Making the Holiday Season Really Special
Because of a personal loss as well as some of the disturbing things going on in our city and country these days, I've been putting a lot of energy into making my family's holiday season feel even more special than usual (in between some tough conversations about grief and justice with my daughter). In addition to our annual traditions such as going to Macy's Santaland and seeing all the department store windows, we've been crossing things off our holiday bucket list, like enjoying tea with Santa at the Plaza and splurging on holiday spectacles like Cirque Ziva and the family opera Puss in Boots/El Gato con Botas.
Of course, you don't need to spend lots of money to make the season magical. This week, we wrote about no-cost ways to connect with Santa online and over the phone, shared a pair of inexpensive and easy-to-make holiday crafts, and posted slide shows of gloriously over-the-top holiday homes on Long Island, in Philly and Connecticut, all FREE to see.
In the market for a winter getaway? Our Travel site has a roundup of enticing vacation deals near and far, and a few are even valid during the upcoming school break.
Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:
OUR LATEST VIDEOS
We started the week with a roundup of holiday deals on family theater shows, toys and more.
Our neighborhood of the month is Gowanus, Brooklyn and we kicked off our coverage with the top 20 things to do with kids in this artsy area.
Going out to see Santa is fun but you can enjoy at-home quality time with the big red guy with these mostly FREE emails, videos and phone calls with St. Nick.
Still don't have a Christmas tree? Before you hit your local street stand, consider cutting your own at a nearby tree farm.
Sadly, our biweekly links post included some bummer news, like the imminent closures of restaurant/play space The Moxie Spot and Soho's Scholastic Store. But there's good news, too, like Beam Center's big new studio.
A brand-new holiday train show has chugged into town, the New-York Historical Society's immersive Holiday Express, and we've got great pics.
Our resident college football fan, Jody, talked about one of her family's favorite holiday traditions: Going to the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.
This week's WeeWork crafts included adorable thumbprint holiday cards and egg carton jingle bells.
Best bets for the weekend include the reopening of the Cooper Hewitt Museum, offbeat Christmas celebrations Unsilent Night and Tuba Christmas, and multiple Hanukkah fetes.
