Roberta Brown

Editor-in-Chief

Years spent at Nickelodeon prepared Roberta to launch Mommy Poppins' Los Angeles branch in 2011, eventually becoming Mommy Poppins Editor-in-Chief in 2013. Previously she served as LA Editor for GoCityKids, National Editor for ParentsConnect, and Editor for NickMom—all of which works out well for her son, who has grown up serving as Chief Guinea Pig for all things fun in LA and beyond.

Latest posts by Roberta

Best Neighborhood Holiday Lights and Christmas Lights in Los Angeles: Candy Cane Lanes and More!

Submitted by Roberta B on Fri, 12/09/2022 - 9:05am

Candy Cane Lane El Segundo is one of the most popular displays in town. Photo courtesy of Discover Los Angeles,Facebook

When the Christmas lights start going up around Los Angeles, you know the festive holiday season has arrived! And whether you're celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, or Kwanzaa, there is a timeless joy in taking a spin around the neighborhood to look at the local holiday light displays.

Every year, my family makes multiple trips to all the best Christmas lights displays across Los Angeles. Our kids put on their Christmas jammies, we fill our to-go cups with hot cocoa (or take a quick detour through to Starbucks), and bring along candy canes or Christmas cookies. Pop on a Christmas classics playlist and you're ready for an evening immersed in (free) holiday lights magic. Including the famous Christmas lights displays like Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena and Candy Cane Lane in El Segundo (we like our Lanes in Los Angeles!), we've rounded up the best holiday lights on houses across the City of Angels that really dazzle.

Can't get enough Christmas lights? Check out our picks for LA's best holiday light shows and drive-through Christmas lights events, which you'll find in our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Activities for Los Angeles Families.

Sand Sledding: The Sand Berms in Los Angeles Return for Winter Fun

Submitted by Roberta B on Mon, 12/05/2022 - 9:48am

Who needs snow to go sledding? Not us Angelenos!

This is the start of sledding season in Los Angeles—at the beach! So get ready to grab a sled and hit the sand.

Sledding may involve getting cold and wet in other parts of the country, but that is so ... un-Californian. Sure, there are places near Los Angeles to go sledding on snow if that's your thing, but we're raising California kids, and that means beach sledding. Every winter a few Los Angeles area beaches get their annual sand berms, intended as protection against winter storms and violent surf. Or so they say. The real purpose is clearly to lay the groundwork for the ultimate SoCal winter sport: sand sledding. We've got the lowdown on when those ~~sledding hills~~ storm berms are going up.

For actual winter day trips from Los Angeles where you can find snow in SoCal for sledding, skiing, or snow tubing, visit our Winter Activities Guide for Los Angeles Kids.

Toys for Tots, Spark of Love, and More Places to Donate Toys in Los Angeles for the Holidays

Submitted by Roberta B on Thu, 12/01/2022 - 10:39am

The Spark of Love Toy Drive is an LA tradition. Photo courtesy of County of Los Angeles Fire Department

Toys for Tots and Spark of Love are two great places to donate toys in Los Angeles. Here are our favorite ways to make the holidays merry and bright for a whole bunch of LA kids.

Christmas is a tough time to be in need; donating toys during the holiday season can truly change the lives of kids in need and showing our children how the community rallies to help our own is a lovely illustration of what the holidays are truly about. Volunteering with our kids is a great holiday tradition when we can manage it, but even when we can't, there is joy in passing along some of last year's unused gifts before finding out what Santa delivers this season. Or when we shop for Christmas or Hanukkah, maybe we could add just one extra item for a child in need. It's a great way to teach our kids about the true joys of the season: giving!

Below are some great places to bring both kinds of toy donations—new and even gently used—to spread around some of that holiday joy. For more ways to celebrate this holiday season, check out our Guide to Christmas Activities and Holiday Events for Los Angeles Families.

Best Holiday Lights Drive-Thrus, Walk-Thrus, and Christmas Light Shows in Los Angeles

Submitted by Roberta B on Sun, 11/27/2022 - 10:17am

Take a trip to the twinkling North Pole, with loads of photo ops along the way. Photo courtesy of Winterfest OC

Christmas is twinkling extra bright with Christmas light shows and Christmas light displays all over Los Angeles. These Christmas lights shows dazzle, whether you stroll through immersive light displays, wander through Christmas light shows in gardens, or take in the city's last remaining holiday light drive-thru! Some of these magical winter experiences boast everything from snow to ice skating rinks to rides and more.

And if that's not enough Christmas lights for you, our festive SoCal neighbors are going all out with their annual decorating traditions and are treating us to some incredible neighborhood holiday light displays. For even more holiday fun, check out our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events in Los Angeles.

Best Pictures with Santa in Los Angeles: 27 Only-In-LA Santa Photo Ops

Submitted by Roberta B on Fri, 11/25/2022 - 12:52pm

Only in LA can you paddle with Santa. Photo courtesy of Ventura Harbor Village

Pictures with Santa in Los Angeles aren't your standard snaps: here we have Paddling Santas, photos with Diving Santa, Singing Santa, and so much more.

We're raising SoCal kids here, and that calls for an outside-the-box place to take pictures with Santa from Long Beach to Pasadena and all points in between. For a real Angeleno Christmas photo, get out those selfie sticks and snap a few pictures with Santa at one of these fun, funky, and totally LA Santa photo opportunities, from skiing Santas to diving Santas to the Santa at Disneyland.

Get our picks for the best holiday activities and Christmas events in Los Angeles, festive Polar Express train rides, every holiday lighting celebration in LA, and more, check out our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Activities in Los Angeles.

What's Open on Thanksgiving in Los Angeles? 20 Places Open for Family Fun

Submitted by Roberta B on Sun, 11/20/2022 - 12:34pm

Run off that second helping of pie! Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Turkey Trot via Facebook

Racking your brain for family activities at places that are open on Thanksgiving in Los Angeles? Filling your house with family during Thanksgiving is wonderful, but sometimes you just want everyone to get out of your house. We mean this, of course, in the nicest possible way. Knowing what's open on Thanksgiving in LA for family fun is invaluable—both for clearing the house to prepare the meal and for walking it off afterward.

Our event calendar has all the local Thanksgiving day happenings, and our holiday guide for Los Angeles families has a host of other ideas; the suggestions below are 20 places open on Thanksgiving that you may not have realized welcomed visitors on the holiday. And if you need some suggestions for Thanksgiving crafts and games to keep kids busy at home, we've got loads of those, too. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Nutcracker Ballet in Los Angeles: 28 Performances of the Classic Christmas Ballet

Submitted by Roberta B on Thu, 11/17/2022 - 11:18am

Los Angeles Ballet's gorgeous production soars. Photo by Reed Hutchinson

Christmas just doesn't feel like Christmas without one good Nutcracker ballet performance, even if your kids aren't ballet lovers. And if one good Nutcracker begins to make it feel a lot like Christmas, then the Los Angeles area is evidently hitting Uber-Christmas in the coming weeks with more than twenty professional Nutcracker ballet productions.

We've got answers to the two questions posed most often by parents in search of a Nutcracker ballet in Los Angeles for their families: Yes, there is a condensed version staged specifically for kids, offered by the Festival Ballet Theatre down in Costa Mesa; and yes, there are local productions performed with full orchestra—the Long Beach Terrace Theater is one of the best. There's even a fantastic and very LA production by Bob Baker's Marionettes which is light on the dancing and heavy on the post-show ice cream, for little kids looking for a fun introduction to the show.

And when you've had your fill of the Mouse King, let us direct you to some nifty Polar Express and Christmas train rides, neighborhood Christmas lights displays, and more in our Holiday and Christmas Activities Guide.

7 Best Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks in Los Angeles for Kids and Families This Holiday Season

Submitted by Roberta B on Fri, 11/11/2022 - 11:02am

Ice skate and ride the Ferris wheel at Irvine Spectrum Center. Photo by Allen Ling

Outdoor ice skating rinks in sunny Los Angeles? Oh, we just happen to know about a great place or seven! One thing Angelenos love doing during the winter months is pretending that it’s winter, and the most fun way to do it is by turning parking lots and other open spaces into outdoor ice skating rinks for the holidays. Whether your family is trying ice skating for the first time, or you've got budding figure skaters and hockey players looking for a change of scenery, nothing says Southern California quite like the sight of kids and families in tank tops and mittens figure skating in the sunshine.

From Downtown Los Angeles to the beaches of Santa Monica and Huntington Beach, we know where to find the best cool-yet-sunny ice skating rinks in Los Angeles and OC. For more holiday fun, from Polar Express train rides to the best holiday lighting celebrations, check out our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events for Los Angeles Families.