Toby B

Toby is our uber-busy events editor for Mommy Poppins LA. Feel free to email Toby about events for our LA area calendar.

Latest posts by Toby

Christmas Weekend 2022 Best Things To Do in Los Angeles: Nutcracker, Las Posadas, Hanukkah

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 12/21/2022 - 10:07am

Have you seen Santa yet? He's pretty busy this weekend, but we know where in LA to find him. Photo courtesy of the Glendale Galleria

Looking for the best things to do in Los Angeles Christmas weekend? Here are some events and activities to add to your list for this holiday weekend.

Merry Christmas, folks! 2022's gift to us all has been a plethora of favorite holiday activities, with light shows, Nutcrackers, and theme park celebrations everywhere you turn. A few suggestions sure to make spirits bright: Santa's Speedway - Christmas Lights Experience, a light show, snow play, and hayride extravaganza; Las Posadas, the nightly free reenactment of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem; and the Los Angeles Ballet's stunning production of The Nutcracker in Hollywood.

Plus, we’ve got 30 Things To Do on Christmas Day, a list of restaurants that are open on Christmas, and if you haven't gotten your pictures with Santa this year, we know where you can still find him.

However you choose to celebrate, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa; in short, happy holidays from all of us at Mommy Poppins!

27 Fun Hanukkah Celebrations and Menorah Lightings for Kids in Los Angeles

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 12/08/2022 - 9:22am

Celebrate Hanukkah with music, crafts, and building a giant Lego menorah. Photo courtesy of the Original Farmers Market

However you spell it—Hanukkah, Hanukka, Hannukah, Chanukah, or Channuka—Los Angeles is a great place to celebrate the Festival of Lights. Home to a Jewish population larger than that of Jerusalem, Los Angeles has loads of lighting celebrations all over town, with giant menorahs lighting up open spaces from Silverlake to Santa Monica

There are more than enough celebrations to fill the eight crazy nights, including the popular event at the Skirball Center, as well as numerous local events and candle lightings that burn the sunset oil all week long. For 8 Ways to Celebrate Hanukkah with Kids and more ways to celebrate this holiday season with your family at home, check out our Guide to Holiday Fun for Kids.

December's Best: Santa Ski, Hanukkah Festival, and More Cool Things To Do in Los Angeles

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 12/02/2022 - 10:37am

All Santas skis for free! Giant Yeti may have to pay full price. Photo courtesy of Mountain High Resorts

December brings plenty of things to do in Los Angeles with Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Eve. Don’t miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in Los Angeles this month.

Tops on our list of fun we can't wait to unwrap this December are: The Skirball's annual Hanukkah Festival, Bob Baker's Nutcracker, the Marina del Rey Holiday Boat Parade (because fireworks!), and LA County's Annual Holiday Celebration. To top it all off, we'll be ringing in the New Year—or Noon Year—depending on our bedtime. We also uncovered a whole bunch of skiing Santas in Wrightwood, one of the best Christmas parades in Long Beach, and so much more. Keep reading to discover our top picks for December...

For even more fun things to do in LA this season, check out our Holiday and Christmas Activities Guide for LA Families—which includes a roundup of the Best Holiday Lights Drive-Thrus, Walk-Thrus, and Christmas Light Shows in Los Angeles. They're extra dazzling this year.

Thanksgiving Day Weekend 2022 in Los Angeles: Turkey Trots, Christmas Parades, and More!

Submitted by Toby B on Tue, 11/22/2022 - 11:43am

Winterfest brings snow tubing, ice skating, and more winter fun to OC. Photo courtesy of PSQ Productions and Night of Lights OC

Looking for the best things to do in Los Angeles on Thanksgiving Day and all Thanksgiving weekend? Here are some events and activities to add to your list for this long holiday weekend!

Can we say it? We’re thankful. Our calendar runneth over with activities that reflect the joy of the season. This weekend we can unpack the new Disney film Strange World, take part in a Turkey Trot, visit a flurry of holiday light displays such as Tanaka Farm's Hikari and Holiday Road at King Gillette Ranch, and see snow and take part in winter fun at Ventura's Snow N' Glow. To top it off, on Sunday we can claim a spot on Hollywood Boulevard to watch the Hollywood Christmas Parade.

Plus, discover all the activities and events that are happening on Thanksgiving Day, find out which restaurants are open on Thanksgiving, and check out our Thanksgiving Activities Guide for Families for Thanksgiving crafts, movies (who knew?), and even Thanksgiving jokes. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Mommy Poppins!

45 Best Holiday Activities and Christmas Events in Los Angeles for Kids in 2022

Submitted by Toby B on Sat, 11/19/2022 - 11:53am

Snow in Santa Monica? It's part of the holiday magic. Photo courtesy of the City of Santa Monica

Looking for all the best holiday events in Los Angeles this year? Look no further. From the thousands of Christmas events and holiday activities taking place this year, we've managed to crop our list to the top 45 family favorites.

This year Santa's bag is overflowing with fun holiday activities and Christmas events in Los Angeles for families. This holiday season's stockings are overflowing with theme parks dressed up in their holiday finest, traditional holiday parades, only-in-LA holiday shows, and other beloved holiday traditions. We can barely keep up with all the fun things to do in Los Angeles during the holidays this year.

Bookmark this page—we'll update it with amazing new Christmas events in Los Angeles as we learn about them. For more holiday activities, don't miss our Holiday Events and Christmas Activities Guide for Los Angeles, which is packed with every possible Santa breakfast, holiday and Christmas light show, Christmas tree lighting, Polar Express holiday train, Hanukkah festival, Nutcracker ballet, and so much more.

Veterans Day Weekend in Los Angeles: 23 Best Things To Do With Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 11/09/2022 - 10:02am

Veterans Day celebrations take place across the county. Photo courtesy of the City of Santa Monica

Looking for the best things to do in Los Angeles this Veterans Day weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this long weekend!

We have so much to be grateful for in this country, and we owe so much to our veterans—those who have put themselves in harm's way to defend the liberties we hold dear. This year, many of the celebrations are being held on Veterans Day Friday (including that kid favorite: three-day weekend). This weekend also marks the start of a number of holiday-themed events, such as Lightscape at the Arboretum, the Holidays at Disneyland Resort, and Christmas Nights at 123 Farm. We even have our first official tree lighting!

It's already time to start thinking about Thanksgiving: If you don't feel like cooking, make a reservation at one of these favorite local restaurants open on Thanksgiving, or see where the free turkey giveaways are happening in LA this year.

Holiday Lighting Celebrations in Los Angeles: Christmas Tree Lightings, Menorah Lightings, and Fireworks!

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 11/06/2022 - 10:45am

Is this really America's tallest fresh-cut Christmas tree? Check it out live and see! Photo courtesy of Citadel Center

Get ready to deck the Southland halls, walls, trees, skies, and more with Christmas tree lightings, menorah lightings, and fireworks! As the holidays get rolling, there are plenty of opportunities to snap photos with Santa, take in a boat parade, and marvel at some spectacular neighborhood holiday lights and Candy Cane Lanes, but the best way to kick it all off is with a good old-fashioned tree lighting (or menorah lighting) ceremony. Communities all over Los Angeles and Orange County have their own traditions—including caroling, cocoa, fireworks, and much more. Pick whichever of the locations below is nearest to you, and go rock around a Christmas tree!

We'll keep adding more below as communities make their plans. Check our events calendar and sign up for our weekly newsletter to keep up with the latest info. For more holiday events and activities, check our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events for Los Angeles Families.

November's Best: Zoo Lights, Polar Express Train, and More Cool Things To Do in Los Angeles

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 10/30/2022 - 11:30am

Kermit the Frog here, on Hollywood Boulevard. Photo courtesy of the Hollywood Christmas Parade

November brings plenty of things to do in Los Angeles as we gear up for holidays from Veterans Day to Thanksgiving and full steam ahead to Christmas. Don’t miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in Los Angeles this month.

It's a good thing November gives us an extra hour of sleep right off the bat: with all the big-ticket events coming our way we're gonna need it. This month we can go on an epic adventure with Blue's Clues, explore the farms of Ventura County, and climb aboard for a Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine. Encanto comes to the Hollywood Bowl, complete with the original voice cast. The holidays get an early start, with events sure to bring a twinkle to our eyes: Holidays at Disneyland, LA Zoo Lights, and the Surfing Santa Competition are just a few of the magical festivities coming our way.

For more fun things to do in Los Angeles this November, check out our Fall Bucket List or our Los Angeles Day Trip and Weekend Getaway Guide—and don't forget to book tickets for these Polar Express and Christmas Train Rides!