Christmas/Hanukkah

The last week of 2011 doesn’t have to be the last week of your sanity, moms and dads! It seems that winter break this year is a bit longer than usual…..great for those of us who teach middle school, but maybe not so great for parents.  Kids come down to Earth the week after the big holidays, so keep them busy with these fun, off-the-beaten-path activities. Stir-crazy no more!

Whether you're celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah or both, we’ve got the events for you (with even some Christmas Eve Eve fun thrown in). Catch a holiday-inspired flick, sit on Santa's lap before he jets off (or jets in to Princeton), visit a WinterFest and enjoy plenty of holiday treats. Have a merry one!

Um... still have a to-do list that’s a mile long? We’ve all been there – too many things to get done and not enough time. So, while you were planning out your Christmas menu, we pulled together a list of last minute gift ideas, many of them New Jersey-specific. The best part – all you need is a printer to make most of these gift ideas come to life.

This is a time of year when we can be feeling a strong desire to “give back” and yet be overwhelmed by the amount of needs out there. We participate in toy drives, help out at shelters, donate our time and money, hoping that what we give can make a difference. Today we’d like to highlight one way of giving back that really does make a difference, The Children’s Hospital of NJ’s “Wish List”.

The countdown has begun, but hey, there’s still time for fun and frivolity, no? Unless, of course, you’re one of those people who still needs to do all your shopping (I don’t know anyone like that, certainly not me, ahem). There are lights, holiday train rides, trees, teas and menorah lightings, so get out there and have some family time. Merry Merry!