In my family, our Christmas day tradition always involved a nice big breakfast, lots of coffee, lots of gifts, and then afterward, we'd bundle up and brave the crowds at a midtown movie theater for one of the big releases. (Yes, crowds -…
People always say that nothing is for free, but here is something that really is: A customized letter to your child from Santa that you help create. And it will do more for other kids than your own. At Letter from Santa , add personal de…
I hear in some places, you have to book the best mall Santa in October to get a word in with the jolly guy, and he still might get your kid's name wrong leading to a public freak-out. ( It's happened to us all! ) But now, thanks to the w…
I don't usually go the disposable paper plate route, except when it comes to kids parties. But here are some paper plates so adorable they might be worth making an exception. Why? Well, they're personalized. With a photo of my smiling sw…
We're now formally in the "handing-someone-a-bottle-of wine" season, and while most of us can simply stick a bow on it and pass it on, there are times when that bottle needs a little more oomph than a plain brown paper bag or a crinkled …
A lot of us are probably more used to popping bottles of milk and apple juice than champagne these days. But the holidays call for sparkle--and I'm talking fancy shoes, party dresses, and champagne, not Elmer's glue and glitter (as much …
I love crafty people. I wish I were one of them, but, alas, I'm not even that great at wrapping gifts. They end up looking like my three-year-old took the reins. But, this year, my friends and family will think I've developed some seriou…
To me the holidays is nothing without our annual viewing of Rudolph. Herbie! The Abominable Snowman! The Isle of Misfit Toys who aren't quite misfits! It's all pure magic. So who's with me in jumping for joy that this year, A four-DVD se…
Although everyone from Rod Stewart to The Black Eyed Peas seems to put out Christmas albums, it's pretty rare for anyone besides Adam Sandler to do something new and interesting with Hanukkah music. New and interesting is something Dan Z…
As a native New Yorker, I admit I'm totally biased when I say that this is one of the most magical places for a family to be over the holidays. Because I get so many emails each year from readers and out-of-town friends asking me about m…
Perhaps you've poked around our holiday gift guide this year and come across the category called Gifts Under $15 That Don't Seem Cheap at All . If so, you very likely spotted the gourmet lollipops. You know the ones. The ones that call t…
One of my all time favorite holiday shows is the Nutcracker Ballet, but I didn't imagined I would get tickets to see it with my toddler for quite a long time--like, ten years, at least. Performances are expensive in New York! Which is on…
Can you suggest some more holiday photo card sites? I'm a little bored with the same ole, same ole every year. Or, what about a site for creating your own cards with flair? -Ginger I am fairly certain that Holiday Rule #1 states that you…
When my kids were young, I found a trio of very cute stockings in a small local store that I thought were totally unique and special for our family. And then my mother saw them and said, O ooo, I saw those at the card store! So much for …
We must say, Thanksgiving is easily one of our favorite holidays. (Especially if we're not the ones making the turkey, ha.) We hope that today you're surrounded with lots of family, lots of joy, and lots of really fantastic pecan pie. Th…
I love the hustle of the holiday season: cooking, shopping and giving are three of my favorite things. What I really don't like is finding the right wrapping paper for my latest treasures - and it can get ugly when I have multiple smalle…
It's like Miss America for crafters, and you're a judge. But there's no Miss Congeniality. This one's all about looks, and you only get one vote. Actually, it's the competition for Martha Stewart's annual Holiday Craft Fair at her compan…
I'm dreaming of a picture perfect holiday season , like a vintage postcard, with over-sized snowflakes and smiling kids singing songs at my door. I'm also dreaming of taking the perfect holiday photo of my two girls and they'll both smil…
As December nears, my house is ready to to become a big, kid-friendly fun house of colored blinky lights and tinsel. With three kids, I know what to expect and have given in to All Things Christmas. Except I've just seen the most beautif…
Every year, I make two kinds of holiday cookies from recipes that have been passed down from my mom. But yummy as the traditional family recipes are, I'm ready to branch out from the same old pecan balls and sugar cookies, and try and st…
I'm not sure which is cooler, the actual lyziwraps reusable gift bags that I just discovered, or the story behind them. They were originally designed by an 8th Grader, for an innovation competition, who was trying to find a way to decrea…
Wishing you a very spooky (but safe) Halloween, mamas from Kristen, Liz, Christina, Delilah, Julie and the rest of the Cool Mom Picks team - may you survive the sugar crashes and score a solid week's worth of Reese's Pieces peanut butter…
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and it's certainly one of my kids' too. But with all the costume-wrangling and candy-buying and party-coordinating, I suddenly realize I have yet to hang so much as a fake spiderweb on my front d…
Here are some things we've liked reading around the web this week. We hope you will too. No-carve pumpkin decorating ideas from Amy Atlas. Sign us up! On momformation, Kristen shares an awesome coloring book that doubles as a babysitter.…