Just because you may be spending this holiday season at home doesn't mean you can't bring an international flare to your celebration. We love the idea of serving traditional Mexican tamales⿿tiny presents of sweet masa and meat wrapped in corn husks⿿or adding a festive British Christmas Cracker, filled with little toys, to a holiday table setting. Our family even bakes up a Belgium Cougnolle, a sweet yeast bread punctuated with raisins and shaped to look like a swaddled baby Jesus.

But one of our favorite holiday traditions comes from right here in New York. In the late 1800s a pig  came to symbolize luck and prosperity. Victorian candy makers began to make pig-shaped statues our of hard pink peppermint candy. When Christmas came around families would take a small hammer to the sweet treat and share it with one another in hopes of having a happy year. It's a hit with our kids (literally) each year.

Pick up your own peppermint pig and get more holiday baking ideas!

We love to get the kids holiday gifts that they'll love and that might provide enough of a cheerful distraction to let us enjoy a little adult holiday time. These gifts are sure to do just that, plus, since they're all small and portable (and inexpensive!) they're the perfect addition to your travel toy arsenal.

Avoid the chorus of "Are We There Yet?" with the "Lots of Fun on the Go" Journal.  From mazes to bingo to crosswords, this convenient (and space saving) activity book will keep the kids entertained while you enjoy peace and quiet behind the wheel.

"Lots of Fun on the Go" Journal, $10, Gilbert Ford, A Toy Garden.

In our younger years we may have thought, "Knitting is just for old ladies." But then we came across this knitting kit just for kids and realized that it may just be the perfect thing for our next family getaway. It may take them awhile to master, but in the end, they'll have the perfect cozy scarf.

Scarf Kit for Beginners, $18, Quick-to-Knit, A Toy Garden.

Turn any train, plane or automobile into a puppet theater with these pint sized animal finger puppets.  Between the sewing, decorating, and playing, we're thinking this one could make that transatlantic flight bearable.

Animal Finger Puppets Kit, $8, A Toy Garden.

Sturdy, functional  and totally functional, this suitcase of wooden toy cars won't add much bulk to your load of travel essentials, but it will provide plenty of distractions during your next vacation.

Suitcase Cars, $54, A Toy Garden.

Your little girl will want to throw tea parties every day just to serve these irresistibly adorable Felt Cakes and Cookies.  They look good enough to eat--and best of all, she can pack them up and serve her treats at Grandma and Grandpa's house, too.

Felt Cakes and Cookies, $25, A Toy Garden.

Keep them from jumping on all the nice beds in that holiday home rental with a round of floor hockey (pictured above). Yes, it is a toy for the kids, but it also seems to keep the husband entertained while we're busy catching up with the relatives.

Wood Floor Hockey Game, $20, A Toy Garden.

Lexy Schmertz | Contributing Web Writer

RESTAURANTS
Mana: This Amsterdam café has been thrilling organic, vegetarian diners for 20 years. The vegetable tempura is beyond.
646 Amsterdam Avenue at 92nd Street, 212-787-1110

EJ's Luncheonette: A retro diner with pancakes and burgers all day. Park your stroller outside and be sure to order the black-and-white shake for dessert.
447 Amsterdam Avenue at 81st Street, 212-873-3444

Fairway Café: Who knew that Fairway, the hectic go-to supermarket for Upper Westsiders, has a hidden gem tucked away on the second floor. Great salads, roasted chicken and sandwiches.
2127 Broadway at 74th Street, 212-595-1888

Celeste: This small, reasonably priced Italian restaurant is a neighborhood fave where the owner (if he's not in Italy bringing home a cheese) greets customers by name. Cash only, no reservations.
502 Amsterdam Avenue, 212-874-4559

SHOPPING FOR KIDS
Shoes
Tip Top Shoes: From Heely's to mary janes, Tip Top has it all, along with a dedicated sales team who never seems to mind when your kid pulls the sneaker display off the shelf.
55 West 72nd Street, 1-800-WALKING

Clothes
Karin Alexis: This local boutique offers fun clothes, bags and novelties for tots.
2587 Broadway at 97th Street, 212-665-1565

Greenstones: You'll find classic, European styles for newborns to 8 year olds. Also has a great selection of accessories, including bibs, aprons, socks, ties, hats and mittens. 
422 Columbus Ave at 81st Street, 212-580-4322

Joyce Bautista | Cookie Managing Editor

Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Brooklyn. We really had had our fill of all the forced superlatives and reverse snobbery about the NYC outerborough everyone was moving to because Manhattan had become price prohibitive. Then, two months ago, priced out of our noisy but charming downtown Manhattan neighborhood, we moved and became one of them.

And, yes, there are a few places I have become totally obsessed with, especially in the nearby gritty waterfront neighborhood of Red Hook. Despite my fear of becoming another annoying Brooklyn proselytizer, I have to go on the record for stating that near one windswept corner, I've found perfection. They are not new but my four picks for winter shopping and eating are worth the planes, trains and automobiles-kind of trek to get there from Manhattan.

Erie Basin
In one visit this became one of my favorite stores in all of New York City and I'm quite proud of my shopping prowess. There's a museum-type of reverence for objects but the staff is warm and prepared to tell you the touching -- sometimes bizarre -- stories behind each vintage and antique piece of jewelry, furniture, or objet. Kids will love the oddities like an articulated wood cobra, taxidermy eyes, and ginormous safety pins and you will covet the jewelry from contemporary designers like Peter Crangi as well as the cool old stuff like lockets, mini candle holders, and glass cast offs. 388 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231, 718-554-6147.

Saipua
You can't maneuver a stroller in this tiny flower purveyor of beautiful imperfection (cloudy vintage bottles and house-brand hand-made soaps) but you can park it in the center of the room and take in the wonderful scents and sights of flora and fauna (there's a friendly cat on premises). The cedarwood soap is the most popular item for sale (all soaps are made from natural vegetable oils, butters, herbs, and extracts) and I'm a fan of the small but carefully chosen selection of seasonal flowers and vintage goods. Also, the nailbrushes are a fun way to make washing hands and cleaning nails an event to look forward to. 392 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231, 718-624-2929.

(Grace from Design*Sponge did a great write-up on both stores if you're still not convinced.)

Eating:

Good Fork
This cozy family-run restaurant definitely lives up to the hype from blogs, articles and foodies. Led by Ben Schneider -- co-owner, husband of chef and fellow owner Sohui Kim, and carpenter for the small space - the staff treats you like you're a guest in their home - it's not just outerborough friendly, it's small-town friendly, which for city-dwellers is shocking and for visitors probably a relief.

Kelly Alfieri | Cookie Web Editor

If you're visiting New York for the holidays and get burned out on the midtown tourist traps and crowds, hop on the 1 train for a respite in the West Village.

The West Village was developed primarily in response to outbreaks of yellow fever and cholera in the core of Manhattan in the late 1700s and early 1800s and much of the original architecture from this time period is still intact, thanks to its historic district status.

Tips:
Stay off the sightseeing bus -- wandering and getting lost on the neighborhood's winding, cobblestone streets if the best way to experience it. This walking map features the architectural and historic highlights including New York City's narrowest house, which is nine feet wide and was home to Edna St. Vincent Millay; the neighborhood's remaining wood houses; the homes of Edgar Allen Poe, ee cummings, and Mark Twain; and the apartment building featured in the opening of Friends!

Food:
When you tire of meandering and are ready for a bite, drop into John's Pizza (278 Bleecker Street). It's been there since 1929 it serves up one of the best pizzas in town. Or if it's not too cold you can grab a sandwich at Murray's Cheese Shop (254 Bleecker Street) and eat it in Father Demo Square (corner of Sixth Avenue and Bleecker Street). For more substantial fare, head to Bar Pitti (268 Sixth Ave, near Bleecker Street). Every dish is delicious and the standouts include Rigatoni Pitti, Penne Arabiata, and Sliced Steak and Arugula. The Italian waitstaff will help the kids take off their coats, make funny faces at them, and be welcoming in a way that you don't experience much in this country.

Sugar and Caffeine:
If you're in need of a sugar fix you're in luck. Go to Patisserie Claude (187 West 4th Street) for the city's best croissants (the chocolate ones are unadulterated, buttery bliss). Or go to Milk and Cookies Bakery (19 Commerce Street) for classics like chocolate chip, M&M sugar, and oatmeal raisin cookies (note that there is no seating here). If you want more of a confectionery spectacle go to Jacques Torres (350 Hudson Street), where you can watch chocolate being made in the on-site factory while you sip a cup of their legendary hot chocolate. Just two blocks south of Jacques Torres on Hudson Street is Leroy Street, which has some of the neighborhood's most stately homes and Leroy Street Park -- a nice little playground if you need someplace for the kids to burn off some sugar energy.

If you just need a caffeine fix, Joe (14 Waverly Place) is the best coffee around. Don't expect to sit down inside though. It's cramped and full of customers reading and working on laptops who do not want your child interrupting their scene.

Shopping:
The neighborhood is packed full of shops, the main drag is Bleecker Street between Hudson and Seventh Avenue, which is home to Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Scoop, and dozens of smaller clothing, jewelry, and shoe boutiques. If you want to pick only one shop to visit with the kids in tow, go to Kid O (123 West 10th Street) , which stocks unique developmental toys for children of all ages.

Erin Renzas | Web Editorial Assistant

Earlier we shared our cost analysis of which shipping company will get your gifts to your holiday destination without breaking the bank. Now that you've decided which shipping company to use, it's time to pack those boxes! Here are 5 tips to ensure everything gets there, damage free.

Use new boxes. Boxes become weakened the more they are used, diminishing their strength and ability to protect your shipments. Using a new box, one made for shipping, will help ensure that the delicate glass candle holder you bought your sister won't show up shattered. Plus, using an old box with loads of labels from shipments past can mean confusion for your delivery provider.

Pack everything tightly. Close your box before taping it shut and give it a little shake. If you hear rattling, you haven't packed it tightly enough. Use 1-inch bubble wrap around each item and give the whole box a lining of packing peanuts. But don't get too excited; overstuffing a package can create pressure inside the box that can damage the items. If your box bulges or if you have trouble taping it shut, it's overstuffed.

Choose gifts wisely. Before you buy that lovely smelling new perfume for your sister-in-law, remember, most shipping companies have a "no-no" list for packages that need some air time for shipping. That can include colognes and perfumes, aerosol sprays, nail polish, and cigarette lighters. Plus, it's important to consider how your gift recipients are getting to your holiday gathering. If said sister-in-law is flying, for example, nix anything too delicate, bulky, or heavy, and opt for a more travel-friendly present.

Prevent the cookies from crumbling. 'Tis the season to share your famed sugar cookies with the ones you love. If you decide to bake a batch and include it with the rest of your gifts, place them in a plastic airtight container and fill up any extra space with squares of bubble cushioning. The extra padding will keep the treats from being crushed

Double label. If you heeded the first tip, you shouldn't need to worry about your outside packaging getting damaged. To be on the safe side, though, put an extra mailing label inside the box. If something happens to your outside label, your selected carrier will still know where to bring your goodies.

Erin Renzas | Web Editorial Assistant

With the holidays rapidly approaching, it's time again ask yourself: How to I get these glorious gifts from here to there? With the all the airport security regulations and most airlines charging $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second, we think that it might be easier to ship all of our gifts instead of lugging them with us on the plane.

But, with so many options -- DHL, UPS, USPS, FedEx -- even deciding which shipping company to use can be a headache-inducing process. Fear not! As our holiday gift to you, we packed up a standard 17" x 12" x 12 3/8" package with 10 lbs. of presents to see which company will get your gifts to grandma's house on the cheap. Plus, be sure to check out our "ship by" dates to ensure everything gets there before Santa does.

USPS
Service: Parcel Post will get your gifts there within 5 days. If you choose to send everything Priority, you'll be looking at a 2-day turnaround, but at double the cost.
Price (for Parcel Post):
New York City to Chicago: $12.66
New York City to Los Angeles: $15.83
Chicago to California: $14.45
Ship By: December 16
Get more holiday shipping information from USPS here. 

DHL
Service: Less expensive than all other carriers, DHL's standard Ground Service will deliver your package in 5-7 days. Their tracking system is relatively sophisticated, so you'll know where your box is at all times, but delivery times vary vastly depending on where you're shipping to.
Price:
New York City to Chicago: $9.30
New York City to Los Angeles: $12.83
Chicago to California: $11.34
Ship By: Not specified
Get more holiday shipping information from DHL here.

FedEx
Service: FedEx's Home Delivery will typically get everything to your destination in two business days, but with holiday back-up, you could be looking at a longer turnaround time. The provider is typically thought to be more expensive than their competitors, but when we checked their rate for our package, it was comparable to the others.
Price:
New York City to Chicago: $11.45
New York City to Los Angeles: $15.01
Chicago to California: $13.35
Ship By: December 17
Get more holiday shipping information from FedEx here.

UPS
Service: Depending on the distance between you and your holiday getaway, UPS Ground delivery will take 1 to 5 business days. UPS can be a bit more expensive than competitors, but is known for its quick shipping times.
Price:
New York City to Chicago: $13.10
New York City to Los Angeles: $17.29
Chicago to California: $15.54
Ship By: December 18
Get more holiday shipping information from UPS here.

Yolanda Edwards | Cookie Travel & Lifestyle Editor

When in Oakland, California, check out Milk, an amazing kids store in the Rockridge neighborhood.  the labels they carry are really hard to find anywhere else (love the marie-helene de taillac jewelry for mom and little girls), and it's also very sweet looking...  Check out this San Francisco Chronicle article for listings of everything you would want to know about the area (how to get there, sights, shops, etc.) I think the Cactus Taqueria with its Niman Ranch pork taco carnitas sounds the best...

Find more activities in the area with our San Francisco city guide.

After seven years in the corporate world, Jackie Flanagan decided to break out on her own and open a women's clothing boutique of interesting, attainable, and not-often-seen styles.
Her grandmother was the inspiration for her shop, Nana. "My Nana has such fashion smarts. I've always looked up to her grace and subtle glamour ... she is the ultimate stylish, savvy shopper."

Five years later, Jackie has a successful U Street boutique, which carries a mix of vintage and new styles by designers like Allison Wonderland, Dagg and Stacey, and House of Spy.
She also has a husband (Joe), and two kids, Lily (3 1/2) and Eddie (10 months).

Here are some of Jackie's favorite things about D.C.:   

Favorite kids' clothing brands: A friend of mine created clothing line [Bruzwear] with an amazing inspiration -- pants with knee pads. They are the perfect pants for Eddie as he careens into every surface now that he's mobile and unstoppable. Another favorite for babies is the Baby Bambu line -- completely comfortable, cute onesies & layette pieces & completely earth-friendly.

Favorite thing about raising kids in D.C.: It's the city but there is lots of green space so we can enjoy the changing seasons. I especially love that D.C. is such a diverse, international place. You see people from all over the world here and often here different languages spoken in different areas. I love that Lily and Eddie experience different cultures each day.

Favorite restaurant: Open City and The Diner are both great family-friendly choices. You'll always be a winner with the kids with the menu & you'll never feel like you shouldn't bring the kiddos there. It's also a locally-owned business of which I am always trying to support over a chain.

Bakery: Heller's Bakery in Mount Pleasant. There is always a stroller or two out front. The donuts and cakes are yummy. It's just a nice, neighborhood place to get a cup of coffee and a delicious breakfast sandwich.

Coffee shop: I am a sucker for a tea and eclair at Love Cafe (it also happens to be on the same block as the shop).

Must-see spots: The ice skating rink by the sculpture garden on the Mall is a great fall/winter adventure with older kids. Because my husband is a pilot, we tend to enjoy aviation outings, too. There is a fun kids' space called "How Things Fly" in the National Air and Space Museum where Lily "flies" a Cessna ... over & over. Picnics at Gravelly Point Park are also repeat events for us because there's a large field to run around while watching the planes land or take-off directly above you.

Find more D.C. travel ideas in our city guide.

As the owner of Circle Boutique in D.C.'s hip 14th Street shopping district, Dinah Simpson became a tastemaker to hip young Washingtonians with her focus on "bringing up-and-coming designers with a funky feel" to the shop, like Built By Wendy, Mike & Chris, and Lover. (We at Going Places can vouch for the amazing-ness of Circle and the incredible pair of Rock & Republic jeans we snagged there.)  "It's a good feeling to see some of the designers we've highlighted over the years in places like Barney's," she says. "I feel we're truly finding those coveted brands."

Just after Circle celebrated its first anniversary, Dinah found out that she was pregnant with her first child, Mercedes, now 3. Then last year she had her second child, son Tonito. "It just make sense...Circle needed to carry kids' clothing," she says. Dinah also didn't need to look far to find customers. "I noticed there were a lot of families in the neighborhood; our shoppers were coming in with strollers, Bjorns, and snugglies. It was perfect!"

Here are a few of Dinah's top picks:

Favorite kids' clothing brands: We have Jeeto, Harajuki, Hola Lola, and Kumquat -- those I love!

Best thing about raising kids in D.C.: The museums are free!

Biggest misconception about the city: That it is not safe.

Favorite family-friendly restaurant in the city: Rice Restaurant

Favorite bakery: CakeLove

Best coffee shop:  Busboys & Poets

Other must-see spots for families visiting D.C.: Malcolm X Park in the summer -- they do Saturday drum beats, and the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in the spring. There are so many fun things to do in D.C. - and for free!

Find more ideas and activities in our D.C. city guide.