ASK A MOM: Holiday Edition
Molly Grantham tackles your parenting questions in this ongoing series
Q: Hi Molly!
I loved following along on your recent trip to NYC because we’re planning to go later this month. My kids are closer in age to your youngest (4 and 6), so I wondered if you have any pointers for three days in the city with my kiddos. What are the places or activities should we visit? (And a few we should skip?) Should we plan to bring the stroller for my youngest? How do you make sure nobody gets lost? I know that’s a lot of questions, LOL! I’m just not sure how to do this with kids! —Katie
A: We didn’t know how to do New York City with kids, either. Unlike you, who is smartly looking for ideas, my husband and I just jumped. We booked things and figured it out. Some were great, some we wouldn’t re-do. I am absolutely no travel expert, but I can offer suggestions based on our trip last month. If you’d like to see a 60-second reel of our trip, you can check it out @molly_grantham.
The great news? You’ll easily find things for any age. Our kids are 13, 10, and 4. New York City never sleeps; we really didn’t either. If you want, you can cram an incredible amount into a short time. We had four nights and five full days. (Once we got back to Charlotte, we all slept for 15 hours.)
We were lucky to get tickets for Broadway shows, though your ages might not love that, and this could be a place to save money. Our 4-year-old slept through Hamilton; total waste of a ticket.
Everyone loved the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. It’s centered around Santa and storylines with toys. Also, the matinee was great. You won’t miss out by not making an evening performance. For what it’s worth, those sitting around us were from NYC and told us at the end, “This 2024 show is the best Christmas Spectacular yet!”
Nearby, I’d say ice skating at Rockefeller Center is a nice photo op… but the lines are long and the rink isn’t that large. (Our 10-year-old said while skating, crammed near people, that “Light the Knights” ice-skating rink in Charlotte is “more fun and bigger.” No joke.)
We didn’t visit Bryant Park, but I’ve heard that’s better for local-booth shopping, and less crowded for skating and light-viewing.
As for food, my kids loved hot dog stands and late-night pizza. Everything is open, always. They also adored Black Tap in SoHo. Epic milkshakes with pieces of cake and huge, double-stuffed cookies on top. The small restaurant also serves burgers and sandwiches. Its website doesn’t take reservations, but you can get one through Open Table (we waited in the cold outside, unaware of this).
Dinner in Chinatown was a hit as well. It’s right near Little Italy. Both had good kid options.
The Empire State Building is an excellent museum, highly interactive, and recently voted “#1 Attraction in the World.” We went to the Observatory Deck on the 86th floor. You might want to go to floor 102, but that’s up to you… 86 feels pretty darn high. We went on Thanksgiving Day (no line). It was foggy, so we couldn’t see one other building. Still worthwhile, though. I’d suggest booking an early-morning time to avoid crowds.
Also arrive early at the American Museum of Natural History. It’s huge. We got in fast at 9 a.m. Kids were $15 a ticket and well worth a 2-hour ambling stroll through floors of displays, especially if your kids like dinosaurs or animals. Our 4-year-old now thinks dinos live in New York and wants to return for that sole reason.
Finally, I’d suggest time to walk. Pick different spots. On different days, we walked to the reflecting pools outside the 9/11 Museum, up 5th Avenue, around parts of Central Park, and through the side-street shops of SoHo. That was our teenager’s favorite part: Experiencing life in the city.
Good luck and have fun!
Q: What are some good stocking stuffers that are sugar-free and mess-free?
A: I took this question to a group text filled with parents. Get ready for rapid fire responses:
- Powerball tickets
- Socks
- Toiletries (things they need and you’ll buy anyway)
- Yo-yo’s (“It’s a lost art.”)
- Event tickets
- Movie tickets
- Mini travel games (“Keeps them off phones in a car.”)
- Discovery Place membership
- Bath bombs
- Magazine subscriptions
- Walkie Talkies
- Sunglasses
- Cool pens
- Stanley water bottle
- Travel-sized Sephora items
- Free samples from beauty stores
- Lip gloss/Chapstick
- Face masks
- Skin care
- Little jewelry pieces
- Gift cards to fast food restaurants (**Text string had two trains of thought: “Pick a place you don’t usually let them eat so it’s a fun gift,” OR “Pick a place you always go because you’ll spend the money there anyway and now your next visit is paid for.”)
Q: Every year my in-laws ask what my kids want for Christmas. No matter what I say, they give them more toys than they know what to do with. A few months later, most end up in the trash or donation bin. They’re older now (9, 11, and 13), and I would love it if my in-laws could put that money they usually spend on junk into a 529 for my kids. But is that rude to ask? —Steph
A: Rude to ask? Maybe. It’s also a smart idea.
But if you don’t feel comfortable—and you can’t get your spouse to ask his/her parents on behalf of your family—then remember your in-laws might really like buying gifts for their grandkids. Just putting money in an account or sending a gift card doesn’t always give that emotional hit.
I say this from experience. My out-of-state in-laws start asking about gift lists in September because they miss the kids and like shopping for them. I’ve learned to have my kids give their grandparents specific lists.
If that sounds like more hassle for you, I get it. But apps now make it easy. Kids can put any link to any website or item, with notes (sizes, colors, etc.). These wish lists can be easily texted to any family member. My kids use Giftful, but there are many options. And just because an item on the wish list is from, say, Target, it doesn’t mean the gift needs to be purchased at Target. The gift buyer can see the item and description, then shop around for the best deal.
Even better is when your oldest can make the lists for all kids. You say you have a 13-year-old; I had my 13-year-old do that this year. It was great. This gave them a task/project together, and one they all selfishly love. (I mean, making wish lists of gifts for themselves is a bit obnoxious. But, if extended family wants to give something, this helps assure it’s an item you won’t throw away.)
There are also compromises. You can suggest a number of gifts per child, or dollar limit. Or—back to your idea of investing in the 529—if you or your spouse wants to talk to grandparents months in advance, there are ways to suggest they invest half of what they want to spend on presents into an account, then use the remaining half to get presents to be opened.
Can you believe that’s a wrap on 2024? Keep your questions coming in 2025—as always, you can ask them on Charlotte Parent’s homepage.
Wishing you all some calm hours and downtime around the holiday.
—Molly
MOLLY GRANTHAM is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, speaker, author, and mom of three. Follow her on Facebook or Instagram, or visit mollygrantham.com.
