Holiday windows are already aglow around the city, with more displays appearing every day. Tonight’s lighting truly captures the spirit of the season: UNICEF is hosting a celebration that reminds New Yorkers to give to those in need. At 6:30pm, locals (and celebrity guest Lucy Liu!) are invited to gather outside of Louis Vuitton’s flagship store to watch the illumination of a giant snowflake. Afterward, youngsters from Broadway Kids Care will perform a musical number.

Get ready to add one more stop to your annual winter visit to Rockefeller Center. Lionel Trains has opened up a pop-up store at 30 Rock for the holiday season—the first retail shop in the company’s 109-year history. The 1,100-square-foot-space boasts fully operational train displays, a Christmas tree and hundreds of Lionel’s popular items for sale (we can’t wait to check out the Beatles Box Car and the Wizard of Oz Box Car). Plus, new this year: a train set made especially for toddlers for just $50.

As you may have noticed, holiday season has arrived in Gotham (we even spotted our first Santa last week!). Window displays are popping up, with Cartier and Lord & Taylor already flaunting their festive decor. On Monday, November 23, Saks Fifth Avenue will debut its storefront, and we got a special behind-the-scenes peek at the creative process, courtesy of David Spaeth of Spaeth Designs and Saks fashion director for windows, Steve Swirczek.

You may have already heard that the Pond at Bryant Park began welcoming ice-skaters today. But there’s more seasonal cheer to be had at the family-friendly greenspace: the holiday shops have opened as well. Peruse Popsicle-shaped bath soaps at Just Bubbly, games galore at The Games Place, bear-paw mittens at Bear Hands and Buddies and more. The kiosks will be open Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 10am-9pm and Sun 10am-6pm through January 3.

If you can spare one of the masterpieces hanging on your refrigerator (um, yeah), send your kid’s best holiday-themed work to Lands’ End for a chance to win a gift card of up to $500. If your little Picasso’s piece is picked, it will also be showcased on the company’s website. So whip out those crayons and have Junior get to it; anything from snowmen to menorahs will do. Last year’s winners included a picture of a girl catching snowflakes on her tongue and a cute-as-pie penguin holding a gift.

Photo courtesy of Landsend.com.

If you missed the San Gennaro fest, today’s your chance for a redo. If you’re lucky enough to have the day off of work to spend with your kids, head to midtown to watch bands in costume and various Italian-American associations march up Fifth Avenue alongside bountiful floats and sleek rides at the Columbus Day Parade & Festival. If downtown is more your scene, hundreds of vendors will be dishing up treats like cannoli, pizza, and gelato. Happy Columbus Day!

A three-day weekend already? Don’t panic; we’ve got plenty of free activity suggestions from Saturday through Monday to keep the kids busy. Outdoors, indoors, uptown and down, we’ve rounded up the coolest no-cost happenings all over the city. Start planning your adventures now.