New York City at Christmastime. If they could bottle and sell it--and they've probably tried--it might just be priceless. Sparkling lights, chestnuts roasting, strangers exchanging pleasantries and parting with a warm "happy holidays!" It's an experience I've been wanting to share with my son since before he was born, exactly four years ago today. Last weekend, I finally had my chance.

My birthday gift to Declan was this trip--a phantasmagoria of holiday joy dreamed up by one of the biggest kids out there: his 37-year-old mother. My holiday gift to you: some of my best tips for roasting up some delicious memories with your loved and little ones in the happy event that you're headed to New York this season. And, for those of you who haven't planned an NYC trip this December, I hope a glimpse into our yuletide jaunt will inspire you to plan one next year. I promise: you and your family will never forget it. (Unless your child is only four, in which case he will forget it--so you actually have to do the whole thing over again. Many times. Meanwhile, take a lot of pictures to prove that you were a great mom back in the dark ages of your child's life.)