Samm Davidson sets the scene: “It was a Sunday morning, and my husband and I had played rock paper scissors to determine who got to do the solo drive with our 8-year-old to his football game. The other was sentenced to getting the other kids ready and out the door an hour later to meet us there. Well, I won.” She thought she’d gotten lucky just to snag the easier job. But as she learned, that 25 minutes became something really special. Find out why.

Kelly Faircloth, Executive Editor

“It’s two o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon, and my 2-and-half-year-old and I are making our second trip of the day to the ‘Christmas house.’ A few streets over, it’s already covered in wonderful lights, with a lawn full of blow-up characters and animatronics, some of which dance and sing songs. She is mesmerized by the scene.” Do you have one of these homes in your neighborhood? Read on for a really great idea for how to entertain your kid.