November 25th—here's where I'm taking my kids this week

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We’ll see you at our Family Holiday Hang at at ROW DTLA on Saturday! We’ve been busy working on all the fun details. I really wanted this one to feel nostalgic, like how our 90s childhood felt. It was really something extra special around the holidays. Pre social media, just simpler times. 😄 

We’ve been planning for a couple months now and I really got to thinking about what makes playdate different in the realm of events. I didn’t set out to host events when I started, so it’s really interesting that I landed here. I think having my own kids really reignited this drive for creating experiences that feel special. We attend lot of events as a family around LA and I can always feel when there’s intention and care behind it, and when there’s not. I guess being a mom has really made me reconnect with the magic of childhood. The details get the best of me, I have to pull back at times because I can get carried away fast but here are just a few things we did for this one.

I made sure to include parent-only goodie bags (for the first 50!) because I know as parents, we’re so focused on our own kids most of the time, it’s SO nice when someone thinks about us. I thought long and hard about what a playdate inspired Santa mailbox would look like and designed 25 individual bumper stickers so I can place them by hand to achieve that urban sticker collage vibe that truly feels Playdate LA coded. I sourced PEANUTS Holiday and Frosty the Snowman activity books for our art pack station for CHLA because when I said nostalgic holiday vibes, I meant it. And just this morning, I rush ordered mini toy caterpillars to add to the soil bucket for our seed planting station. Something small (and likely unnecessary) but it’s those tiny details that my own kids get so excited about.

There’s so much more that I’ll leave for the event, I also didn’t realize I’d be finalizing all these details the week that both my kids are out of school but here we are! 😅 I really hope the extra attention to detail comes across and that your families enjoy it all. If you have a minute, check out my article with ROW DTLA, ‘How to Survive the Holidays with Kids’ for my parenting style hot tips - basically just popsicle baths & practicing letting go daily :)

x Carissa

📍 DTLA
LA Auto Show
Wednesday 11/26 This year’s LA Auto Show is more than just new cards - it’s packed with hands-on experiences, photo ops, VR rides, and kid-friendly exhibits. Families can explore exotics, sit in vehicles, check out future mobility tech and have an interactive outing. Fun for all ages. (9am - 6pm)

📍 Pasadena
Rose Bowl Turkey Trot
Thursday 11/27 Kick off your Thanksgiving morning with a family-friendly 5K at Rose Bowl. Open to runners, walkers, stroller, even leashed dogs. Entry frees are fully tax deductible and support the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and local fire relief efforts. (8:30am - 10:30am)

📍 DTLA
13th Annual Turkey Trot Los Angeles
Thursday 11/27 Kick off Thanksgiving morning with this family-friendly run through downtown LA. Choose from a 5K, 10K, 1-mile dog jog, or the Widdle Wobble kids course, all finish with a post-race festival in Grand Park. The run supports The Midnight Mission. A great option for early risers since the race starts at 6a! (6am - 11am)

📍 DTLA
Family Holiday Hang
Saturday 11/29 So excited to host our biggest event yet and huge thank you to ROW DTLA for trusting us to dream up something really special for families. What you can expect: DJ spinning holiday vinyl, hands on activities for kids: wreath-making, seed planting, cookie decorating, DIY hot cocoa, a letters to Santa station, ornament decorating, a scavenger hunt, (& more), a puppet show, Santa appearance + story. Shop pop ups by our favorite mom-owned brands, Dylbob and Stroller Gang, and take advantage of one day only deals from ROW shops. Check out our first merch drop (!!!) in person only, and more. Craft activations are while supplies last. See you there! (10am - 2pm)
*playdate hosted event

Black Friday Deal
Our friends at Bumo are having their Black Friday deal - use code PLAYDATE for a $50 voucher towards childcare, camps & programs in and around LA!

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