Hello my beautiful friends, the holiday season is officially upon us! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and Christmas will be closely following.
I know there are some of y’all reading this who are thinking “it’s November 24, can we not get all agitated about Christmas already? It’s a month away and we still need to get through Thanksgiving”. I just want to say that I really don’t need that kind of negativity out here: the holiday season is, in fact, the most wonderful time of the year!
I’m actually more excited than usual because I will be in Chicago for most of the holiday season this year: that doesn’t happen often, as I usually leave the city around the 10th of December to go back to Milan, Italy and be with my family. This year, though, for work reasons, I will only be leaving to Italy on December 21st: therefore, I will get to experience all that Chicago has to offer during its magical holiday season!
To get the most out of my time here, I have compiled a list of Chicago’s most festive activities. Here are five traditional ways to celebrate the holiday season here in Chicago – and three bonus activities for the more adventurous ones.
Traditional Holiday Fun
The Christkindlmarket
Ah, the Christkindlmarket. The quintessential Christmas activity in Chicago. Nothing better than walking around Christmas markets sipping on some hot chocolate that you actually bought first for the collectible cup, second to warm up your hands, and lastly for the taste. There are three locations: the iconic one in Daley Plaza, one at Gallagher Way outside of Wrigley, and one in Milwaukee for our Wisconsin friends! So come down, get your own cup of hot chocolate and your raclette sandwich and take a look at products from so many vendors from all over the world. It’s one of my favorite things to do this time of the year, and definitely the most “Christmassy”.
Ice Skating Around Town
Nothing says Winter Wonderland more than ice skating right in the middle of the city of Chicago (where chances are, you’re usually surrounded by snow.). Well, we’re in luck, because not only do we have three outdoor public skating rinks – Millennium Park, the Ribbon at Maggie Daley Park and the rink at Gallagher Way – but they’re also all open for the season already! Get your skates on and join in for some winter fun! Rinks are open until March 8.
Joffrey Ballet: the Nutcracker
Whenever I get a chance to talk about that one time when I interned for the Joffrey Ballet, well, I take it. I will never forget being able to work with incredibly talented people such as the dancers and the staff there. With that said, I also take any chance I get to promote their ballets, and what’s more festive than the Nutcracker this time of the year? Last year, I spent most of my Holiday season in Milan, so I actually went to see the Nutcracker at Teatro Alla Scala. This year, I look forward to a true Chicago production. Get your tickets here.
Holiday High Tea
There is nothing cozier than a cup of tea. Nothing fancier than sipping on it surrounded by trays of teacakes. AND nothing more festive than sitting in the fully decked lobby of one of the nicest hotels in Chicago. (actually, that might be a stretch. I can think of more festive things. But not many. I’d say this makes the top ten.). High tea is a treat at any time of the year, but for some reason it seems to be more “fitting” during the holidays. It is no coincidence that the Langham, the Peninsula and the Drake Hotel all serve a holiday version of the British favorite.
I have had high tea in London this past March for the very first time, but I have never had it to celebrate the holiday season. It is high on my bucket list this year; if it’s on yours, too, you should probably make a reservation.
It’s Lit: Christmas Trees, ZooLights and the Holiday Train
Though you missed the official Tree Lighting Ceremony (speak for yourself: I was there!), you all are obviously still in time to see the city lit up for the Holidays. The Tree is lit, Michigan Avenue is lit and the Holiday Train – one of Chicago’s beloved holiday traditions – is set to begin service this upcoming Friday on CTA tracks. And how could we forget about the ZooLights, where for the month before Christmas, the entire Lincoln Park Zoo is decorated with 30,000 festive and colorful lights. There are so many lights to see around town and they are sure to put you in a festive mood.
Unconventional Holiday Fun
Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Twas the Night Before…
Most of you guys know that I am a huge Cirque du Soleil fan. If you’ve read my post on Montréal, you know how obsessed I am with them and how much of a big deal it was for me to see a show of theirs in the city where they were founded. One of the things I love the most about them is that they are always able to reinvent themselves and come up with new ways to amaze us.
Want to hear a prime example of that? Well, Chicago is about to host Cirque du Soleil’s first-ever Christmas show, “‘Twas the Night Before…”, at the Chicago Theatre, starting November 29 until December 8. I repeat, this has never been done before. And, we are getting it before New York City. Now that’s something worth celebrating. Get your tickets here.
A Holiday Drink… at a Much Larger Starbucks
Okay, going to Starbucks might be part of your daily life, so you could argue that this is neither unconventional or festive. But hey, things change when you get to order a holiday drink at the largest Starbucks in the whole world! The four-stories-tall coffee shop opened a couple of weeks ago, and yet there’s always a line outside. If you’re willing to wait a bit, you’ll get a one of a kind experience, complete with baked goods from Princi (if you know me, you know how obsessed I am with that bakery: the second floor is fully dedicated to them!). Now, what’s more festive than eating a Princi cornetto and sipping on a cappuccino from a Starbucks holiday cup? Exactly.
TBOX 2019
Have you ever heard of TBOX? I am honestly not at all sure whether it’s a Chicago thing or if other places have it too. TBOX stands for Twelve Bars of Christmas. It is the “Original, World’s Largest, Longest Running Bar Crawl”. It takes place in Wrigleyville, right by my house. When you buy your ticket, you get access to more than 30 Wrigleyville bars for a day (yes, that’s more than twelve). So, don’t be surprised if Saturday, December 14 you see a bunch of grown-ups partying in their Christmas pajamas at 10am. This year will be my first time doing this: will I survive? Get your tickets here.
That’s all for now! Did I miss any traditional or unconventional ways to ring in the holiday season? Let me know below!