Chicago provides wide variety of holiday entertainment 

By Miriam Cintrón 

Every year, Chicago residents can enjoy the holidays together thanks to the many holiday concerts, plays, workshops, and other events presented throughout city. Here is a guide to the festive activities Chicago has to offer this season. 

HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

The Apollo Chorus of Chicago will once again perform the classic Handel’s Messiah at 3 p.m. Sat., Dec. 8, at Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., and at 3 p.m. Sun., Dec. 16, at Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Dr. For more information, call (312) 427-5620.

Experience an old-time Christmas while enjoying contemporary holiday activities at Clarke House Museum, 1827 S. Indiana Ave., and Glessner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie Ave., on Sat. and Sun., Dec. 8 and 9. The free Holiday Bazaar from noon to 7 p.m. will display arts and crafts for sale. The Family Afternoon event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sat. and feature horse-drawn carriage rides, stories, Victorian parlor games, holiday crafts, and a visit from Santa.  Reservations are accepted; the cost is $10 for children and $12 for adults accompanying them.

Candlelight Tours of Clarke House and Glessner House will showcase period holiday customs and decorations on both days at 6, 6:30, and 7 p.m. Reservations are required; tickets cost $18 for adults and $14 for children eight and older. For more information, call (312) 326-1480.

            Santa’s House will be open to visitors at Daley Plaza, Washington and Dearborn Sts., from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Sun., Dec. 23, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon., Dec. 24. While there, you cannot miss the 90-foot Christmas tree decorated with thousands of lights and hundreds of ornaments. The plaza also hosts the 12th annual Christkindlmarket, where visitors can experience a traditional German Christmas as they sample German foods and treats and browse through the handmade gifts, unique ornaments, and rare European exhibits. The free market runs through Mon., Dec. 24, and will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon. through Thurs., 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri. and Sat., and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 24. For more information, call (312) 744-3315 or visit www.cityofchicago.org/specialevents or www.christkindlmarket.com.

Santa’s sleigh will stop at 875 N. Michigan Ave. for the Hancock Observatory’s A Great View and Santa Too. Good girls and boys can have a free picture taken with Santa in his cherry red sleigh and experience the observatory’s view, which extends up to 80 miles away on the clearest days. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sat. and Sun. through Dec. 23. While there, check out the Holiday Mountain Road, a 1,400-square-foot model train exhibit featuring snow-covered trees, twelve trains, a reindeer barn, a skating rink, and a Christmas carousel.

Admission is $10.25 for adults, $8 for seniors 62 and older, $6.50 for children ages five through 12, and free for children four and younger. For more information, call (888) 875-VIEW (8439) or visit www.hancockobservatory.com.

Illinois State University’s Madrigal Singers and other groups present A Winter’s Song, their third annual series of madrigal dinners featuring musical and visual celebration in the Renaissance style of Merrie Olde England. Entertainment includes 17 lords and ladies serenading guests, the king and queen, and the court jester with traditional holiday madrigals. Dinners will be offered on campus in early December; the show comes to Chicago at 2 p.m. on Sun., Dec. 16, at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Preston Bradley Hall, 78 E. Washington St. For tickets to the Chicago dinner, call (312) 742-8497.

Now in its second year in the former Marshall Field’s store, Macy’s continues to honor tradition by featuring the timeless tale of the Nutcracker in its windows. The Centennial Great Tree in the seventh floor Walnut Room sparkles with more than 15,000 lights and thousands of ornaments designed by Martha Stewart through Sun., Jan. 6. Also, children can make crafts, win prizes, and enjoy face painting during Family Fun Day, Sat., Dec. 8, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The Mayor’s Office of Special Events presents Mayor Daley’s Holiday Sports Event Fri. through Sun., Dec. 28 through 30, at McCormick Place Halls A and B, 2301 S.  King Dr. The free event will feature interactive games, a Bulls-Sox Training Academy, a fitness area, and a variety of fun tournaments. Activities take place daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call (312) 744-3315 or visit www.chicagoholidaysportsevents.us.

Head over to Grant Park’s Buckingham Fountain (Congress Pkwy. and Columbus Dr.) on Monday, Dec. 31, and watch the dazzling New Year’s Eve Fireworks show, which begins at 11 p.m. Or kick up your heels this month at Tango Chicago Dance Centre, 408 S. Michigan Ave., which hosts its annual holiday party Fri., Dec. 21. The event features an Argentine Tango class for beginners from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and dancing until 2 a.m. Refreshments will be served all evening and tickets cost $25.

Keep your dancing shoes handy until Mon., Dec. 31, and head back to TangoChicago for dancing from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., a festive buffet dinner, party hats, and a spectacular view of Grant Park’s fireworks display. The cost is $50 in advance and $75 at the door. Professional photography will be available for an additional fee. Call (312) 788-3408.

 

CONCERTS

Chicago’s finest jazz and cabaret performers will come together to honor the late Peggy Lee on Sat., Dec. 22, at 2 p.m. in the Chicago Cultural Center’s Preston Bradley Hall, 77 E. Randolph St. A Holiday Fever–A Musical Tribute to Peggy Lee will feature the holiday songs she recorded as well as many of her greatest hits performed by Bob Moreen, Nan Mason, Susan Petri, Elizabeth Doyle, Petra Van Nuis, Paul Marinaro, Allen Nichols, and Audrey Morris. Admission is free.

If listening to holiday music is your favorite holiday tradition, attend the Chicago Public Library’s Sounds of Our City: 2007 Holiday Concerts, which honor Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa with free holiday musical performances by local school choirs. The male chorus from Kenwood Academy High School performs Fri., Dec. 7; the Advanced Mixed Chorus from Curie High School sings Mon., Dec. 10; the Concert Choir from Jones College Prep High School performs Thurs., Dec. 13; and the Benito Juarez Community Academy Chorus sings Fri., Dec. 14. All concerts are held at noon in the Grand Lobby of the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 13th annual Welcome Yule! concert series again “decks the hall” with holiday splendor and presents Duain Wolfe conducting beloved holiday songs and new musical works as colorfully costumed Welcome Yule! dancers perform. Concerts will be given at various times Fri. through Sun., Dec. 14 through 16 and Dec. 21 through 23. For information or tickets, call (312) 294-3000.

 

MUSEUMS

Cuneo Museum and Gardens, 1350 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Vernon Hills, IL, hosts A Cuneo Christmas through Sun., Dec. 30, to offer tours of the mansion, which is decorated inside and out for the holidays and boasts an 18-foot Christmas tree in the Great Hall. Visitors also can drive through the Cuneo estate to enjoy a Winter Wonderland Holiday Light Show of lit figures of animals, elves, and traditional characters from children's stories. The drive-through exhibit is open 6 to 10 p.m. through Sun., Jan. 6. Call (847) 362-3042 or visit www.cuneomuseum.org.

 

 

 

Children and adults are invited to explore and celebrate the many cultures of Chicago and the world at the Field Museum’s Children’s Holiday Celebration Thurs., Dec. 6. From 4 to 6:30 p.m., sing along to holiday favorites performed by the Stu Hirsh Orchestra, marvel at the gravity-defying Jesse White Tumblers, and enjoy the grace of the Ballet Chicago Studio Company. Crafts and entertainment from around the world and a visit with Santa Claus will create a memorable afternoon.

Maps: Finding Our Place in the World presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see more than 130 of the world’s greatest maps from ancient Rome and Babylonia borrowed from the Vatican, Queen Elizabeth II, and the world’s great libraries. For more information, call (312) 665-7400 or visit www.fieldmuseum.org. The museum is located at 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr. 

For the 66th year, the Museum of Science and Industry’s Christmas Around the World will exhibit more than 50 trees and displays decorated by volunteers from Chicago’s ethnic communities to reflect holiday traditions from around the globe. It runs through Sun., Jan. 6, along with Holidays of Light, a more recent museum tradition spotlighting multicultural holiday traditions that celebrate light or enlightenment, such as Diwali and Hanukkah. In honor of its temporary exhibit, National Geographic Maps: Tools for Adventure, this year’s holiday display theme is “the spirit of travel” in the 1930s. For more information on exhibits and the museum’s free dance and choral performances, call (773) 684-1414 or visit www.msichicago.org. The museum is located at 57th St. and Lake Shore Dr.

Just in time for the holidays, Lizards and the Komodo King at the John G. Shedd Aquarium, 1200 S. Lake Shore Dr., has been extended. Faust, the Komodo dragon, with his court of 25 other lizard species, continues his reign as the first live Komodo dragon ever on display in Chicago. When planning a trip to the aquarium this month, be sure to participate in Shedd’s Holiday Toy Drive, which runs through Dec. 19, by donating a new, unwrapped toy. Call (312) 939-2438.

The Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies holds its tenth annual Something Else! A Community Festival, a free event for all ages from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 25. Rabbi rocker Rav Shmuel will entertain audiences in the state-of-the-art theater in Spertus’s new facility at 610 S. Michigan Ave. Other activities include puppet shows, storytelling, face painting, inflatables, trivia games, a mini chess tournament, exhibit tours, and refreshments. Call (312) 322-1700 or visit www.spertus.edu.

 

OUTDOOR FAMILY FUN

Lincoln Park Zoo’s annual ZooLights lets visitors have their photo taken with Santa and enjoy festive family crafts, temporary tattoos, an African Safari Ride, ice carving, giant snow globes, and an endangered species carousel. The free event is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Fri., Sat., and Sun. through Jan. 1. The zoo is located at Cannon Dr. and Fullerton Pkwy. Call (312) 742-2000 for more details.

Fast becoming a Chicago tradition, Caroling at Cloud Gate in Millenium Park allows Chicagoans and visitors to enjoy the city’s newest downtown park while listening to choral groups and singing along, too. Join the carolers Friday nights at 6 p.m. through Dec. 21.

The Millennium Park ice rink, which draws more than 100,000 skaters every year, will be open through Sun., March 16. Located on Michigan Ave. between Washington and Madison Sts., the rink is free and open to the public daily from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Skate rental costs $9. On Tues., Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, the rink will be open noon to 8 p.m.; also, it closes at 8 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 27, and Mon., Jan. 7. Call (312) 742-1168 or visit www.milleniumpark.org.

Step back in time to a picture-perfect 19th century holiday during Naper Settlement’s Christmas Memories Fri. through Sun., Dec. 14 through 16. Complete with carolers, festive decorations, reindeer, musical entertainment, the Gingerbread Village Contest, and horse-drawn rides, the event runs 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The museum is located at 523 S. Webster St. in Naperville. Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors 62 and older, and $6.50 for youth age four through 17. For more information, call (630) 305-5555 or visit www.napersettlement.museum.

Navy Pier hosts its seventh magical holiday season with new attractions and more than 170,000 square feet of family fun. The Winter WonderFest will wow visitors with 750,000 sparkling lights, 25,000 bedazzling holiday ornaments and hundreds of beautifully decorated trees, not to mention dozens of rides, games, music, and live entertainment. Highlights include an arctic ice rink, 50-foot Ferris wheel, winter wind glider, 300-foot-long Reindeer Express train ride, kringle carousel, and ropes obstacle course—and that is just the tip of the iceberg. The event runs through Jan. 6.

Visitors also can visit with Santa Claus and Friends in the Family Pavilion from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Dec. 23. For more information, visit www.navypier.com.

For more than 40 years, the trees along North Michigan Avenue have been illuminated to signal the official start of the holiday season in Chicago. Be sure to take an evening stroll down the Magnificent Mile to take in the sights and lights.

 

THEATER

Kids of all ages can perform in a holiday classic at the sixth annual Dance-Along Nutcracker at noon and 3 p.m. on Sun., Dec. 9, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., (312) 744-6630. Audience members will be encouraged to hit the dance floor with professional dancers who will provide instruction and cues.

Emerald City Theatre presents the holiday musical adaptation Frosty through Jan. 6 at The Apollo Theatre, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave. Based on the popular holiday song by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson, Frosty tells the tale of school bullies who steal the snowman’s magic hat and third graders Samantha and James, who must find the right magic hat that makes their snowman the one we all know and love. Suitable for children age three and older, performances are scheduled at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sat. and at 1 p.m. on Sun. through Dec. 30, as well as 10:30 a.m. Thurs. and Fri., Dec. 27 and 28, and 1 p.m. Sat. and Sun., Jan. 5 and 6. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for children. For tickets and information call the Apollo box office at (773) 935-6100 or visit emeraldcitytheatre.com.

For 30 years, Goodman Theatre has made A Christmas Carol a Chicago holiday institution, with seven Scrooges and 27 Tiny Tims over the years—and “Bah, humbug! more than 17,000 times. This year, the show runs through Sat., Dec. 29 in the Albert Theatre. Tickets cost $20 to $70 and may be purchased at www.GoodmanTheatre.org, at the box office at 170 N. Dearborn St., or at (312) 443-3800.

Now in its eighth year, Headcheese Fat Boss Productions’ The Hipmas Carol comes to the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., through Sun., Dec. 30. The hour-long funny and dramatic tribute to A Christmas Carol is presented in a refreshingly different style by Patrick Zielinski and Tyler Bohne. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $17 for seniors, and $12 for children age 12 and younger. For reservations, go to www.ticketmaster.com or call (773) 935-6100.

The Joffrey Ballet presents The Nutcracker through Sun., Dec. 30, with the Joffrey Ballet Company joined by local children’s choruses and more than 120 young dancers ages nine through 14. Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Wed. and Fri., Dec. 12 and 14; 2 and 7 p.m. Sat., Dec. 15; 2 p.m. Sun., Dec. 16; 2 and 7 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 20; 7 p.m. Fri., Dec. 21; 2 and 7 p.m. Sat. and Sun., Dec. 22 and 23; 2 p.m. Wed. and Thurs., Dec. 26 and 27; 7 p.m. Fri., Dec. 28; 2 and 7 p.m. Sat., Dec. 29; and 2 p.m. Sun. Dec. 30. Performances are held at Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. For more information, call (312) 739-0120 or visit www.joffrey.com.

Redmoon Theater presents Hunchback, a re-telling of Victor Hugo’s beautiful and tragic tale The Hunchback of Notre Dame using shadow puppetry, elaborate masks, and outrageous acrobatics. Performances are Thurs. through Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 4 p.m. through Sun., Jan. 20. For tickets or more information, visit www.redmoon.org or call Redmoon, 1463 W. Hubbard St., at (312) 850-8440, ext. 111.

Silent Theatre presents A Charlie Chaplin Christmas, a whimsical, vaudeville-style tale of Chaplin’s beloved little tramp and his protégé during the holiday season. Entertaining for both children and adults, the show runs 7:30 p.m. Thurs. through Sat. and 3 p.m. Sun. from Fri., Dec. 7, through Sun., Jan 6, in the Studio Theater at the Chicago Cultural Center. Tickets cost $20, $15 for students and seniors. For reservations, call (312) 742-TIXS (8497) or visit www.dcatheater.org.

Victory Gardens Theater presents a special return holiday engagement of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., through Sun., Dec. 23. This new holiday tradition offers an intimate, magical winter ride into a fantasy world of myth and dreams. Performances run Tues. through Thurs. at 7:30 p.m., Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 5 p.m., and Sun. at 2 p.m. Also, a 2 p.m. matinee will be offered Wed., Dec. 12. Tickets cost $20 to $45. Call (773) 871-3000 or visit www.victorygardens.org.

 

SPECIAL TREATS

Chicago’s Chinatown Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual Christmas Party Fri., Dec. 14, at Furama Restaurant, 2828 S. Wentworth Ave. Each year, more than 200 guests come to the event to celebrate community achievements. Call (312) 326-5320.

For unique gifts to give to your family and friends, stop by the Holiday Trunk Shows at the shop in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., (312) 744-6630, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. the Saturdays of Dec. 8 and 15 to pick up Christmas ornaments, jewelry, stationery, and handbags by local artisans. For even more gift ideas, browse the recently launched www.ChicagoStore.com.

East & West Meet on Paper features the work of artist, writer, and documentary producer Susan Fong at the Fourth Presbyterian Church, 126 E. Chestnut St. The exhibit is open 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and runs through Sun., Dec. 16. For more information, call (312) 942-9938.

The Fannie May Chocolate Ferry will give free rides¾and free Fannie May chocolate samples¾to passengers on the Chicago Water Taxi between Madison St. and Michigan Ave. on weekends through Sun., Dec. 23. Passengers receive a coupon for a free cup of Fannie May hot chocolate redeemable at the Fannie May flagship store at Michigan Ave. and Wacker Dr. Visit www.fanniemay.com.

Theater Thursday LunchBreak in the Chicago Cultural Center’s Randolph Café will present the KFAR Jewish Arts Center performing traditional Hanukkah music on Thurs., Dec. 13, at 12:15 p.m.

Listen to Christmas Music You Grew Up With at Maxim’s: The Nancy Goldberg International Center, 24 E. Goethe St., on Wed., Dec. 5. The event will feature holiday classics from movies and TV shows such as Holiday Inn, A Charlie Brown Christmas, White Christmas, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas performed by Dan Ferris and Joe Vito. A 7 p.m. reception precedes the 7:30 p.m. performance. Tickets cost $25. For reservations, call (312) 744-1423 or send an e-mail to reservations@maximschicago.org.

The Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas invites the public to the annual Holiday Trees from Around the World exhibit in the Cook County Building, 118 N. Clark St. Open through Thurs., Jan. 10, the exhibit features more than 70 trees representing different cultures and a companion exhibit on Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Groups of all ages are encouraged to attend. For more information, call (312) 603-6268.

St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church will host The World’s Greatest Bake Sale & Holiday Breakfast on Mon., Dec. 16, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1040 W. 32nd Pl. in the church hall. Visit with Santa Claus and enjoy an international assortment of pastries freshly made and beautifully gift wrapped. Call (773) 927-6646.

            Enjoy free hot chocolate at the Water Works Visitors Center, 163 E. Pearson St., between 3 and 4 p.m. while listening to holiday classics performed by cabaret duo Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael on Fri., Dec. 14. Water Works Holiday Songs of the Season also will feature cabaret diva K.T. McCammond performing jazzy renditions of holiday songs on Fri., Dec. 7 and 21.