Holidays

Don't miss your chance to ride on the bus or train in the CTA's Holiday Fleet, which brings Santa around the city over the next month. 

It already feels like winter in Chicago, so it’s time to break out the mittens, lace up the skates, and fill your mug with hot cocoa­­—though not necessarily in that order. Here are just some of the things you can do around Chicagoland this holiday season.

From Carole King and the cast of a Broadway musical about her life to Sesame Street Muppets to Colbie Caillat, this year's A Capitol Fourth features the old and new across various genres. Meet the performers here.  

Instead of buying chocolates for Valentine's Day (whether for a loved one or for yourself!), why not try making some delectable chocolate hearts studded with cranberries, with a recipe from Chicago's Bittersweet in Lakeview?

As Christmas approaches, the Nonnatus sisters are called back to the Mother House to elect a new Mother Superior. There, they care for newly arrived orphans from China as well as a pregnant woman who used to live there. Back in Poplar, Trixie returns and helps with a birth in an unusual place.

December obviously brings the holidays, making it the perfect time to curl up in your warm home and watch some TV while snow falls outside. Here are holiday specials, a Christmas concert, festive baking episodes, and more to tide you through those dark, cold nights.

Imagine Chicago transformed into a festive forest fairyland, and you have the Chicago Botanic Garden's holiday Wonderland Express. Over 80 landmarks are constructed completely out of natural materials, from bark to gourds. Take a magical video tour here.

More than two million lights, a crew of twenty-two people, 7,200 working hours, 600,000 visitors: it's ZooLights, one of Chicago's beloved holiday traditions. What does it take to plan, set up, and run the extravagant light shows?

Starting the day after Thanksgiving, the CTA Holiday Train will begin bringing joy to "L" riders, and the Holiday Bus starts service the next week. Find their schedules here so that you can get a chance to enjoy the lights and take a photo with Santa!

The holiday season is upon us, as going into any store and hearing the music will inform you. If you want to make sure that the most wonderful time of the year is truly full of wonder, Chicagoland offers plenty of magical opportunities, from tree lightings to markets to parades.

Not only is April 12 Grilled Cheese Day, the entire month of April is National Grilled Cheese Month. And why not – who doesn't like this humblest, simplest of sandwiches? Find some tips from Martha Stewart to gussy up your grilled cheese in celebration.

Dying eggs for Easter is a time-honored and beloved tradition, and it's fun and easy to make natural coloring. Once you've dyed them, why not spice your hard-boiled eggs up by deviling them, using greek yogurt instead of mayo for something a bit healthier?

As Christmas approaches, Alan faces humiliation while Celia is excited for the opening of their play. Caroline is beginning to doubt her career and life change, and Gillian and Robbie's marriage continues to prove less than perfect.

Kwanzaa "instills the concept of family in younger generations, and teaches who we as African Americans were, what we went through, and what we have achieved.” Learn more, courtesy the DuSable Museum of African American History.