On the road
Chicago
Football widows find a pigskin paradise
You say your Saturdays are all about cleaning up half-chomped potato poopies and cheese curls after college football and don't even ask about Sunday's slate of pro games? Tell him he'll hear nary another complaint after he pays for the Gridiron Getaway at the Four Seasons Chicago - a spa package that includes a 55-minute massage to soothe back muscles from endless tidying; a delectable and healthy spa lunch that smells nothing like beer and wieners; access to the indoor pool and hi-tech fitness club; and a Football Season Survival Kit that includes a Four Seasons Magazine, chocolate truffles and a spa product. It's the best $200 he'll ever spend. The Spa is open from 8 am - 8 pm daily. 120 East Delaware Place, Chicago. Make a reservation at (312) 649-2340.
Do you hear what I hear?
After a day of power shopping or slaving at work, save your martini money and stroll over to Cloud Gate (aka "The Bean") at Millennium Park to really amp up the holiday spirits. Every Friday night starting at 6 pm a variety of choirs and choral groups will entertain with rousing carols and holiday sing-alongs by the sculpture which is among the largest of its kind in the world. Performers include the Apollo Chorus of Chicago founded in 1872 after the Great Chicago Fire, Wooten Choral Ensemble, the oldest community choir in the nation and Chicago Chamber Choir. Fridays, Nov. 28 - Dec. 16, 2008. Michigan Ave. at Randolph. (312) 744-6630.
The lions in winter
They may complain about having to wake up a little early on the day after Thanksgiving, but the lifelong memories will be worth the trek to the Art Institute of Chicago's 17th Annual "Wreathing of the Lions." The ceremony begins at 10 am on the museum's front steps Friday, Nov. 28. Festive live music and song fills the air as colossal evergreen wreaths are placed on each of the Art Institute's iconic bronze lion sculptures. The two have been guarding the doors since 1893, after all. The first 200 adults can gain free admission to the museum (kids 12 and younger enjoy free admission all the time). Once inside, you'll enjoy trumpeted fanfares on the Grand Staircase and a traditional Norse fiddler playing classical, folk and holiday music. Families should pencil in a free drop-in workshop to create a wreath inspired by the tapestries exhibition The Divine Art: Four Centuries of European Tapestries (on view through January 4, 2009). Michigan Avenue and Adams Street. Ring (312) 443-3600 or wander around www.artic.edu for details.
Midwest
Ward of the great state of Wisconsin
Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward, which boasts the highest concentration of art galleries in the city, gets all festive with its annual Christmas in the Ward celebration Dec. 5 and 6. The event features the tree-lighting ceremony, Irish dancers, Milwaukee Children's Choir, cookie and hot chocolate sale, horse-drawn carriage rides through the turn-of-the-century warehouse district, holiday shopping, Santa sightings and an exciting fireworks display. You'll enjoy free admission and free parking Friday after 4 pm and Saturday 10 am - 4 pm in the Historic Third Ward Parking Structures. Go to www.historicthirdward.org or call (414) 273-1173 for more information.
Oh, it plays in Peoria, alright.
The East Peoria Festival of Lights marks its 24th year of holiday cheer and it's always showing up on lists of best fests around the nation. Although the event officially takes place Dec. 5-31, 2008, you may want to get down there for the spectacular Parade of Lights on Nov. 29, 2008. It's three miles of 40 floats shaped entirely from lights, including a motorcycle float, 70-foot long float of the famous Clydesdale horse team pulling a delivery wagon, the starship Enterprise and the 95-foot-long smoke-spewing Chinese dragon. During the rest of the fest, take in a two-mile drive-through electric park which displays parade floats including leaping reindeer, the Candy Cane Factory, circus animals and a large lighted fireworks finale display. There's an indoor Winter Carnival with decorated trees, full-size carousel and other rides, food and beverages, gift shop and Santa and baby deer visits. During the final week of the Festival, enjoy nightly family-friendly free entertainment. Call (800) 365-3743 or look around www.cityofeastpeoria.com for details.
Marshal up a traditional small town Christmas.
If you're keen on an old-fashioned Christmas, consider a visit to Michigan for the Marshall Historical Society's 29th Annual Candlelight Walk, Dec. 6th and 7th, 2008. Five private homes are wonderfully decorated for the holiday season and lit only by candlelight. Prior to the tour, enjoy home baked cookies, hot cocoa and coffee at the First Baptist Church, built in 1850, the oldest religious structure in Marshall. Then, stroll with a guide from home to home among other beautiful Victorian homes dressed for the holiday season. Call (800) 877-5163 to reserve your tickets or explore www.marshallhistoricalsociety.org.
Worth the Trip
Bebop 'til you drop
The inaugural sailing of the Playboy Jazz Cruise, a full-ship charter hosted by legendary jazz greats Marcus Miller and Herbie Hancock, promises to be fueled by rhythm, soul and sound. The ultimate in experiential jazz immersion, the cruise allows guests to get close to the artists with late-night jam sessions, dining encounters and casual conversation, autograph sessions and performances from a line-up of the world's most celebrated jazz superstars. The cruise sets sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Holland America's m/s Westerdam, from January 25th to February 1st, 2009, and visits jazzy ports of call including San Juan, St. Barths, Nevis, and the private island of Half Moon Cay. Ring up (866) 923-7269 beat a path to www.playboyjazzcruise.com.