“Nutcracker' a holiday favorite
Every boy and girl should see at least one ballet, and the one that may keep the squirming to a minimum is the Joffrey Ballet's rendition of “The Nutcracker.” It's the 23rd anniversary of Chicago's most popular family holiday event. The production features the full Joffrey company, local children's choruses and 120 young dancers from Chicago and the Midwest. The Chicago Sinfonietta, the official orchestra of the Joffrey Ballet, provides live musical accompaniment.
Showtimes vary Friday to Thursday, Dec. 10-16, at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Parkway. Tickets, $30-$115. Call (800) 982-2787 or visit ticketmaster.com.
Eat, drink and be merry
Savor a holiday play or a museum exhibit with a meal in the historic McCormick Mansion as part of special dinner-theatre packages with Lawry's The Prime Rib. Choose the Christmas Carol Dinner & Theatre Package, which combines tickets to “A Christmas Carol” at the Goodman Theatre and a traditional holiday dinner, or the Sing Along package with lunch and the “Christmas Around the World” exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.
100 E. Ontario St., Chicago. 4 p.m. dinner before 6:30 p.m. performance of “A Christmas Carol” at the Goodman Theatre, Sunday, Dec. 5. Price is $95 for adults, $69 for children (12 and under) including tax and gratuity. Noon to 2 p.m. lunch and singalong with costumed carolers on Sundays, Dec. 12 and 19. Price is $39.50 for adults, $20 for children 12 and under. Guests can go to the Museum of Science and Industry's “Christmas Around the World” after lunch. Admisison is $12.75 for adults, $8.50 for children. Reservations required. Call (312) 787-5000 or visit LawrysOnline.com.
Germany in Chicago
Christkindlmarket Chicago celebrates 15 years of bringing the best of German holiday traditions to the Midwest with one-of-a-kind handblown and painted ornaments, German nutcrackers, cuckoo clocks and beer steins, toys for all ages, jewelry, clothes, home décor and wooden handicrafts. Tempting aromas waft through the market with sausages, sauerkraut, potato pancakes, waffles, cheese fritters, Schnitzel, chicken sandwiches, German burgers, goulash soup and more available. Entertainment includes a cappella groups, church and school choirs, a Victorian caroling ensemble, the Chicago Horn Consort and arrangements of traditional German music and holiday singalongs.
Lantern parade from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3. Children must register to be in the parade at (312) 644-2662. Christkindlmarket hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 23, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 24, at Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St., Chicago. Visit christkindlmarket.com.
Midwest
Indy Christmas is way cool
Can there be a better word than “free” around the holidays? Many of Indianapolis' attractions offer free admission on one of 12 days leading to Christmas. Participating venues include the Mistletoe Music Festival at the Indianapolis Artsgarden, Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, NCAA Hall of Champions and Children's Museum of Indianapolis. The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art will be free on Monday, Dec. 13, and is home to Jingle Rails a locomotive wonderland, a network of trestles, bridges and tunnels with chugging trains and detailed replicas of national treasures made of twigs, nuts and berries.
Times vary Monday, Dec. 13, to Friday, Dec. 24. Visit visitindy.com/12 free. For lodging info, visit visitindy.com.
Flock to Stockholm
Want a taste of Sweden for the holidays? Merely point the vehicle north to Stockholm, Wis., a bluff-side village on Lake Pepin, about 60 miles southeast of Saint Paul, Minn. The merry meter reaches a solid ten with sleigh rides, Santa, carolers, the Cedar Valley Brass Quintet and wassailing during Stockholm Country Christmas. There will be bake and craft sales, an old-fashioned soup supper, a medieval feast and lots of shops to browse.
10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5. Call (715) 442-2266 or visit stockholmwisconsin.com
Worth the trip
If you think donning sparkly hats and blowing noisemakers makes for a rocking Near Year's Eve, you haven't been to the Flaming Barrels Festival in Northumberland, Great Britain. Costumed locals parade through the center of town on Friday, Dec. 31, balancing flaming whiskey barrels filled with bubbling tar on their heads. About 30 minutes before the new year, the heaving barrels are tossed onto wood and set ablaze in the chilly night. At midnight, everyone joins hands, dances around the inferno and sings “Auld Lang Syne.” After the last ember burns, explore the area's charming market towns, rugged moorland and ancient castles.
Visit visitnorthumberland.com.