Chicago Children's Choir performs at nnual holiday concert
Chicago
Holiday tuneup
Even old Ebenezer would lose his "bah-humbug" attitude after listening to the angelic and energetic voices of the Chicago Children's Choir during the annual holiday concert, "Songs of the Season." This Emmy award-winning choir will sing renditions of "Go Tell It on the Mountain," popular favorites like "Winter Wonderland" and seasonal tunes from around the globe.
3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, at Harris Theater for Music and Dance at Millennium Park, 205 E. Randolph St. Tickets range from $15-$55. (312) 427-5620 or visit ccchoir.org.
Cold play
Northerly Island is the perfectly named place for a day of outdoor winter activities courtesy of the Chicago Park District's fifth annual Polar Adventure Days. The fun, family event features enough action to warm body and brain: Meet and learn about birds of prey and other live animals; watch ice sculpture carvings; see Siberian huskies and listen to their handlers talk about their Iditarod dog sled race; create nature-inspired crafts; learn about camping in the Arctic; and if there's snow, try out snowshoes for exploring the island. The first 500 visitors to this free event receive a complimentary Polar Adventure Day mug filled with hot chocolate, too.
Noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Dec. 12, Jan. 23 and Feb. 20, at 1400 S. Lynn White Drive, Northerly Island. (312) 742-7529.
Wee winter wonderland
If you're still in need of a sweet holiday photo of the family, how about snapping a bunch with the dazzling Winter Flower and Train Show as your background? The Lincoln Park Conservatory's annual show features model trains on display, including an old-fashioned steam engine, freight train and trolley chugging through a miniature village set in a field of red, white and soft pink poinsettias, willows, spruce and birch woods. The tiny village is dotted with Chicago-style bungalows and includes well-known buildings such as the Chicago Theatre and Water Tower Place.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, to Sunday, Jan. 10, at 2391 N. Stockton Drive, Chicago. Free admission. (312) 742-7736 or chicagoparkdistrict.com.
Midwest
You'll shoot your eye out, kid
Who doesn't love the scene when Flick gets his tongue stuck to the icy flagpole or the Bumpus hounds devour the Christmas turkey? Or the opening of the major award? The 1983 holiday classic "A Christmas Story" is celebrating its 26th anniversary, and the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond features six animated displays depicting scenes from the beloved film. If you visit the exhibit Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays, children can climb the stairs to see Santa and then slide down the red slide into a pillow of "snow."
Through Jan. 10 at the Indiana Welcome Center, intersections of I-80/94 and Kennedy Avenue South, 30 minutes from downtown Chicago. Admission is free. Photos are $5 a piece. (219) 989-7979 or aChristmasStoryComesHome.com.
12 days of free Christmas
On each of the 12 days leading up to the holiday, major attractions in Indianapolis offer free admission and special events. Take a tour of a landmark cathedral followed by a free holiday concert and snacks. Indianapolis' newest downtown attraction, Discovery Center, invites you to discover the role of rhythm and percussion in music and culture through interactive exhibits. Also, enjoy free wine tastings at each of the wineries on Indy's Wine Trail and free dessert with the purchase of an entree at select restaurants. Other attractions include the NCAA Hall of Champions, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis offer free admission and events on select days. Don't miss the decorations on the Soldiers & Sailors Monument and the larger-than-life toy soldiers and candy canes on display around Monument Circle.
Hours vary per event and attraction Dec. 13-24, in downtown Indianapolis. (800) 323-INDY or visitindy.com
Resort to Lake Lawn
After the gifts are torn open and the toys are already broken, who wants to start cooking? Head to nearby Delavan, Wis., for Lake Lawn Resort's Christmas Eve Buffet or Christmas Day Brunch featuring elaborate brunch stations and holiday fanfare. Both events are $26.95 for adults and $12.95 for children ages 5-12. Plan on a New Year's Eve getaway for couples, friends or families, too. Lake Lawn Resort offers a New Year's Eve Celebration Buffet, an adults-only New Year's Eve party with all the favors, and a New Year's Eve Family Celebration for the whole family. There's also a New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Kids Night Out, a kids-only event that provides supervised activities, dinner and sparkling cider toast in Lake Lawn Resort's Kids Zone ($25 per child).
Christmas Eve Buffet from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 24, and Christmas Day Brunch from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 25. Times vary for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day events. (800) 338-LAKE or lakelawnresort.com
Worth the trip
It may be Britain's oldest scuffle, held every Jan. 6 (the 12th night after Christmas) for about the last 700 years, give or take. Two villages, Haxey and Westwoodside, in North Lincolnshire vie for possession of the Haxey Hood because of a legend dealing with Lady de Mowbray who lost her hat to a gust of wind. The celebration includes rituals such as games for the children, burning wet straw and tossing the hood (actually a leather tube) in the air.
About 2:30 p.m. Jan. 6 in a field in Haxey and the Fool's Stone in front of Haxey Parish Church in Haxey, North Lincolnshire, Great Britain. northlincs.gov.uk/NorthLincs