Christmas Fun in Chicago

Grab your family and enjoy some of the Christmas fun in Chicago to get your family in the Christmas spirit -- also known as the Windy City. The following are just a few of the many Christmas events that Chicago has to offer.

Get a head start on the holiday shopping season at the Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair located on 4415 N. Western Ave. at the Queen of Angels Guild Hall. This Christmas fun event offers shopping, photos with Santa, games and crafts for the young'ins, and much more. It takes place on November 10, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m..

On November 15, the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their annual Holiday Gala at the Dank Haus beginning at 6:00 p.m. (4740 N. Western Avenue). This annual community gathering is an excellent way to ring in the holiday season while enjoying dinner, live musical entertainment, dancing and a silent auction. The cost is $60 per person and there will be an open Cash bar. You must reserve your spot before the event. Call 773-728-3890 for reservations.

The best way to begin the Christmas season would be to take your family to Chicago's Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. This is an annual event, held the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Merchants will have their breath-taking window displays up and they'll be even more holiday shopping opportunities. Mickey Mouse will lead the illumination of the lights on North Michigan Avenue, and soon thereafter, your family will enjoy a fireworks display over the Chicago River. The Christmas lighting of more than one million lights begins at 6:00 p.m.

Experience some German Christmas fun in Chicago beginning on Thanksgiving Day (November 22, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) and ending on Christmas Eve. The German Christmas is the 12th annual Christkindlmarket, and it will feature unique ornaments, rare European fabrics and textiles, German food and wine, a Thanksgiving Day parade, holiday tree lighting, a Lantern Parade for the children and much more Christmas fun. Admission will be free.