Holiday Recap: Christkindlmarkt Chicago

Snow Day #3, you say?  Why, I don’t mind if I do! ;)  Yep, here I am enjoying snow day #3.  The weather is slightly less cold, but the roads are still covered in black ice and snow.  Due to the extreme temperatures, the salt is unable to melt the ice on the roads, which makes for a very hairy driving situation.  I almost ran into three cars and through a stop light yesterday on my drive home from the dentist… And, I was only driving 25 miles an hour!  Let’s just say, the current state of affairs makes for some very white-knuckled driving out there! I’m quite content hanging out in my house until the temperatures increase and the roads get less icy.  In the meantime, I’m quite happy that I actually have time to update my blog, and it looks like it's time for another holiday recap. :)

After living in Germany for three years, I became quite spoiled by the way they celebrate the holidays in Europe (i.e. their Christmas markets).  The markets are the highlight of the holiday season over there.  They’re a place where people come together to soak up the festive holiday spirit, stroll through the little booths in search of handmade goodies, snack on scrumptious foods such as lebkuchen, chestnuts, grilled sausages, and other tasty snacks , or simply enjoy one another’s company over a piping hot mug of gluhwein.   Christmas markets are simply enchanting little places, and you can’t help but to get into the holiday spirit in the air. 

Since moving back to the U.S., I truly miss the magical feel of the Christmas markets.  Christmas time in the U.S. has turned into an overly commercialized affair, and I miss the simplicity of the European holiday traditions.  When I found out (last year) that Chicago has its very own German Christmas market during the holidays, I was determined to make this a yearly tradition.  So, this year marked the second year of making the trek to Chicago to partake in their German Christmas festivities.  And, I must say, that it definitely did not disappoint.  It was exactly what I needed to put me into the holiday spirit! :)

I headed down to Chicago with my mom, and her friend, Diane, and we had such a wonderful weekend filled with many laughs, great food, lovely scenery, very cold temperatures (brrrr!), and lots of fun! :)  Overall, it was the perfect way to kick off the holiday season! :)

   

Chicago's Christmas Tree on the Magnificent Mile...
Gorgeous! :)

Diane posing in front of the tree... :)

Me and my mom! :)

The Magnificent Mile all lit up for the holidays! :)

Dinner our first night in town... YUM! :)

Strolling through the Windy City...
Despite the frigidly cold temperatures, it was an absolutely beautiful day!

We couldn't make a trip to Chicago and not stop at Garrett's Popcorn Shop for their famous Chicago-Style Popcorn, which is absolutely delightful! :)
Here we are standing in line (in the nice warm store and out of the frigid temps!) and waiting to order... Gotta love how packed this place always is! 

Wandering through the Christmas Market...

This brought back so many memories of Christmas markets in Germany! :)

I was also so happy to share the experience with my mom as she was never able to get to Germany to see an actual Christmas market, yet she constantly endured my incessant babbling about how great they were! :)

Admiring some of the craftsmanship that could be found throughout the market...
All of it originating from Germany. :)

Oh, how I miss these holiday delicacies from Deutschland! :)

The beautiful handcrafted linens that are notoriously German. :)

I <3 this store! :)

And, of course, a Christmas market wouldn't be complete without a nutcracker! :)

We decided to take a break from the bitter cold and warm up in the warming tent... 

Gluhwein... My favorite holiday drink! :)

Warmed up and enjoying some gluhwein! :)

After a couple of laps around the market, some yummy German food, and a piping hot mug of gluhwein, we were ready to set out to see more of Chicago's holiday happenings.  Fortunately for us, instead of walking the couple of miles in the freezing cold temperatures, we found a free trolley to take us to Navy Pier! :)

The gorgeous sunset over the city as seen from Navy Pier... :)

Me and my mom...
I <3 her! :) 

Diane was "elfin'" around! :)

We explored the Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier...
What a cool place! :)

They had displays set up showing the different "Santa's" from around the world...
I, of course, found the German one immediately! :)

The tree was absolutely stunning! :)

Mom and I in front of the tree... :)

They had a Winter Wondertown set up for kids...

It looked like a little holiday village...
So cute! :)

This was my favorite... ;)

They even had a ferris wheel... 

... and an indoor ice-skating rink...

... and performances taking place!
It was pretty amazing to see all that the Wonderfest had to offer!  I'll definitely be back next year! :)

After hitting up Navy Pier, we headed to Lincoln Park Zoo to check out Zoo Lights...

The entire zoo was lit up in every color light imaginable!

Diane and I with our new friend. :)

I made a couple more friends as well! :)

I thought the zebras were pretty cool! :)

This was a light show that was coordinated with some fun Christmas music...
It was stunning! :)

Unfortunately, the pictures don't do it justice...
It was such a pretty sight!

No trip to Chicago is complete without a trip to Giordano's for their famous Chicago-Style deep dish pizza!!
This was our last stop for the night, and it was absolutely delicious! :)
(And to top it off, I got to watch my team - Michigan State Spartans - with
the Big 10 Championship in football while we were there... So cool! :))