Lincoln Commons Hosts Tree Lighting, Santa and Reindeer December 5th & Menorah Lighting December 22, 2019

LINCOLN COMMON CELEBRATES 

THE HOLIDAYS 

Lincoln Park’s newest destination to host 

first Tree Lighting & Menorah Lighting

Lincoln Common, 2345 N. Lincoln Ave., in partnership with the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, kicks off its first holiday season on Thursday, December 5 at 5:30 p.m. on its central Plaza with Alderman Michele Smith. The evening will include an appearance by Santa, two of his reindeer, caroling with Old Town School of Folk Music, special holiday dance performances by Equinox Lincoln Common and hot cocoa from Philz Coffee. The 22-foot tree will be centered on the Plaza beneath the trellis, complete with a large snowflake topper.



Lincoln Common and Belmont Village Senior Living will mark the first night of Hanukkah, Sunday, December 22, with the Festival of Lights, a family-friendly evening of activities. From 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., guests will gather and enjoy lite bites at Belmont Village, 700 W. Fullerton Ave., then proceed to the Lincoln Common Plaza for the lighting of the menorah at 5:30 p.m. with Alderman Smith and Rabbi Mendy Benhiyoun of Chabad Lincoln Park.

Guests are invited to take advantage of the multiple CTA travel options or park in the Lincoln Common garage located at 2316 N. Lincoln Ave., where the first 90 minutes are free with validation.

Visit www.lincolncommon.com for event details or call (773) 938-3001.



About Lincoln Common
Lincoln Common, developed by Hines and McCaffery and designed by world-renowned architect Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and Antunovich Associates to LEED Silver certification standards, is home to world-class residential, retail, dining and fitness experiences, featuring 100,000 square feet of retail space, 538 upscale luxury apartment units, 32 luxury condominiums, a five-story boutique office building, an 850-stall parking garage, a 156-room senior living facility, and more than an acre of open space for residents, Chicagoans and visitors to enjoy. Offering year-round events on the central plaza, this conveniently located live-work-play destination and vibrant new crossroads of Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood is a gathering center for community members of all ages. For more information, visit www.lincolncommon.com. Follow Lincoln Common on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates.

ChiIL Mama's Holidaze Giveaways 7: Charms Game ($40 Value)

We've been loving ChiTAG, the Chicago Toy and Game Fair for years. This season we're giving away several of our favorite games from the fair to one lucky reader. We have been given complimentary games for review and for our giveaway. First up we have new release, Charms, A Game of Insight (ages 12+/$40 Value), from Studio 9 Games. We got to meet one of the game co-creators, Lisa Blecker, who had a dream about the game and helped bring it to fruition! Check out the video below for more about game play and the origin of the game. We'll be doing a full review of our own shortly. To order Charms and for more info, check out their site at  www.charmsgame.com.

ENTER HERE  FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN! Open nationwide/USA. Enter early and often through midnight 12/20/17.

For 3-8 players

30-90 minute playing time

Fun, easy to learn party game

Charms is a fun, easy to learn party game where each player takes a turn as the quester by asking a question from the quest cards (or their own question). everyone else finds their inner Sage and tries to write the wisest answer based on the quester's roll of the charms, their meanings, and where they land on the board. The quester then picks the winning answer. The player with the most winning answers wins the game. Understand the game in 4 basic steps. 1. Draw a card, read a question to the Group, and roll 9 random charms onto the board. Remove "out of play" charms. 2. Use the key card to review charm meanings. Other players quickly write an answer to your question based on the charms, where they landed on the board, and what this could mean for you. 3. The answers are read aloud. You pick the one that best answers your question, and the author is revealed as the winner of the round. 4. Pass the charms to the left and play again until everyone has asked a question. The player who writes the most winning answers is crowned the charms champion of insight!

Click image below for lots more opportunities to enter and WIN through 12/20/17.
ChiIL Mama's Holidaze 12 Days of Giveaways Gift Guide is LIVE

Holiday Gift Guide, Giveaways, Discount Codes, Product Reviews and More! 

Disclosure: It's our pleasure to partner up with Jay@Play and Twinkle Tents. They have provided complimentary tents for our giveaway. As always, all opinions are my own.

TONIGHT: We'll Be ChiILin' At Fashion Outlets Of Chicago Santa HQ Sneak Peek

FASHION OUTLETS OF CHICAGO 

PARTNERS WITH HGTV TO WELCOME 

“SANTA HQ” THIS HOLIDAY SEASON 

“Fashionably Late” Black Friday Shopping Event, Extended Hours and Convenient Amenities Help Make Fashion Outlets of Chicago Holiday Shopper’s Paradise 

I'm not a huge fans of malls, but I actually enjoy shopping at Macerich's Fashion Outlets of Chicago. They have an easy parking garage, great layout, and a relaxed atmosphere. And their selection of stores is excellent! Check them out this holiday, to simplify your shopping needs and visit one of the most high tech Santa HQs in town. 

Macerich's Fashion Outlets of Chicago, located at 5220 Fashion Outlets Way in Rosemont, has partnered with one of America’s leading home and lifestyle brands, HGTV, to introduce Santa HQ: a thoroughly modern, extraordinarily experiential visit with Santa for shoppers to enjoy this holiday season. Fashion Outlets of Chicago will also make the holiday season bright with its “Fashionably Late” Black Friday shopping event, high-end amenities and extended holiday hours. 

Set to open Friday, November 11, the new Santa HQ will invite families to experience the wonder of Santa's workshop in the digital and social media age. This engaging new version of a visit with Santa utilizes digital tools to offer an augmented reality environment and a thoroughly new and enhanced social media experience for families. Santa HQ will be open seven days a week through December 24. 

Operating hours are: 

•   Mondays through Thursdays: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
  
•   Fridays and Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
  
•   Sundays: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  Special holiday hours include:
  

•   Friday, November 25: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
  
•   Saturday, November 26: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
  
•   Sunday, November 27: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
  
•   Sunday, December 18: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
  
•   Saturday, December 24: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. 
• 
  
  
  
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  "Our goal at Fashion Outlets of Chicago is to enhance the customer experience in every way possible and deliver exciting opportunities guests can’t find anywhere else,” said Katie Walsh, Senior Marketing Manager at Fashion Outlets of Chicago. “Visits and photos with Santa at shopping centers are a well-loved holiday tradition, and this year we are elevating that experience with the digital and social media components of Santa HQ.”
  At Santa HQ, children will be "scanned" as they arrive and determined to be "naughty or nice," enter an observatory where they will use special tablets to choose magical environments - the night sky or the inner workings of a clock on the wall, for instance - and be able to take an "ELFIE" (an image of the child as a dancing elf), among other attractions.
  Furry family members can join in the fun and be a part of family photos with Santa during Fashion Outlets of Chicago’s pet nights. Every Monday, from November 28 through December 19, families can bring their cat or dog to Santa HQ for photos with Santa from 6 to 8 p.m. Fashion Outlets of Chicago encourages shoppers participating in pet nights to park on P2 (second level) of the parking garage and enter the center by Helzberg Diamonds and Converse to easily access Santa HQ. 

Visitors are invited to start making reservations as early as mid-September by visiting www.santa- hq.com. Guests can also enter to win $10,000 in cash by registering at the Santa HQ set or by visiting www.santa-hq.com. 

   

Shoppers can celebrate Black Friday in style at Fashion Outlets of Chicago’s “Fashionably Late” event beginning at 10 p.m. Thursday, November 24 and running through 10 p.m. Friday, November 25. Guests can take advantage of incredible Black Friday savings at more than 130 designer outlets while Chicago’s hottest DJs including DJ Lani Love will spin chart-topping hits throughout the 24- hour party. 

Fashion Outlets of Chicago will extend its hours during the holiday season in order for shoppers to take advantage of the center’s amazing sales and holiday amenities. Visit www.fashionoutletsofchicago.com for specific holiday hours. 

 Fashion Outlets of Chicago will help make the holiday shopping season stress-free with its wide range of amenities available at Concierge Services. Through a program powered by Deliv, shoppers can bring their holiday purchases to Concierge Services and enjoy same -day delivery to their home, office or hotel within 10 miles of Fashion Outlets of Chicago for $5. In order to accommodate same-day delivery, items must be dropped off at Concierge Services before 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and before 3 p.m. Sundays. Gift wrapping is also available at Concierge Services and starts at $2 per item. 

For Chicago visitors traveling through O’Hare airport, Fashion Outlets of Chicago is a great destination to visit during a layover. Concierge services is available to hold luggage and print boarding passes at the shopping center. International travelers can take advantage of currency 

exchange and translation services. 

Anchored by Bloomingdale’s The Outlet Store, Forever 21, Last Call by Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom Rack and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, the two-level indoor shopping center is home to a variety of brands for every shopper including Nike, The Disney Store, J.Crew and Michael Kors. The center also offers outlet stores unique to the Chicago area, including AllSaints, Prada, Burberry, Chico’s, DVF, Gucci, Joe’s Jeans, Kipling, Moncler, lululemon athletica, The Art of Shaving, Tory Burch and vineyard vines. 

  

About Fashion Outlets of Chicago 

Macerich’s Fashion Outlets of Chicago is an award-winning 530,000 square-foot, two-level indoor shopping center that is home to more than 130 designer outlets, an impressive contemporary art collection and high-end amenities. The one-of-a-kind upscale outlet property that redefines and elevates the outlet shopping experience, is located at 5220 Fashion Outlets Way in Rosemont – minutes from O’Hare International Airport and Chicagoland’s major highways. 

About Macerich 

Macerich, an S&P 500 company, is a fully integrated self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust, which focuses on the acquisition, leasing, management, development and redevelopment of regional malls throughout the United States. 

Macerich currently owns 55 million square feet of real estate consisting primarily of interests in 51 regional shopping centers. Macerich specializes in successful retail properties in many of the country's most attractive, densely populated markets with significant presence in the Pacific Rim, Arizona, Chicago, and the New York to Washington, DC corridor. 

ChiIL Mama's Adventures on The Chicago Trolley Holiday Lights Tour #OriginalPhotos #Review

Take that Bucket List. I've wanted to do the acclaimed Chicago Trolley Lights Tour for years and we finally did it. In 2013 we were booked to do the press tour and the whole family was down with the stomach flu. This year we were invited again and already booked to cover Frozemont and the opening of Polar Peak. 



Thankfully, they were able to switch us to another date and my husband and I had an awesome tour together on a trolley named "Buddy". 




I've taken my son on several other summer Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Bus tours which we loved and highly recommend. The actor/narrators we've gotten are always a hoot! And it's a great way to see the city without exhausting everyone. The hop on/off tours are an excellent way to get around. And though the Light Trolley requires you to hop back on the same trolley, they do make a couple half hour stops so you get a mini taste of two Chicago holiday favorites. We've been promoting the tours for years.

There's still time to take the visiting relatives on the Holiday Lights Tour. Tours run through January 4th!



Christkindlemart--Old world German flair at a huge, open air market in the heart of Chicago.



The tour is a great length for all ages and abilities, running approximately 2.5 hours. The schtick is hilarious and informative and the trolley makes two quickie stops to let riders check out Christkindlemart in Daley Plaza and Lincoln Park Zoo Lights for a half hour each. At the end, everyone gets a coupon for a free cookie and hot cocoa at The Hersheys Store across from the original Watertower.



Zoo Lights at Lincoln Park Zoo is a colorful abundance of lights, live ice carving, and crafts for the kids.



Pros:
Hilarious & Informative Tour: Our guide was knowledgable and funny. We had a lot of laughs, had a romantic tour of the city lights and a mini, festive taste of the holidays in Chicago without a lot of exhausting walking. Highly recommended.

Cons: 
Ditched at the Zoo: Time waits for no man... and neither do the Chicago Trolley drivers. We were just a few minutes past 9pm (meet up time) and running for the stop when we got ditched at the zoo! In all fairness, the driver did repeatedly say that he'd leave people, so the fault is ours. Thankfully we'd caught the first 2 hours of the tour and only missed the ride back to the car. So we ended up paying a cabbie the $10 we would have left our driver/guide as a tip, to get back to our car downtown. Ah well. 

Too Long To Wait For Treats: We had the cab drop us at Hersheys, but the trolley rider line for free cocoa & cookies was out the door and down the block, so we skipped it. Maybe our driver had the right idea to get outta dodge and get to the front of the cookie line before the pack of trolleys arrived and made the wait times too long. 

Despite the disappointing end, the tour was fun and worth the price. We recommend it as a great way to show off the city to your visiting friends and relatives that's not too touristy for the locals to love.

Click here for all the details.

More of our Favorite Photos:


Sights around town. Here are some of our top spaces and places.

One of the Christmas busses--all decked out for the holidays!

Light up the darkest days of the year in style with these amazing star lanterns.

We tried Puffs of Doom at the recent One of A Kind Show at Merchandise Mart and they are decadently delicious and selling at Christkindlemart!

 We review a LOT of theatre year round, and The Oriental remains our architectural favorite.

The world renowned Goodman Theatre is one of our top picks for great shows, traditional and edgy.