1. Visiting Chicago’s Christkindlmarket

Nothing gets me more into the holiday spirit than visiting the German Christmas market in Chicago every December. There are three locations this year, but we always go to the original location at Daley Plaza. It’s conveniently located downtown, which means it’s easy to hit up before seeing a Broadway show or when you need a break from shopping. The market is full of little huts selling everything from beautiful, wooden ornaments to hot, mulled wine. We always get a glass or two of the wine to sip while we stroll around and window shop. We often buy an ornament for ourselves or as a gift for others at one of the market’s shops, which has just about every ornament you could imagine! The crowds here are always large, but it’s worth braving the masses.

2. Lunch at The Walnut Room

This is another Chicago tradition you have to partake in at least once! My parents visited the Walnut Room with their families when they were kids, and it’s a tradition they’ve passed on to us. The Walnut Room is located inside the former Marshall Field’s on State Street, which is now a Macy’s. People are willing to wait hours to get a table during the holidays because of the amazing decorations. There’s always a breathtaking tree in the center of the room that serves as the backdrop for many families’ holiday photos. It’s decorated with a different theme every year, which makes the annual trip all the more exciting. The Walnut Room offers a special menu during the holidays, which includes my favorite holiday drink ever: Eggnog Brandy Alexander. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations during the holidays, so expect to wait about two hours for a table. But, don’t worry — you can shop while you wait! We’ve also learned that going at odd times during the day makes it easier to get a table. And, if you don’t have anyone under 21 in your group, you can sit in the bar. We’ve opted to snag a table in the bar section the past two years and haven’t had to wait more than 20 minutes.

3. Taking in the decorations at West Baden Springs

If you’ve never visited West Baden Springs hotel, Christmas is the time to go. The domed atrium of the hotel is impressive year-round, but the giant tree that stands in the middle of the room makes it even more beautiful. We like to grab a drink and dessert at the atrium bar while taking in the amazing view. It’s also worth hopping on the trolley and visiting the French Lick Hotel, which is also extravagantly decorated for the holidays. Check ahead of time to see what events are happening when you plan to visit. There is often live entertainment on weekends and plenty of family-friendly activities to check out. I highly recommend taking the historic, guided tour of the hotel if you haven’t visited before.

4. Drinking lots of Krampus

You knew there had to be a beer-related activity on this list, right?! We’ve been huge fans of Bloomington Brewing Co.’s seasonal Imperial Black IPA since we moved to Bloomington. It’s become a tradition of ours to not only grab a few pints during December, but also fill a growler or two with Krampus. We almost always have a limited amount to share with guests during our annual craft beer and cookie exchange. BBC is hosting its Krampus release party this Thursday, and my dad will conveniently be in town for the event. I can’t wait for the first sip of the season!

5. Tubing at St. Patrick’s County Park

While I don’t miss the lake-effect snow that came along with South Bend winters, I do miss some of the snow-related activities we enjoyed while living in the northern part of the state. I’m dying to get back to our old stomping grounds to go snow tubing at St. Patrick’s County Park. You pay to rent a tube for the day and then slide down a giant hill. You can go on your own or create a train of people, which makes you go even faster! St. Pat’s also offers great cross country skiing, including some special guided nighttime programs throughout the winter. James and I actually got engaged at this park, so it will always be a special place to us.

6. Cheering on the Hoosiers

Our favorite time to go to Indiana University basketball games is during winter break. All of the students are gone, so it feels like a ghost town — which we love! While the games may not be the most competitive, that means it’s usually easy to snag decent seats for pretty cheap. We’re really excited to be taking my family to their first game this December.

7. Stopping by the Hovey house

There are few things that bring me more joy than driving past this house on Hovey Avenue in my hometown of Normal, Illinois. Seeing the yard and roof packed full of illuminated holiday figurines is something that I’ve looked forward to since I was a kid. The display’s grown over the years. Last year, it included 1,000 figurines, which also spill into the neighbor’s yard. When we went home for Thanksgiving last week, the display was already ready to go.

8. Hosting our craft beer and cookie exchange

We love throwing parties, but our craft beer and cookie exchange is by far our favorite of the year. Everyone brings a dozen cookies or a six pack of beer to share, and we spend the evening sampling all of the goodies. It’s a great excuse to get together with friends before the craziness of the holidays really settles in. And, can you really go wrong with cookies and beer?

9. Making tortellini

When we get together with my cousins over the holidays, we often end up making some of my grandpa’s famous tortellini to enjoy for a meal. Having a large group of people to help fill and fold the tortellini makes the process go much more quickly. And, there’s something extra special about preparing a meal together. Spending time in the kitchen with loved ones is one of my favorite parts of celebrating Christmas.

10. Feasting on appetizers

My favorite meal of the entire year comes on Christmas Eve. My family started a tradition years ago of having an appetizer buffet. Each of us makes two to three appetizers, and we always have more than enough food for a meal. The dishes are usually a combination of family favorites and new recipes. It’s a great way to have a delicious, memorable meal without spending all day in the kitchen.

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? Tell me in the comments below!

The post My 10 Favorite Holiday Traditions appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

Emily, James and I got to the city Friday night and headed out for beer and a late-night snack at Sweetwater, a spot James and I love because of their great draft list. It took us about six hours to drive to Chicago because of black ice, so we were more than ready for a beer. We caught up for a while before walking back to the hotel and falling asleep almost immediately. Traveling really sucks the energy out of you!

We let ourselves sleep in Saturday and grabbed a late breakfast at the nearby Cafe Integral, inside the Freehand Hotel. I was a big fan of this breakfast spot. The menu boasted several lighter, unique breakfast options. I opted for the matcha chia pudding and I’m determined to recreate it at home. We all really liked the vintage vibe of the space and decided we’ll have to stay at the Freehand next time we make a trip to Chicago.

By the time we finished breakfast and popped inside a couple of shops, Katie and Pat’s train arrived. It was Pat’s first time in Chicago, so we had an ambitious list of places we wanted to take him. We walked along Michigan Avenue and stopped for a few photo opps before hopping on the L to head to Lagunitas. We are all big fans of the brewery but had never visited the Chicago taproom.

We were amazed by how large the facility was. Emily, Katie and I all ordered flights and enjoyed every beer we tried. It was so fun catching up over beers and lunch, and enjoying some live music. I want to go back sometime soon to take a tour of the brewery. They offer free tours every hour, on the hour — and you can take a beer along!

After a couple of hours, we decided to head back downtown to the Christkindlmarket, a German Christmas market that features handmade gifts, amazing food and the best mulled wine you’ll ever have. We all wanted to go back for a second mug! But, we still had a lot to accomplish with only a few hours together left. So, we headed over to the Walnut Room to grab another drink. The Brandy Alexander Eggnog served there is another seasonal favorite and we all slurped ours down pretty quickly.

Pat had one request for what he wanted to do in Chicago: visit the famous bean in Millennium Park. I’d actually never visited the park at night, so it was fun to take in the city skyline and watch people ice skate down below. By that time, we’d worked up an appetite and it was starting to snow. We decided it was time for some Lou Malnati’s pizza (the best Chicago-style pizza, in my opinion) before crashing for the night. Emily, Katie and Pat all had to catch flights early Sunday morning, so our reunion was especially quick this time around — less than 24 hours!

The trip went by way too quickly, but I’ll see Emily again next week when she stops in Indiana and James and I are making a trip to Florida next month to see Katie and Pat. Living so far away from your best friends can be hard sometimes, but I’d say we make the most of every moment we spend together. I’m already counting down to our next reunion.

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Hi, friends! I’m sorry I disappeared on you this week. Work got hectic with President-elect Donald Trump coming to Indiana and then I tweaked my back on Friday, which interfered with my plans. But, I have a fun weekend recap for you today!

We are on the train headed back to my hometown after a quick visit to Chicago with my parents. We planned the trip earlier this year when my mom managed to snag some tickets to see Hamilton.

We drove over to Illinois Friday night and took the train up to Chicago early Saturday. It’s so nice not having to worry about parking or driving. Once we got to the city, we dropped our bags off at our hotel and headed to the Walnut Room for an early lunch.

My family’s been going to the Walnut Room during the holidays for years. It’s a tradition I introduced James to when we started dating and now we look forward to making the trip every December. There’s a giant tree in the middle of the room that gets decorated differently every year and makes for a fun photo opp. Lots of other families have the same tradition, making the wait to get a table over two hours most days. But, you can also sit at the bar area. That’s what we did and there was no wait!

After a delicious lunch, we did some window shopping before heading to the theater for Hamilton. Like just about everyone else in the country, I’ve been dying to see the show. It absolutely lived up to the hype. The singing and dancing was nonstop, making the 2.5 hour show seem much shorter. I didn’t want it to end! I have a feeling I’ll be listening to the soundtrack and mix tape on repeat all week.

Shortly after the show we headed to Labriola for dinner. We tend to go to the same restaurants every time we are in the city, so it was fun to try something new! Our friend Debbie recommended the restaurant and we all had great meals. They offer a variety of salads, pastas and pizzas and everything was delicious. I had the spaghetti and meatballs and the portions were HUGE. You could easily spilt an entree. I’d recommend this restaurant if you’re staying in the Mag Mile area and looking for hearty portions.

My parents turned in for the night while James and I met up with a friend of ours at Watershed for drinks. The bar is in the basement of Pops for Champagne and only features beers from the Great Lakes region, which I loved. It’s laid back and a good spot to grab a casual drink.

Our trip to the city was a quick one, but so much fun. There’s just something special about Chicago at Christmastime.

We’ll be back in the city in two weeks to reunite with some friends, so I’m looking forward to hitting up more new spots. If you have any recommendations, send them my way!

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I can’t stop listening to Carole King. After two years of anticipation, we went to go see Beautiful: The Carole King Musical with my parents in Chicago over the weekend. I am a huge Carole King fan and love her even more after seeing the show.

The music was, of course, amazing. And the story of Carole’s life is so inspiring. The show is on tour the rest of the year and is one you shouldn’t miss. Go see it!

We took an early train up to Chicago, so we had time before the show to walk around the city, do some shopping and visit the Chicago History Museum. I hadn’t been to the museum since I was a child and I was blown away by all of the amazing exhibits. We only had a couple of hours to walk around, so our first stop was the Vivian Maier exhibit. Vivian Maier was a Chicago nanny who spent much of her time secretly photographing the city and its residents. Her work was only recently discovered and has been praised for its content and composition.

James introduced me to Maier’s work after he watched a documentary about her with a co-worker. We ended up watching the movie the next day and have been fascinated with Maier and her work ever since.

We also really enjoyed the exhibits that detailed Chicago’s history — they cover everything from the World’s Colombian Exposition to the success stories of Marshall Fields and Crate & Barrel. The Chicago History Museum is often overlooked for the city’s more famous sites, but it’s worth a visit — especially if you’re from the Midwest. It’s a short walk from the Clark/Division stop on the Red Line.

Of course, anytime we venture to Chicago there is no shortage of amazing food. We vowed to try new restaurants this time, but found ourselves going back to two of our all-time favorites: The Italian Village and The Berghoff.

The Italian Village is a group of three restaurants that’s been around since the 1920s. Each restaurant has a different ambience and menu, ranging from casual Italian food to more formal dining. My favorite is The Village, which reminds me of some of the restaurants we dined at on the streets of Sorrento. There isn’t a bad dish on the menu, but the gnocchi and Agnolotti are my favorites.

The Berghoff is another Chicago staple that features traditional German cuisine and beer. My favorite thing on the menu is the gigantic pretzel, which is a meal in itself.

It felt so wonderful to be back in Chicago for a couple of days. When we lived in South Bend we made it to the city a lot more often because it was so much closer. I’m hoping we make it back sometime this spring to take in another show and do more exploring. It will forever be my favorite city!

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