It’s the most wonderful time of the year — Christmas is less than two weeks away!  Whether you’re all set (bring it on) or haven’t even started yet (OMG), this weekend is for you!!

The Randolph Street Market (1341 W. Randolph St.) on the Near West Side returns this weekend with its Holiday Market to help you manage your shopping list or just hang out with family and friends. It’s the Windy City’s most beloved holiday shopping tradition!  The halls will be decked out with 3 floors of one-of-a-kind shopping and fun for the whole family.  Here you’ll find the most unusual and stylishly crafted mix of vintage and modern decorative objects, housewares, fashion, fancy foods, hostess gifts, and more from 125 vintage dealers and makers!  Plus kids of all ages are welcome at the complimentary Elves Workshop on-site with hands on arts & crafts like making your own wrapping paper, designing wacky holiday headgear, and decorating mini gingerbread houses while mom and/or dad are shopping.  From 12 pm-2 pm each day Santa Claus will be at the workshop to meet the kids and take down their holiday wishes!!

Join Lincoln Park Zoo (2001 N. Clark St.) in the Lincoln Park neighborhood as they celebrate 25 years of Zoolights under the glow of 2.5 million lights.  Not only does it feature hundreds of themed larger-than-life displays, incredible 3D displays, a 65-foot Ferris wheel, and a one-of-a kind light maze, but it also offers incredible seasonal activities such as live ice carving, strolling carolers, a musical light show at the Winter Wonderlawn, holiday snacks, gift shopping, and much more!  Plus take a photo with Santa on select days (through December 23^rd).  After all, the most wonderful time of the year deserves the most wonderful event of the year right in the heart of the city!!

Chicago’s holiday spirit wouldn’t be the same without its Holiday Bar Crawls, which are taking place this Saturday!  And they are –

It’s time to get into the holiday spirit on the Chicago Santa Crawl from 11 am-6 pm at River North’s best bars including Bar Louie, Hubbard Inn, Ironside, JoJo’s Milk Bar, Joy District, Moe’s Cantina, Old Crow Smokehouse, and more!  Your ticket gets you admission to all participating venues, a free breakfast buffet, three $4 gift cards to use on the crawl, a Santa Hat, drink specials, giveaways, and more!!  So throw on your ugly Christmas sweater (or other holiday gear), grab your friends, and come spread some holiday cheer!!!

Festa’s 24^th annual Twelve Bars of Xmas takes place from 9 am-9 pm at Wrigleyville’s best bars.  Festivities kick off with live music from Hairbanger’s Ball at Cubby Bear (9 am) and continue to over 30  participating venues.  Your ticket includes free breakfast, $12 of gift cards to use during the day, swag (gloves, gym bags, & t-shirt Koozies), their world-famous cereal shots, stickers and picture frames, drink specials, contests, and prizes galore!  New this year is their MeMe Garden where participants can take face in the hole pictures.  This is the world’s largest and longest-running Christmas/Costume/Charity Bar Crawl and is not to be missed!!

Returning for its 2^nd year, the 12 Bars of Charity takes place from 2 pm-9 pm at West Loop bars.  This crawl is a friendly competition between 8 local charities.  The charities are split up into teams and assigned a team color.  Participants then pick the charity they want to support and receive a charity team color sweatshirt, $15 donation to the charity of their choice, free shuttle rides, free admission, and drink specials at all participating bars.  Also once on the event, participants have the freedom to go wherever they want, whenever they want, and with whomever they want!  It’s a super fun event that gives back in the true spirit of the holidays!!

Have a Wonderful Time!

This week took me back to a favorite: Southport Grocery. This cafe and grocery store is so charming (and so tasty!), it definitely warrants a revisit. The atmosphere is warm and cozy, with a small number of oak tables, booths, and high tops. Running the center of the restaurant are wire shelves packed with delicious grocery goodies. They offer a wide variety of artisan foods, focused on local suppliers. There are house-made preserves, rotating wines, pasta sauces, bitters, soup mixes, spices, chocolate sauce, spreads, drink mixes, beans, hot sauces, and more. Behind these well stocked shelves is a pastry case, filled with scones, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, muffins, hand pies, and more. We came in for a late lunch- around 1:30 on a Tuesday afternoon. We had just missed the lunch rush, so we were seated right away. For such a small place, the menu is sizable! They offer both breakfast and lunch all day, as well as their delicious baked goods. I wanted to try something new and was overwhelmed by the options. I finally decided on The Hash: roasted local potatoes, red onion, mushroom, peppers, and red barn heritage white cheddar cheese; all topped with two organic cage-free eggs and scallion sour cream. I was trying to keep things a little lighter, so I ordered without the cheese or sour cream. This was fantastic! The potatoes were cut shoe-string style, so they came out crispy on the outside and perfectly squishy on the inside. The veggies were plentiful and were sautéed to perfection. I ordered my eggs over-easy, which was perfect for mushing around into the hash. My friend was in the mood for lunch and chose the Grilled Cheese: pickled green tomatoes, local apple, taleggio, white cheddar, and arugula; served on grilled tuscan bread with house made pickles on the side. She was generous enough to let me have a bite and it was marvelous! The pickled green tomatoes were so unique and flavorful. I also loved the combination of the apple and the white cheddar- perfectly savory and sweet. Southport Grocery has been a favorite of mine for a while and this visit confirmed it! I will absolutely be back. 

Southport Grocery is open Mondays through Fridays from 7 am to 3 pm; Saturdays and Sundays from 8 am to 4 pm. The kitchen closes 30 minutes prior to closing. Find more information on their website.

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO

Research suggests that about 1 in 20 homeowners will make an insurance claim each year. So while it may seem that your monthly home insurance expenses aren’t worthwhile, the chances of needing your insurance are higher than you might think.

There’s are countless factors that influence your insurance rates, so here are few examples—some you’ve probably considered, and some that might be surprising.

Location: Some areas are simply naturally more prone to damage than others. Potential for weather and natural disaster-related damage will factor into your insurance, as will crime rates and fire protection.

Home value: This may seem like a no-brainer at first glance, but there are some extra considerations. The value of your home and the cost to replace your home from a total loss may not be the same—it can often cost more to rebuild.

Pets: Just like certain HOAs and neighborhoods forbid specific dog breeds, your insurance company may also increase your premiums for a specific breed. Breeds with reputations for being aggressive (fair or not) like pit bulls, German Shepherds, and rottweilers can cost you more.

Trampolines and swimming pools: All that fun comes at a price! Insurance companies see trampolines and pools as big risks for injury and even death, and that’ll affect your insurance rates.

Lincoln Park: What better way to get into the holiday spirit than with a party that ALSO gives back? It’s time for the Santa Claws Toy Drive on Saturday, December 21 from 5 to 8 pm. At the Tonic Room (2447 N Halsted), you can drink White Claws, take a photo with Santa, listen to music provided by The Bloodshot DJs, and more. It’s free to attend! Just bring a packaged toy for donation. Find more information here.

Bucktown and Wicker Park: Christmas shows aren’t your thing? That’s ok! Check out Always… Patsy Cline at The Den Theatre. Firebrand Theatre presents this musical about the friendship between Patsy Cline and fan Louise Seger. Seger took Cline into her home one night after a show and they struck up an unlikely friendship that lasted until Cline’s death. The show runs Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 3 and 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 3 pm until December 15. Find more information and get your tickets here.

Lakeview: Wrap up the year with holiday cheer! On Saturday December 14 from 12 to 3 pm, head to the Capital One Cafe on Southport. Here you’ll join your neighbors and friends for an afternoon of holiday gift wrapping. The cafe is hosting a complimentary gift wrapping station and providing refreshments, while supplies last. It’s free to attend! There is a suggested donation of canned goods or non-perishable items for The Lakeview Pantry, but it is not required for participation in the gift wrapping station. For more information, email Kristine Coronado. 

Chicago Loop: Get yourself to the Goodman Theatre for a Christmas classic- A Christmas Carol! Actor Larry Yando is returning for his 12th appearance as Ebenezer Scrooge in this annual family-friendly show. The show runs Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2 and 6 pm. It runs until December 29. Find more detailed ticket information and pricing here.

Lincoln Square: It’s time for Damen at Night- the Holiday Edition! Stay up late on Thursdays in December with the businesses on Damen Avenue. Participating businesses will be open until 9 pm, serving up refreshments and special deals. Knock out your holiday gift list by shopping locally! Find details about participating businesses and specials here.

Oak Park: Get your farmer’s market fix during the off season with Sugar Beet’s Winter’s Farmer’s Market Series! This monthly market is hosted by Sugar Beet Co-op and is on Saturday, December 14 from 10 am to 2 pm. This is a European style farmer’s market with a variety of producers, growers, and makers selling food, body care, and more. Featured vendors for this month include John Bailey Honey, Chanticlare Farm, Opportunity Knocks Pickles, Sitka Salmon, Little Buddha, and more. Find more information here.

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO

So you want to bring a pet into the family. Be aware that you are taking on a big responsibility to care for that pet for their lifetime. In return, they will give you more joy than you can imagine. In 2016, $66.8 billion was spent on domesticated pets. Half of this cost was food and another quarter went to vet expenses. 

Vet bills can range from a minor ear infection (at around $300 dollars) to removing a foreign object from a dogs’ intestine (around $1600). Broken bones from a car accident could run thousands of dollars.  Regular vet visits with routine treatments like heart-worm and shots will cost several hundred dollars per year. Insurance for pets is becoming increasingly more popular as costs rise. There are many levels of coverage separated by what’s covered, deductibles, and reimbursement rates. Many won’t cover preexisting conditions or hereditary diseases, like hip dysplasia. Carefully review coverage and enroll pets as young as possible before conditions present themselves. Check sites like petinsurancereview.com and petinsurancequotes.com. 

When you are looking for a pet, purebreds can cost several thousand dollars. Always buy from a reputable breeder; never a pet store. Ask the breeder if the dog has been genetically tested for hereditary diseases common to the breed. You can find registered breeders on the American Kennel club website. Adopted dogs can still have some hereditary diseases, like pure bred dogs, but your initial output can be $350 or less. It usually comes with shots and spaying or neutering. Check for free adoption days and adopt an adult dog for even more savings.

Check your homeowners’ insurance for coverage for dog injuries. More than one third of all homeowner claims were dog bites and dog related. The average payout was over $33,000. Some insurers exclude dog liability coverage or won’t cover what they consider “dangerous” breeds, like pit bulls and Rottweilers. The best thing is to read your policy carefully and ask questions to make sure you are covered. Even with good coverage, you could be dropped after a dog incident.

It’s always best to have a well-trained dog to avoid those dog related incidents. Private trainers are pricey, costing up to $600 for a six-session course. The AKC has a six-week program ending with a test and certificate that runs about $100. It will usually satisfy condo boards, homeowners’ associations, and rental boards that require dog certification. Look for local programs at akc.org.

For everything else you need for your pet, it’s a good idea to comparison shop. From medicine like heart-worm and flea preventative (cheapest at Walmart and Chewy.com) to special diet  food (often cheapest at the vet who can offer it at cost), it pays to shop around. With medicine, ask if generics are appropriate. Most pharmacies will fill pet prescriptions. Check goodrx.com for best prices locally. 

So go out and find that pet that’s just right for you and your family. Just go in with your eyes wide open and realize this is a lifetime commitment. 

KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO