Now that another Thanksgiving is behind us, the city of Chicago is officially in holiday mode bringing weekends packed with fun and holiday cheer!  Let’s see what’s in store for us this weekend!!

If you’re on a mission for unique Christmas gifts, you might want to visit one of the following events:

The 24^th annual Christkindlmarket is back at the Daley Plaza (48 W. Washington St.) in The Loop through December 24^th.  This free, open-air, European holiday market is stocked with everything from nutcrackers and cuckoo clocks to beautiful hand-painted ornaments and toys for the kids.  It also features German foods, choirs, and carolers as you shop the day away.  It’s an annual holiday tradition here in Chicago not to be missed!

Swing by the Made in Chicago Market:  Winter Edition this Saturday (10 a.m.) at Journeymen Plumbers Hall (1340 W. Washington Blvd.) on the Near West Side.  It’s Chicago’s premiere place that highlights the best local and handmade products Chicago has to offer.  All vendors are based locally and produce everything from apparel to accessories, art to home décor, skin care to paper goods, pet products, and so much more!  Also featured are local food and drink vendors, fun activities, and opportunities to learn more about our city.  Come discover something new!!

Get in the holiday spirit and shop away at Home for the Holidays:  Andersonville & Lincoln Square recurring weekly on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through December 22^nd.  Hop aboard a charming trolley for a 4 hour magical holiday-tinged tour of Lincoln Square and Andersonville, with their German and Swedish roots respectively.  The trolley leaves from East Delaware St. across the street from the Westin Michigan Avenue Hotel.  It includes a tour of both neighborhoods; an insider’s tour of the DANK Haus German-American museum; complimentary wine tasting from the Chopping Block; gelato tastings from FRIO Gelato; discount offers from various area shops, museums, and restaurants; and more!  Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to explore and shop in the many unique and locally owned shops!!

If you simply want to get in the holiday spirit, then perhaps these events might do the trick:

Returning to Union Station (225 S. Canal St.) in the West Loop on select dates through December 29^th is The Polar Express Train Ride.  Passengers will relive the magic of the classic story by Chris Van Allsburg as they are whisked away on The Polar Express™ for a magical one hour trip to meet Santa.  During your trip, characters will lead passengers in an immersive onboard experience- just like in the movie!  Hot chocolate and a delicious cookie will be served by dancing chefs and Santa & his elves will greet you with the first gift of Christmas.  And each passenger will take home a keepsake sleigh bell and souvenir golden ticket!  It’s a magical trip!!

Join Isabella as she is whisked away to an upside down, inside out world where she meets characters inspired by the original timeless poem Twas the Night Before … by Cirque du Soleil.  This festive show is held at The Chicago Theatre (175 N. State St.) in The Loop on Wednesdays through Sundays (ending on December 8^th) and is Cirque du Soleil’s first ever Christmas show filled with Christmas cheer, rip roaring fun, and hugely lovable characters to spark lasting memories this holiday season!  It’s time to discover what happens before Santa drops in!!

Are You Ready to Get in the Holiday Mode?

I don’t often find myself in The Loop for dinner, but this week called for a Friday date night. We took ourselves to The Marq, located at 60 W Adams St. We called ahead and made a reservation. When we got there, there was a fair number of empty tables, so I’m not sure we needed it. You never know on a Friday night! The space is lovely, with a large central bar, warm quilted booths, and industrial light fixtures. The menu is relatively small, with starters, salads, charcuterie, sides, and main dishes. Even so, everything sounded so good, I had a hard time deciding! I finally decided to create my own little sampler plate. I started with the Marq Slider: house ground beef, Marq aioli, American cheese, and house-made pickles and pickled onion, all on a brioche bun. This was delicious! It was the perfect size for a slider and was delightfully simple. I also ordered the Shishito Peppers: beer tempura battered peppers served with sweet green Thai chili sauce and garlic chili oil. I love shishito peppers and these definitely stood out. The batter was light and crispy and the chili sauce was smoky and spicy, with just a hint of sweetness. I would order these again in a heartbeat! I also ordered a side salad- you can order a side portion of any of the dinner salads for just $6. I chose the Greek Salad: kale, red quinoa, grape tomatoes, pickled red onion, cucumbers, kalamata olives, crumbled feta cheese, grilled lemon, and a greek vinaigrette. I don’t normally like a kale based salad; I find kale to be very bitter. But this was so tasty! The kale wasn’t bitter at all, it had almost a buttery quality. I loved the addition of the quinoa as well, it was a lovely twist on a classic Greek salad. My boyfriend ordered the Marq Burger. It was almost the same as my slider, except it had two patties and came with fries. He is a burger connoisseur and said that it is one of his favorites in the city! The fries were very good as well. We can’t wait to come back and try other dishes here!

The Marq is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 11 am to 10 pm, Wednesdays through Fridays from 11 am to 11 pm, and Saturdays from 11 am to 10 pm. Find more information here.

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO

We have always been told “When you have many tasks to do, prioritize!” We dutifully write down everything we need to do, making a daunting list that we look at wondering “How am I going to get all this done?” It happens with our home life as well as work. With everyone working long hours, the home list can often be worse than the work one. Priorities? Everything is important! But with a few tricks, we can learn what’s most important. 

When asking yourself what’s most important, it can be differ if others are involved. At work, it’s usually your boss or manager who will guide you to what’s most urgent. At home, we are more our own boss, although others may be involved as well. But the most important thing to do here is to TALK to them. Sometimes, especially at work, tasks can be rescheduled. Converse with co-workers and ask them when they need you. Make sure to check your deadlines.  Same goes for family and friends!  Ask for help! Others may not be as busy as you are and can offer you relief. 

Look at home tasks with a three-pronged approach: cost, time, and scope. Often with home tasks we must get down to “How much is my time worth?” With Thanksgiving this week, I suggested having a professional clean your house. It may seem extravagant to some but when thinking “What is my time (and sanity) worth?”, it’s a no brainer. Many home projects can be done quicker and better by professionals. A professional painter can paint a room in half the time you could- with five less trips to Home Depot. Time is sometimes not in your control, there are deadlines. Work backwards from the deadline, setting each task according to the time needed. That will prioritize for you. If the scope of the job is just too much, you might need to compromise. Let people know what you can deliver now and when you can deliver the rest. This might also prompt others to say, “Can I help?” 

Then learn to delegate. Many of us are guilty of thinking only we can do the job right. NOT! Be assertive asking for help and have proof of need when you state your case. Most times you will get help, but do be prepared to hear no sometimes. 

If you feel the walls closing in, you really must take something off your plate. If you wait until you’re totally stressed out, it might be too late. You need to understand what you need to do and how long it will take. With this simple knowledge, priorities will show themselves to you.

KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO

When selling a home, it is incredibly important to consider who you are selling to and what they are looking for. Fixr recently surveyed influencers in the industry to discover who’s in the market to buy and what home features are most attractive to them. Here’s what they found!

Open Floor Plans

Those surveyed believe that Generation X and Millennials will make up a large majority of buyers this year. They will look for an open floor concept, allowing them to maximize on space, choose from a variety of furniture layouts and decoration, and more easily entertain guests.

Smart Home Features

New technologies for automating your home are popping up every single day. From sprinklers to lights to door locks, smart devices are of great interest to home buyers.

Solar Energy

Finding ways to lower monthly bills is a big goal for many home buyers. A home equipped with solar panels not only achieves this but allows home buyers to introduce renewable energy into their home.

Tiny Homes

Many home buyers are looking to jump on the tiny house trend, particularly those who are minimalists or are first-time home buyers.

Voice Control Features

In line with the desire for home automation, those surveyed believe that the addition of voice-controlled devices in the home are a huge selling point. Although investing in improvements and additions that follow these trends may have upfront costs, the payoff will be worth it. Take them into account as you prepare to sell you home and use them to stage your home more effectively and ultimately help you make the sale.

This week took me to a neighborhood spot: George Street Pub. This was an ideal spot for an impromptu Wednesday date night! The atmosphere is very low key and relaxed. There’s a large wooden bar with ample seating and tables scattered throughout the restaurant. The lighting is low and warm, perfect for date night. We knew we wanted to start with an appetizer and there were so many mouthwatering choices. I was intrigued by the Pub Chips: house made chips served with bleu cheese fondue- holy yum! We ultimately decided to go with the Hand Dipped Chicken Strips, served with your choice of ranch, bleu cheese, bbq sauce, honey mustard, or buffalo sauce. We picked ranch and buffalo sauce. These were delicious! The outside was super crispy and the chicken was juicy, tender, and hot. After much debate, I finally decided on the Grilled Chicken Sandwich for my entree. It’s served on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, and onion. You can also add GSP sauce (spicy bbq sauce), bbq sauce, or buffalo sauce. I added the GSP sauce. The sandwich also came with waffle fries. It was a very good sized sandwich, with two filleted pieces of chicken. I absolutely loved the GSP sauce! It was the perfect balance of spicy and sweet and was a great complement to the sandwich. The waffle fries were great too. My boyfriend decided on the Classic Burger, topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and your choice of cheese. It was very solid! We tend to judge a restaurant by its basic burger and this definitely stood up.  It was well seasoned and well cooked- nothing out of the ordinary, but very tasty. I will definitely be back to try more things here! 

The kitchen is open Sundays from 10 am to 10 pm, Mondays through Wednesdays from 12 pm to 10 pm, Thursdays from 12 pm to 11 pm, Fridays from 12 pm to 12 am, and Saturdays from 10 am to 1 am. The bar is open Sundays from 10 am to 12 am, Mondays through Wednesdays from 12 pm to 12 am, Thursdays and Fridays from 12 pm to 2 am, and Saturdays from 10 am to 3 pm. You can find more information about GSP on their website.

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO