KJP Dress / Similar (Waterproof!) Boots / Tote / Wool Trench Coat
Mitch here!
I can’t believe it’s Christmastime. I’m freakin’ out, guys. You see, I’m a Christmas junky. I intend on wassailing around the city with a belly full of eggnog for the next month. I’ll give you the rundown:
- Favorite Movie: It’s a Wonderful Life
- Song: Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song (Shoutout to Bublé for his Christmas Album, though!)
- Dessert: Dachshund-shaped sugar cookies
- Family tradition: Ice skating on the lake
- Drink: Cocoa
- Neighbor: Bumpus
- Pudding: Figgy
- Reindeer: Blitzen
- Dentist: Hermey
- Candy: Canes
Christmas is all about traditions. But our holiday traditions do include a couple of 14-hour car rides and/or several airport security lines, which aren’t that fun for a 1.5-year-old kid. Which is why this year, Kelly and I are working as hard as we can to make Emma’s first real Christmas–she was only four months old last time–truly spectacular.
So yesterday, after a hectic morning, Kelly and I locked eyes and decided to take the leap. It was going to be the day that Emma met Santa!
Can I step back and shout out Uber for a second? The gap between “deciding to do something” and “actually doing something” has widened significantly for me in the past year. To be honest, after changing the baby; getting everyone’s coats, hats and gloves on; loading the stroller; walking the dog; changing the baby again; and finally leaving the house… I sometimes contemplate giving up and just going back inside. It’s SO convenient, however, to have an Uber waiting outside to take us where we need to go.
Btw, Uber offers a car seat option in several U.S. cities. If yours doesn’t have it, our best recommendation would be to bring a portable one along or call your driver to see if he or she has one. We’ve lucked out SO many times doing this! (Safety first when you have a kid!)
As a sleep-deprived dad with a screaming baby in the backseat, I’m not sure if I trust myself to drive the family downtown anymore. Additionally, Kelly is the worst driver in the history of the world, so using Uber is actually a safety precaution for us. (Love you, Kage.)
One other (admittedly dorky) thing: I’m obsessed with Uber’s shared ETA notifications. And I find myself sending ETA messages out to random friends en route. Long story short, Santa knew we were coming.
We started the day with a visit to the spot where we announced our pregnancy to the world. We thought it would be fun to take a similar Christmassy picture, but Emma fell asleep in her stroller and it was freezing, so I took one picture of Kelly and then we ran away and I think Kelly might have cried.
Anyway, I planned about 15 activities for us to do while downtown. Ice skating in Maggie Daley Park! Hot chocolate at the Signature Room! Cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery! And obviously 12 other things I can’t recall right now.
But yeah: we did none of that stuff.
It was cold, so after the failed Christmas card attempt, we grabbed coffee (not even hot cocoa 😩) because we were running on only a few hours of sleep, and went to lunch while we waited for Emma to wake up. There, however, we switched from coffee to wine. Which was good. 👍
After the restaurant, Emma tried to kill herself a dozen times by walking into the street. Note the look of terror in my eyes as Emma evades my capture and attempt to sprint out in the middle of State. The only thing that calmed her was the sight of an “L” train rolling by, which I think officially declares her a city kid.
Okay. Enough of this blabber. Let’s get our kid to Santa Claus. Luckily for us, this random day in late November happened to be the exact day that Santa took up residence in one of our favorite department stores downtown. Emma was utterly enamored by Santa’s decorating ability, but when she entered his room to meet him, she completely lost her mind.
(Is this normal? I’m guessing yes. This is why we don’t have a photo of that experience. Disaster.)
All I can say is thank god for Uber. We did go shopping kiddie shopping afterwards, which Emma loved. (Not sure if you saw Insta Stories yesterday, but Kelly and Emma did some damage together.) But then we high-tailed it out of that place, and headed back home for pizza and a Christmas movie.
I know. This reads like a failed day.
But it wasn’t a failed day. It was a great day. A fantastic day. (And I’m being sincere.) We laughed over lunch/dinner, and pointed and “oohed” and “ahhhed” at the train for at least a half hour. I saw my little girl’s eyes light up as she wandered through the Christmas village before meeting that demonic Santa. I watched as she marveled at the seemingly sky-high buildings. Kelly and I tickled her in the backseat of the Uber on the way home, and then we collapsed onto the couch together before we handled bath time and bedtime.
Honestly, I feel like yesterday kicked off the Christmas season perfectly. And if you need proof of our Christmas cheer, just look at this pic right here. Bring on the holiday radio, the Christmas parties, the travel, and the Bublé. The Larkins are going all out this year!
Side note: I’m going to count the number of times I hear Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You this year. So far, the count is at two. Don’t worry: I shall update you guys frequently.
Mitch. Out.
KJP Dress / Similar (Waterproof!) Boots / Tote / Wool Trench Coat
In collaboration with Uber, but all opinions are our own. As always, thank you so much for supporting the partnerships that keep Kelly in the City up and running!
Oh my gosh, Emma’s fur hood is killing me! It’s so cute! Love the KJP dress on you Kelly! Merry Christmas season Larkins!
Caitlin
Merry Christmas right back! :) She loves her new coat haha! She never wants to take it off!
Great post! Chicago is such a great city (despite what’s reported in the media). Love your outfit and how you color coordinated with your beautiful family!
https://www.bluelabelsboutique.com
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I know! I’m so glad to hear from another Chicago lover. Thanks for your kind words!
Kelly’s instastories yesterday were the best! I could’ve watched them all day. Emma is so freaking cute! I also love crying Santa pics. You know what would be a great post in the new year – your favorite and least favorite baby products, broken down by 3 month age spans, for small spaces. So many bloggers with kids live in houses, but since you are city dwellers, i’d love to know the hits and misses of space minimizing baby products. Have a great holiday season!
Such a good idea! Space is a major frustration as Emma’s toys have taken over our house. We’ll start kicking around ideas for the post!
Love all the Christmas!!! And these sweet magical photos!!
Yes!!!! We are going to try and do something Christmassy every day :)
These photos are darling! Christmas in Chicago looks beautiful. It is making me excited for our next trip back!
Taylor | http://www.livingtaylored.com
Chicago is at its best during Christmas :) Except for, you know, the sub-zero temperatures.
Just Adorable!!! Love Chicago at Christmas time :-)
Emma’s coat is amazing! Must have one in my size, please. Wishing your family a wonderous holiday season!
You’d be shocked how many times people ask if Emma’s clothes are available in adult sizes haha
It might be easier to get to the market that is near Wrigley as the one in the downtown area can be packed and hard to move about. I would love to go to either one. I saw the story about the one at Wrigley on the evening WGN news.
I also heard that there is a market in Ottawa, Illinois. I think it is this weekend and next.
I am not near there so I am not sure I would want to go. I think that Oak Brook shopping center a few years ago had a Christmas market. I am not really sure where others are in Illinois.
Great photos. Usually I am not the greatest Chicago fan (even as a native Midwesterner I prefer New York) but these made me think otherwise. And I love Kelly’s plaid challenge!
If you’ve never been the Christkindlmarket in downtown Chicago is a lot of fun, if you are looking for more holiday stuff to do.
Honestly, we are big time New York fans too. But Chicago is our home and we love it!