{"id":58188,"date":"2019-11-14T17:01:15","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T22:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbanmatter.com\/chicago\/?p=58188"},"modified":"2019-11-26T18:02:38","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T23:02:38","slug":"holiday-traditions-to-start-with-your-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbanmatter.com\/chicago\/holiday-traditions-to-start-with-your-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday & Christmas Activities for Kids in Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

Feel like you need to stop and take a breath amidst the holiday frenzy of arranging travel plans, shopping for Christmas outfits, and scoping out <\/span>stocking stuffers for kids<\/span><\/a>? Take a cue from your kids and remember to enjoy the wonder and magic of the holidays<\/a>. Starting a couple of special holiday traditions for your family is time well spent, and a great way to make holiday memories that will continue to pay off year after year. Here are a couple of holiday and Christmas activities for kids in Chicago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chicago Holiday Celebrations<\/span><\/h2>\n

Chicago offers an amazing array of <\/span>holiday events for families<\/span><\/a>: light shows, parades, Christmas markets and more. You couldn\u2019t possibly do it all, but making the time to enjoy a couple of family outings will help you appreciate our wonderful city and discover new favorite things to do together. Sit down with the family and decide on a couple of things to do in Chicago with kids.<\/span>\u00a0Or let each family member pick one event.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\"Millennium
Photo Credit: Millennium Park Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

View the 10 Best Free Holiday Events in Chicago<\/h4>\n

Are you trying to find free things to do this holiday season? View our list of 10 Free Things to Do in Chicago, the Holiday Edition.<\/p>\n

View 10 Free Things to Do in Chicago: Holiday Events & Activities<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Family Volunteering<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are wonderful opportunities to volunteer with your kids in Chicago all year long, but the holidays, in particular, are an important opportunity to teach kids gratitude and a sense of service toward others. It will be so rewarding to make a little bit of time in your schedule each year during this season of abundance to help with wrapping gifts, packaging food, or visiting the elderly at one of many kid-friendly <\/span>holiday volunteer events<\/span><\/a> in Chicago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cookie Exchange<\/span><\/h2>\n

Another entertaining Christmas activity for kids in Chicago are cookie exchanges, but who wants to spend hours and hours toiling in the kitchen? To make your life easier, t<\/span>ry hosting an annual cookie exchange with a handful of other families. Each family brings one or two family-favorite <\/span>Christmas cookie recipes<\/span><\/a> with enough to share, and empty containers for taking an assortment home. You provide the venue, turn on some <\/span>Christmas music<\/span><\/a>, and fill the crockpot with hot chocolate<\/a>. And maybe someone else will volunteer to host next year!<\/span><\/p>\n

Family Movie Night<\/span><\/h2>\n

Pop some popcorn, dig into that newly-acquired Christmas cookie smorgasbord, and snuggle up to watch your favorite <\/span>Christmas movie for kids<\/span><\/a> by the light of the tree. This is a fun Christmas activity for kids since it <\/span>leaves you plenty of opportunity to watch your family\u2019s all-time favorites and discover a couple of new ones. And, because Christmas movies pretty much universally drive home the importance of family, love, and togetherness, we can\u2019t think of a better way to spend some distraction-free time with your kids. Because isn\u2019t that what the holidays are all about?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Start new holiday traditions with your family this year! Check out more family-friendly things to do in Chicago this December<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.<\/p>\n

Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Feel like you need to stop and take a breath amidst the holiday frenzy of arranging travel plans, shopping for Christmas outfits, and scoping out stocking stuffers for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2081,"featured_media":58190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1594,2,26324],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-category-family","category-category-popular","category-category-winter-hub"],"yoast_head":"\nHoliday & Christmas Activities for Kids in Chicago | UrbanMatter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Starting a couple of special holiday traditions for your family is time well spent. 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