Holidays

Chicago gears up for its iconic holiday lights festival with special guests at McCormick Place.

Illinois SNAP recipients are finally receiving their full benefits again after a temporary halt caused by the government shutdown. While the state expects all 1.8 million recipients to be paid by tomorrow, many families are still struggling. To help, Christmas in the Wards surprised dozens of West Side families with $50 food vouchers and plans more giveaways this week.

Kevin Brasler of Consumers’ Checkbook breaks down how retailers inflate discounts, why it misleads shoppers, and the smartest ways to make sure you’re getting genuine holiday bargains.

Fight2Feed showcases its volunteer-powered holiday push to provide thousands of rescued-food meals across Chicago as demand rises and the group collects 400 turkeys for its Thanksgiving drive.

The Chicago Fire Department shows how quickly a turkey fryer can spark a fire and shares essential safety tips to keep your holiday cooking disaster-free.

Babs Beitzel of Babs Boards joins us to share her favorite Thanksgiving recipes, top hosting tips, and the simple reminders everyone forgets before the big day.

Elf on the Shelf has been a holiday tradition for 20 years. To celebrate the anniversary the founders of this holiday tradition Chanda A. Bell and Christa Pitts join ChicagoNOW to share what makes the elf on a shelf so magical.

Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences students team up with local chefs to prepare a full farm-to-table Thanksgiving dinner for 400 senior citizens, showcasing their skills while giving back to the 19th Ward community.

Chicago’s beloved tree-lighting celebration returns to 900 North Michigan Shops, blending holiday magic with a powerful fundraising mission for Make-A-Wish Illinois.

Professional chefs share their best strategies for creating a Thanksgiving game plan that minimizes stress and lets you actually enjoy the holiday.

Tech gifts are always popular during the holidays so you better make sure you’re giving people what they want this year. Jen Jolly gives us the gift guide for the perfect tech gifts.

Being a mom isn’t easy and things can get especially overwhelming during the holiday season. Elisha Beach, Founder of The Mom Forum joins via zoom to share some small tips to avoid burnout.

Lou Malnati’s is hosting a pop-up today to launch its “HoLOUday” Merch collection. You can get merch at its Michigan Ave. location starting Monday November 17th from 11AM-2PM. Merch will still be available at the Aurora Christkindl Market on November 30th, and December 19th and 20th. You can also get the merch from their website.

Christmas Concerts are a must this holiday season but one experience is putting a local spin on their carols. Brandi Berry Benson, artistic director of the Bach + Beethoven Experience joins live in studio to give a preview.

Cradles to Crayons is getting ready for its Gear Up for Winter initiative to help local kids and families in need. Dawn Melchiorre, Executive Director of Cradles to Crayons, joins live in studio to share how to help this initiative and the easy steps to donate.

Finance expert, author of “Never Date A Broke Dude” and CEO, The Flexx Financial Freedom Academy, Pattie Ehsaei, joins via zoom to break down what you need to know about credit tightening with the holidays around the corner.

Good news for air travelers — those federally mandated flight reductions are over.