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Other stories in "Winter"

• The chocolate cure
  As winter drags on, drown your sorrows with sweets.
• Vacations for the brain
  Go to a summer school, and you'll come home with a skill.
• Following the Beargrease
  The 2011 North Shore sled-dog marathon was one of the most exciting in years.
• The best of 2010 . . . and 2011
  Here are our revelations from the old year and resolutions for the new one.
• Volunteering on Lake Superior
  Be keeper of the light or a modern voyageur.
• Bargains for beginners
  Free or cut-rate ski and snowboard packages make it easy to learn.
• How to make ice luminaries
  With homemade lanterns, make your front walk sparkle.
• Walking on ice
  To stay safe and have fun, buy a pair of crampons.
• Cheap winter retreats
  Spend a weekend mushing dogs or tracking wolves at bargain prices.
• A peek into an inn
  During holidays, B&Bs in five tourist towns open for tours.
• Holiday house calls
  On tours, see where the rich and famous celebrated Christmas.
• Readers say Ely is the coolest town
  It's got wolves, it's got bears, it's got character.
• Sightseeing by bicycle
  This summer's tours include an extra quota of scenery.
• Serious reservations
  Here's a guide to the lodgings, campsites and permits you should nail down now.
• Best bets in ski country
  Trails in the south bask in snow; a hostel reopens in state forest.
• Skiing in the city
  On the trails of Duluth, a cappuccino never is far away.
• Magic under the moon
  In winter, plan a trip around a candlelight ski or snowshoe.
• All eyes on eagles
  In winter, tourists and birds alike head for open water.

A very merry city

At Christmas, Chicago brims with good will.

During the holidays, Chicago always is in a great mood. But after electing one of its own to the White House, it's positively giddy.

Christmas is a great time to visit Chicago. Its open-air Christkindlmarket (pictured), now in its 14th year, is lifted straight from the market squares of Germany, with German vendors plying crowds with cones of roasted almonds and mugs of warm Glühwein.

At the Museum of Science and Industry, the beloved "Christmas Around the World'' exhibit is celebrating its 76th anniversary this year, with ethnic ensembles performing all day on weekends.

Love Handel's "Messiah''? Hear it sung for the 131st year by the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, whose big, impassioned voices will make you weep. The Goodman stages "A Christmas Carol,'' and the Joffrey Ballet does "The Nutcracker.''

No money? The Dance-Along Nutcracker is free at the Cultural Center. In Millennium Park, ice-skating is free, and there's caroling at 6 p.m. every Friday at the popular Cloud Gate sculpture.

It's hard to get a good deal on a hotel room, especially Nov. 29 to Dec. 4, when 60,000 radiologists will be in town. But you'll find excellent deals the week before Christmas.

For details, see Chicago at Christmas.

Last updated on October 29, 2009