Happy Holidays!

Although we may be celebrating the holidays a bit differently this year, there are still plenty of fun things to do in the Chicago Southland that will put you in the holiday spirit! Grab your mask and ugly holiday sweater and get ready to have a “jingle ball” this season!

Eat and be merry

Support local restaurants—and skip the dishes—this year!

Build your own meal with Ravisloe Country Club’s Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner packages. Choose from delicious entrees like glazed baked ham, beef tenderloin and vegetarian lasagna, plus your choice of a soup, salad and three additional sides like mashed potatoes, fresh cranberries or apple pie. All dinners are served with rolls. Orders must be placed by 3:00 PM on Friday, December 18 and must be pre-paid. To order your meal, call 708-798-5600.

Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery will be serving holiday dinners this year. Choose between roast turkey breast and pork tenderloin, served with tasty sides like house-made stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce and a loaf of bread with honey butter. Individual meals cost $16 and a family meal with servings for four costs $60. There is also an abundance of pies to choose from. Triple berry, pecan, coconut cream, country apple, French silk, pumpkin, pumpkin with whipped cream, key lime and banana cream pies are available, ranging from $14-$18 each. Meals and pies should be ordered by Tuesday, December 22. To order, call 708-957-2739.

Choose between two different holiday package options at Winston’s Market/Ashford House Restaurant. Package #1 serves five for $125 and includes roasted beef tenderloin with mushroom gravy, double baked potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, Caesar salad and homemade rolls and butter. Package #2 serves five for $75 and includes spiral sliced ham, oven roasted chicken, oven roasted potatoes, vegetable medley and homemade rolls and butter. Packages are available for hot or cold pick-up. To order, call 708-633-7500.

Enjoy a holiday catering package by Chuck’s Southern Comforts Café in Burbank. Each package includes servings for six to eight people and includes plenty of scrumptious food: brisket with peppercorn gravy, smoked chicken, sliced ham, mac and cheese, sauteed corn, andouille sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, peppercorn gravy and apple cobbler for dessert! Packages are $179.99 and individual dinners are also available for $21.99 each. Call 708-229-8700 to place your order. Each order requires 48 hours advance notice and packages are available until December 31. For Christmas Eve meals, please order by Sunday, December 20.

Pick up a family dinner for four from Chicago Gaelic Park! Dinners include sliced roast beef with mushroom gravy, a quart of cream of chicken soup, mashed potatoes, green beans almondine, pasta primavera, bread rolls and apple cobbler for dessert. Each package costs $80 and must be ordered by Sunday, December 20 and paid in advance. Call 708-687-9323 to order.

Stop by The Odyssey in Tinley Park for their holiday curbside catering. Grab a Christmas Dinner special for $225 that serves six people. Each dinner includes mixed green salad, orange glazed Indiana ham, truffle-crusted beef strip loin roast with rosemary demi-glace, three cheese lasagna, potatoes au gratin, maple roasted baby carrots and dinner rolls, plus seasonal cheesecake and a bottle of wine (chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, white zinfandel, pinot grigio or moscato) for dessert. Additionally, a la carte items like tomato basil tortellini soup, fresh pierogi, sage bread dressing and salted caramel bread pudding are available to add on to your meal. The deadline to order is Sunday, December 20 and orders must be pre-paid. See the full menu and order online here.

Dine on your choice of mouthwatering foods from 350 Brewing Company! Order a tray of The Devil’s Eggs, prepared with pickled eggs and hot giardiniera mix, or twice baked potatoes, made with 350’s secret seasoning recipe. You can even grab an enchilada package or a ham package. Plus, 350 has several add-ons to complete your meal. Orders should be placed by Monday, December 21 at 8:00 PM. Call 708-768-8991 to order!

Let D’Masti Catering Inc. handle the cooking, and order a holiday ham dinner! Each plate features brown sugar glazed applewood ham, cheesy au gratin potatoes, garlicky green beans, chive buttered corn and knot rolls and butter for $14.95 each. Order for pick-up by December 19 by calling 708-388-0940. Delivery is available for orders of 30 or more meals.

Add some delectable Polish foods to your holiday celebration this year! Warsaw Inn in Lynwood is offering catering packages with servings for up to six people. Each dinner package includes your choice of turkey, baked ham or roast pork served with mashed potatoes, green beans or sweet corn, dressing, stuffed cabbage, pierogi, kolacky cookies and potato chip cookies. Plus, a la carte items like Polish sausage, sauerkraut, potato pancakes or blintzes are also available. All dinners are cooked and served cold. Be sure to order your package early! Call 708-474-1000 to place your order.

Order individual or family dinners from The Bistro on Sterling! Dinners come with your choice of sliced roasted turkey breast or sliced baked honey ham and all include mixed green salad, house-made stuffing, house-made mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and rolls. Meals can be picked up hot or cold. Individual dinners are $18 and family dinners for four are $70. Plus, all bottles of wine are $10 off restaurant prices! Please place your order by Saturday, December 19. Call 708-957-7900 to order.

Get in the holiday “spirit”

Don’t forget your drinks!

This holiday season, Rock Bottom Brewery in Orland Park is serving up pints of their Wicked Elf Ale. Wicked Elf is a unique Belgian beer with festive notes of spice, stone fruit and, of course, the holiday spirit! This brew is strong and warming, plus is balanced by subtle malt sweetness. Order Wicked Elf online by clicking here.

Head over to Hailstorm Brewing Co. in Tinley Park for a fun, seasonal beer: Santa’s Cookies and Milk Stout. This beer is brewed with chocolate chip cookies, cookie dough, milk chocolate, vanilla and milk sugar. Limited edition, matching glassware is also available for purchase. To order online, click here!

Grab some cocktails to-go at Side Street American Tavern in Tinley Park. Try some Jingle Juice, crafted with cranberry vodka, rum, pineapple and cranberry juice or sip on a Grinch, made with green apple vodka and black cherry rum. Each cocktail is $15 for 32 oz. Call 708-925-8080 to order yours today!

Celebrate the 12 Stouts of Christmas at Blue Island Beer Company! From now until December 23, enjoy a different, unique beer each day. Some flavors include Mexican hot chocolate, cranberry and coffee maple bacon. Each variant will be available on draft.  

Over at Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, celebrate 12 Days of Christmas Cheer & Great Craft Beer! This year’s releases include the 2020 Kratos Imperial Stout, 2020 Four Horsemen Belgian Quad and several others. All bottles were released on December 13, meaning your entire 12-day supply is now available for purchase. Swing by to pick up your bottles today!

Wrap up your holiday shopping by picking up a Dead Drop Spirit gift set from Thornton Distilling Co.! Each set comes in a custom graphic gift box and includes a 750ml spirit of your choice plus two premium Glencairn Scottish crystal glasses with a laser-engraved Dead Drop logo. Choose between American Pecan Whiskey ($60), Straight Rye Whiskey ($65), Rum ($60), Gin ($52) or Vodka ($45). Reserve yours at Thornton Distilling’s pop-up bottle on Friday from 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM or Saturday from 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM or order online by clicking here. Curbside pick-up and local delivery are available!

Bundle up and head out!

If you’re ready to get out of the house, check out some of the events taking place this holiday season.

Have fun at a socially distanced, outdoor version of Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery’s annual Christmas at the Brewery event! Stop by the caboose deck on Sunday, December 20 for this year’s free event, featuring Polaroid pictures with a cardboard cutout of Santa and his reindeer, hot chocolate and s’mores. Adults can enjoy $5 Christmas sangria or $1 off Glasgow Piper pints.

On Monday, December 21, Flossmoor Station will be hosting a 12 Days of Christmas Virtual Beer testing at 7:00 PM. Hosted by brewmaster Ryan Czaja, this virtual tasting will cover all of the holiday beer releases. Click here to register!

Celebrate “Grinchmas” at Chuck’s Southern Comforts Café in Burbank! Meet the Grinch himself during a socially distanced photo op while picking up a food order on December 15, 16, 22 or 23 from 2:30 PM – 6:30 PM. Social distance practices will be in place and masks are required for the duration of your visit to Chuck’s.

Experience some Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo Chicago! See the dazzling lights displays throughout the zoo, including a brilliantly lit 600-foot-long tunnel featuring thousands of colored lights all synchronized to music, a giant 20-foot-lit orb perfect for Instagram selfies and holiday photos, a 41-foot-tall tree and larger-than-life LED animal sculptures of a bison, bear and giraffe. The zoo’s malls and Roosevelt Fountain are also decked out for the holidays with over 600 trees decorated with LED lights and ornaments. Festive food and beverages like funnel cakes, praline nuts, cinnamon sugar pretzels and hot chocolate will be available for purchase. Plus, outdoor merchandise kiosks will have unique items, perfect for wrapping up your holiday shopping! So much more magic awaits you this year! Click here for more information on Holiday Magic, including dates and tickets.

Take in the beauty of New Lenox’s Christmas in the Commons! This annual event features plenty of lights and holiday festivities, all taking place with social distancing and mask guidelines in place. Christmas in the Commons is free for all visitors! See the lights on Saturday, December 19 and Sunday, December 20 from 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM. Plus, visit Santa, shop the holiday market, ice skate and relax on a horse-drawn carriage ride. Souvenir mugs and hot cocoa will be available for purchase, plus food trucks will be on-site each day. Click here for more information.

However you’ll be celebrating this year, be sure to have a safe and happy holiday season!

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