Facing the Christmas Shopping Crunch

Stores will be open all night till Christmas Eve so go get that shopping done!

  No more procrastinating. There are only a few days left to get that Christmas shopping done. But it should be easier to finish up with special all night hours at several big store chains including Macy’s and Toys R Us. Both stores are open round the clock until Christmas Eve.  Area malls will have extended hours this weekend with only a few shopping days left. Woodfield Mall is open until 11 p.m. today. Mallseeker.com lists all malls in Illinois and their websites, which includes the hours. Stores like Kohl’s have extended hours, later than malls. Walmart and Meijer stores are open 24 hours. If the task seems too much, Macy’s personal shoppers are ready to help. Macy’s By Appointment is a free personal shopping service at many of its …

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The Foodie Gift Guide

A few gift ideas for the foodie in your life.

  Nothing says Merry Christmas like a fruitcake. But who likes fruitcake really? Especially since McHenry County offers lots of yummy treats from hand-dipped chocolate truffles to European sweets. Webster’s Unabridged Inc., a media relation agency that specializes in travel and tourism, put together this guide featuring McHenry County businesses with creative, culinary gift ideas:   La Petit Marche Crystal Lake 815-477-3296 www.petitmarche.biz Fans of this bakery, bistro and wine shop say it's "a touch of Europe in downtown Crystal Lake". Stop in for breakfast or lunch, and then buy some of the amazing breads, pastries and desserts to take home. Just two blocks from the Metra train station.   Morkes Chocolate Algonquin 847-458-8585 www.…

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Holiday Recipes: Cookies, Candy and More

Patch editors from across Chicagoland share some of their favorite Christmas recipes.

Patch.com editors from across the Chicago area dug into their cookbooks and came back with some of their favorite holiday recipes to share with readers. We hope you enjoy. Happy Holidays! Share your favorite holiday recipes with Patch! Send your recipe as well as any photos to Editor Amie Schaenzer at amie.schaenzer@patch.com and we will include your recipe in this article.

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Holiday Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Patch.com editors are sharing some of their favorite holiday recipes with readers.

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Easy, Yummy Recipe for Holiday Parties

Sweet and Sour Meatballs will be a hit at your holiday gatherings.

  Christmas dinner is our big event, a meal that tops the year with a perfect rib roast and the trimmings. Christmas Eve is more laid back in our family. We save ourselves for the Christmas Day dinner so we just have appetizers the night before. One of my family’s favorite is Sweet and Sour Meatball. The secret ingredient is grape jelly. It doesn’t sound appetizing yet is the tastiest you’d ever try. The meatballs can be homemade using any regular recipe or just buy a bag at your favorite grocery store. One of best meatballs I’ve tried with this recipe are from IKEA. It’s a super easy recipe and good for all holiday parties. Sweet and Sour Meatballs Ingredients: 1 ( 3 pounds) package of frozen meatballs or homemade meatballs 2 jars of …

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What’s the Chance of a White Christmas?

The Midwest is in a snow drought; check out stats that show probability of snow on Christmas.

It’s too early to look at weather models to predict whether or not the Chicago area will see a white Christmas this year, said Ed Fenelon, meteorologist for the National Weather Service, Chicago region. However, historically, the Chicago region has only a 45 percent chance of seeing a postcard snowy Christmas, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). What makes a Christmas white? The National Climatic Data Center defines a White Christmas as one with an inch or more of snow on the ground at 6 a.m. The last white Christmas in our region was in 2010, when 2-4 inches fell on Christmas Eve into Christmas day. Last Christmas saw a high temperature of 45 degrees, a low of 29 degrees and no precipitation. …

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Dan Arenov

11:08 am on Thursday, December 6, 2012

One thing for sure. If we don't have snow on Christmas, some people will attribute it to global warming...excuse me..man made climate change. If we get a blizzard on Christmas, some of these SAME people will attribute it to man made climate change. If it's really cold or unseasonably mild, these same people will attribute it to man made climate change. No matter what happens with the weather, …   more ›

Unique Christmas Gift Helps D-300 Students

Proceeds of Foundation Note Card Sale, in its 10th year, benefit District 300 Foundation.

Looking for a unique Christmas gift that can help others? The District 300 Foundation has the perfect idea. The Foundation Note Card Sale is going on now. The note cards, available in a set of 15 cards for %15, features the artwork of District 300 students. Foundation Trustees Diane Magerko and Patti Douglas worked with D300 art educators and their students to select artwork for the Foundation Note Card Sale.  This committee worked with Rohrer Graphics in Elmhurst to make this project come to life. The note cards fundraiser will benefit the Foundation’s grant program, in which District 300 educators apply for and are awarded grants to fund educational projects in D300 schools.  The D300 Foundation’s mission is to enhance and extend …

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Five Holiday Events in Algonquin, LITH in Coming Weeks

Lake in the Hills Festival of Trees, Algonquin's Holiday Rock on the Fox and more.

As Christmas quickly approaches, several family-friendly holiday events are scheduled in Algonquin and Lake in the Hills in the coming weeks. 

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Mom Wins $2,500 Shopping Spree in Algonquin Commons Raffle

Marilynn Lopez-Vega of Elgin plans to use some of her winnings to buy toys for children in need.

An Elgin mom is putting her family first after winning a $2,500 shopping spree from Algonquin Commons this past week.  Marilynn Lopez-Vega, 35, learned Monday she won the gift card through a raffle she entered while shopping during the early morning hours on Black Friday.  Her first purchase was for her two young girls, Sofia, 5, and Annalys, 2. The girls got two new Christmas dresses with “super glittery shoes.” “Then I went to Trader Joe’s for a couple things we needed. I didn’t want to go crazy,” she said.  Next up, she plans to buy several toys she will donate to the Algonquin Commons’ Toy for Tots campaign.  “This came as a complete surprised so I want to spend some of this money and give back to make other kids happy as well,” she …

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Holiday Rock on the Fox This Weekend in Algonquin

The event will feature the lighting of the Christmas Tree, a visit from Santa, a candy cane hunt and an ice sculpting demonstration.