So You Don't Celebrate Christmas Today, What's Your Plan Instead

Whether for religious reasons or because of work, not everyone is celebrating the holiday today.

So You Don't Celebrate Christmas Today, What's Your Plan Instead

Whether for religious reasons or because of work, not everyone is celebrating the holiday today.

For those who don't celebrate Christmas today (or any day) Dec. 25 can still be a nice day. Almost everyone has the day off, so maybe you take advantage of that to spend the day with family and friends. Downtowns, parks and streets are usually empty, so perhaps you hit a favorite ethnic restaurant that's open or go for a quiet run or long walk.  For those working, the day often means visits from family bearing the gift of a home-cooked meal and the promise of a Christmas celebration on another day. What's your non-Christmas Christmas Day tradition?

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Des Plaines on YouTube

Des Plaines on YouTube: Christmas Lights

K-3 Lights in Bourbonnais has plans to make 16 community-specific videos of Christmas lighting displays this year; Des Plaines was included in the annual tour.

Three-dimensional, sparkling Santa Clauses, reindeer and snowmen take a temporary residence in the yards of Illinois residents during December, and add to one of the nation’s largest annual outdoor lighting displays. Admission is free; to enjoy, all that is required is a stroll around the block. But what if you can’t walk, or don’t want to walk, or you’re curled up on a couch with a mug of hot chocolate, your smartphone or computer, and you would rather click than walk. That’s where a small organization, K-3 Lights, approximately 76 miles south of Des Plaines, from Bourbonnais, IL, comes in. Shane Saathoff, 26, founded K-3 Lights to showcase his photography in 2009. Since then, K-3 Lights has grown into a tightly scheduled, annual tour. …

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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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What Is The Worst Christmas Gift You Received?

We’ve all been disappointed by a lousy Christmas gift, but it's the thought that counts, right? What was your's and what did you do with it?

Perhaps it made you feel sad, made you angry or maybe you really are someone who believes it's the thought that counts and you kept it — although maybe at the bottom of your closet. Did you re-gift it and make it a worst Christmas gift for someone else? Most of us have been disappointed in our lifetime by a Christmas gift that wasn't what we were hoping for — some stories are just worse than others. What was the worst Christmas gift you received, and what did you do with it? Add it in the comment section below. Find Patch on Facebook and click the like button.

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Where to Cut Your Own Christmas Tree

Patch put together a map of cut-your-own Christmas tree farms for the northern Chicago suburbs.

Are you one of the 21 percent of United States homes that have a real Christmas tree? That's the number of people that opt for the real deal, according to the University of Illinois Extension's Christmas Tree fact page, compared to 48 percent who chose to have an artificial tree. (The rest don't have a tree.) If so, then perhaps you're also part of the 21 percent of those with real trees who like to cut them down yourself at a tree farm. Patch has assembled this map of cut-your-own Christmas tree farms in the vicinity of the northern Chicago suburbs. Click on the pins for more information about the farm or move the map around and zoom in on an area near you. Happy chopping!

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Grocery Store Hours on Christmas Eve and Day

Roundup of holiday hours at Des Plaines markets.

Forget something? Many grocery stores in Des Plaines have shortened hours Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Here’s a roundup of some of them so you can get what you need before the dinner bell rings. Columbus Food Market 1651 Rand Road in Des Plaines 847-297-6660 Open Christmas Eve 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open Christmas Day 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dominick’s 1555 Lee St. in Des Plaines 847-299-5550 Open Christmas Eve 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Open Christmas Day, closed. El Valle Grocery Store 1703 E. Oakton St. in Des Plaines 847-827-8454 Open Christmas Eve 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open Christmas Day, closed. Earlier: Top 10 Christmas specials of all time. Jewel-Osco 819 Elmhurst Road in Des Plaines 847-956-1220 Open Christmas Eve 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. Open Christmas Day, …

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What's Open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Where to find what you need Dec. 24-25.

Maybe you need to buy that last-minute gift, or you ran out of wrapping paper. Perhaps you just couldn't bear spending another minute in the kitchen cooking and want someone to wait on you for a change. It will be hard to find your holiday needs on Christmas Day at major retail stores like Wal-Mart and Target as they'll be closed. However, with some extensive searching, we've found a number of places in Des Plaines that will be open Dec. 24-25. Your best bet for a one stop-shop on Christmas Day is Walgreens. All four of the Des Plaines store locations will be open both Dec. 24 and Dec. 25. Walgreens 1378 Miner St. 847-296-3958 Dec. 24: 8 a.m. - Midnight    Pharmacy: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Dec. 25: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.    Pharmacy: Closed 21 Rand Road …

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Emergency Presents: Walgreens can "Fix It"

A trip to Walgreens for an emergency present shockingly nets something genuinely useful.

I'm in love. Since Thanksgiving I've toured Des Plaines in search of cheap and easy presents for people you barely know. So far I've checked out K-Mart's pre-packaged gift options , Target's rack of interchangeable presents,  and taken a trip to the Dollar Store for those in search of presents for those of you too embarrassed to show up with something that has $10 proudly written on the box. This week, I visited Walgreens (which is open Christmas Eve) in search of a truly last minute $10 present. There's an entire wall of dubious horrors to choose from. "Bumpits," the hair accessory for people who are either moving to Texas or joining the cast of Jersey Shore. Hands free soap dispensers (Target and K-Mart offered these, too) for people who…

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Lisa Cisneros

12:21 am on Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas!   more ›

Top 10 Ways Santa Gets To Your House

Who needs a sleigh when these inflatable lawn Santa's can get to your house in anything from a Rocket to an RV?

We know Santa likes to move with the times. A sleigh is so 1889. We took a look at our local Home Depot, our nearby Lowes, and Amazon.com to find the top 10 ways inflatable Santa's get to your lawn.

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