It`s crunch time. The holidays are almost here, and even the most optimistic procrastinators are starting to sing the ”so much to do, so little time to do it” blues. But, as the following suggestions, assembled in no particular order, point out, there`s really no need to panic . . . at least for another day or two.
Shipping
Santa schedules all his deliveries for Christmas Eve, but ordinary mortals can`t wait quite that long. Federal Express (800-238-5355) guarantees delivery on Christmas Eve for packages mailed as late as Dec. 23, provided their destination is within the continental United States. The company`s O`Hare Cargo Area Road (Building 611) office is open weekdays until 10 p.m., while the facility at 1200 Devon Ave. is open until 9 p.m. on weekdays and 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Pickup service is also available. Call for additional information.
United Parcel Service (800-PICK-UP or 708-990-2900) offers both next-day and two-day air service, excluding non-business days. Saturday delivery is available for a $10 surcharge. Packages sent by surface transportation take from one to five days to reach destinations in the continental United States. Pickup service is available. Call for additional information.
The United States Postal Service recommends using either Priority or Express Mail to guarantee delivery in the continental United States by Christmas. Packages sent by Express Mail are delivered to most destinations even on Christmas Day.
Entertaining
Parties are wonderful, carefree events, as long as you`re a guest. Harried hosts and hostesses need not despair, however; help is often just a phone call away. To The Rescue (312-951-0626) offers complete event planning up to Dec. 20. Staffing requests for everything from tuxedoed waiters and appropriately garbed chefs to carvers, bartenders and valets can be filled through Dec. 24. According to director of operations Vida O`Leary, the company has a round-the-clock answering service and specializes in filling requests just hours, or even minutes, before a party is scheduled to begin.
Carousel Linens (in Highwood; 708-432-8182) makes deliveries throughout the Chicago area and is open until noon on Dec. 24 for pickup. Various-sized tablecloths in more than 30 solid colors and myriad prints are stocked, along with skirts, squares, runners and chair covers.
Chafing dishes, coat racks, tables, chairs, dishes, electric ovens, punch bowls and fountains are just a few of the items available from Hall`s Rental Service (Lincolnwood; 708-982-9200). Pickups on Dec. 24 can be scheduled from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.; delivery service is available for larger orders. Centerpieces and flowers can be ordered from Heffernan Morgan (312-266-8177)
until noon on Dec. 23 for pickup or delivery before noon on the 24th. At Ronsley (312-649-0777), orders have to be placed by 7 p.m. on Dec. 23 for delivery or pickup before 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve. And all Frank`s Nursery and Crafts shops will be selling wreaths, trees and poinsettias until 10 p.m. on Dec. 23 and 4 p.m. on Dec. 24. Call 708-451-7280 for additional information.
Food
Chicago Caterers (312-975-8400) will do Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, provided you place the order by Dec. 23. A full-service caterer, the company also provides the staff necessary to serve the repast in style.
Local gourmet shops and grocery stores do everything from a full dinner to a single dish. If you`re planning on entertaining a large group, or if you have a specific menu in mind, it`s best to place your order as soon as possible, because the cutoff date, in some cases, is as early as Dec. 20. Items for last-minute pickup will be on hand right up until closing time on Christmas Eve, but, in many cases, quantities and selection will be limited.
Some possibilities include Mitchell Cobey Cuisine (312-944-3411);
Zambrana`s The Food Emporium (312-935-0200); Fresh Starts Restaurant and Bakery (Flossmoor, 708-957-7900); Spice `n Easy (Glen Ellyn, 708-858-0779);
Convito Italiano (Chicago and Wilmette, 312-464-0550, 312-943-2983 and 708-251-3654); Foodstuffs (Evanston, 708-328-7704 and Glencoe, 708-835-5105); A La Carte (Wilmette, 708-256-4102); Jewel Food Stores (call nearest store);
Dominick`s Finer Foods (call nearest store); and Sunset Foods (Northbrook, 708-272-7700, Highland Park, 708-432-5500, and Lake Forest, 708-234-8380).
Hanukkah
Hanukkah begins at sundown tomorrow, but there`s still time to pick up traditional items such as potato latkes (pancakes) and jelly-filled doughnuts (sufganiot). Large orders need to be placed several days in advance, so parties scheduled near the end of the eight-day holiday can be easily accommodated. All of the places mentioned below are kosher, with the exception of Foodstuffs.
Selig`s Deli (Highland Park, 708-831-5560) will have a good supply of latkes and doughnuts on hand throughout the holiday, along with brisket, turkey breast, deli trays and several kinds of chicken.
Orders for 50 or more latkes need to be placed one week in advance at Kosher Karry (Chicago, 312-973-4355), and at least one day`s notice is required for cooked foods or deli trays. Tel-Aviv Bakery (312-764-8877) and King David Kosher Bakery (Skokie, 708-677-4355) will be stocking doughnuts until the end of Hanukkah. And Foodstuffs (Evanston 708-328-7704, Glencoe 708-835-5105) plans to have latkes, homemade applesauce and other holiday fare available in both locations on Dec. 20.
Restaurants
If your idea of what to make for the holidays leans more toward reservations than turkey, this section is for you. Hotel restaurants are typically open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and many of them offer gala holiday menus.
Schedules at other restaurants vary, with most closed either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. A few possibilities are indicated below.
With the exception of Everest, The Original A-1 and Bub City, restaurants operated by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc. are open on Christmas Eve, but only Papagus Greek Taverna (312-642-8450), Bones (Lincolnwood, 708-677-3350) and the Pump Room (312-266-0360) are open on Christmas Day.
Of The Levy Restaurants, only Bistro 110 (312-266-3110), Blackhawk Lodge
(312-280-4080) and D.B. Kaplan`s Delicatessen (312-280-2700) are open Christmas Eve. All of the restaurants are closed on Christmas Day.
Szechwan House (312-642-3900), Little Szechwan (312-472-0001) and Szechwan North (Glenview, 708-272-0007) are open Christmas Eve and for dinner on Christmas Day. T`ang Dynasty (312-664-8688) and House of Hunan (Schaumburg, 708-605-1155) will also serve lunch on Christmas Day.
Gordon (312-467-9780) is closed on Christmas Eve and open for Christmas dinner; Mareva`s (312-227-4000), on the other hand, is serving a traditional, Polish Wigilia dinner on Christmas Eve and is closed on Christmas Day.
Special prix-fixe Christmas Eve menus will be available at both Le Francais (Wheeling, 708-541-7470) and Le Mikado (312-280-8611); the restaurants are closed on Christmas Day. Following a similar schedule is The 95th (312-787-9596), Yoshi`s Cafe (312-248-6160), Jimmy`s Place (312-539-2999) and Giovanni`s (Berwyn 708-795-7171).
Yvette (312-280-1700) is doing its regular a la carte menu on Christmas Eve and a special menu featuring either pheasant or turkey on Christmas Day. Carson`s The Place for Ribs (312-CARSONS) is also open both days, although the Skokie location now does carry-out only.
In a slightly different vein, the Westin Hotel (312-943-7200) is doing a champagne promotion in both its Lion Bar and Chelsea Restaurant.
Family Activities
In addition to the various holiday-oriented activities being offered throughout the area, two new theme parks have opened just in time for the Christmas season.
Fangalangus Island at Hollywood Park (Crestwood, 708-389-7275) bills itself as the ”world`s first interactive children`s playland.” Completely enclosed, the 3,000-square-foot theatrical setting gives children 2 to 12 an opportunity to experience firsthand situations similar to those they`ve seen on television.
Discovery Zone (Villa Park, 708-833-4FUN), an indoor fun fitness center, is also geared to children under 12. Located in the Villa Oakes Shopping Mall, the 12,000-square-foot facility encourages physical activity with specially designed equipment like human-sized gerbil tunnels and a challenging obstacle course.
Kohl Children`s Museum (Wilmette, 708-2561-6056) has scheduled Hanukkah activities on Dec. 18, 19 and 20 and Christmas activities on Dec. 22 and 23. Call for additional information. Holiday programs at Chicago Children`s Museum (312-527-1000) include a Winter Toddler Warm-Up (pre-registration required)
and an ongoing Gingerbread Fest featuring workshops led by Chicago area pastry chefs.
The Spertus Museum of Judaica is doing several Hanukkah programs. Children as young as 4 will be entertained by ”The Runaway Latke” puppet show slated for two performances on Dec. 20. Also taking place on the same day is a craft workshop for children and their grandparents. And on Dec. 25, The Yiddish Arts Ensemble will present three English-language performances of
”Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins.” To purchase tickets in advance, call 312-922-9012, ext. 248.
Uncle Moishy and his Mitzvah Men are slated to perform on Dec. 20 at the Mather High School Auditorium. For additional information, contact Lubavitch- Chabad of Illinois (312-262-2770). Earlier in the day, the group will perform at Wheeling High School. Contact Lubavitch-Chabad of Buffalo Grove
(708-808-7770) for information. Mayer Kaplan Jewish Community Center
(Skokie, 708-675-2200) is hosting a family Hanukkah party on Dec. 21, while the Northwest Suburban Jewish Community Center (Buffalo Grove, 708-392-7411)
is presenting an English-language performance of ”Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins” preceded by dinner.
Melange restaurant (Northfield, 708-501-5070) is doing a special, reservation-only ”Breakfast with Santa” from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Dec. 19. And as part of the Long Grove Countryside Christmas Celebration, the Village Tavern
(Long Grove, 708-634-3117) has scheduled ”Lunch with Santa” on Dec. 22 and 23. There are three seatings each day, and reservations are recommended.
The Ritz-Carlton (Chicago, 312-266-1000) is hosting a ”Holiday English Tea” on Dec. 19 in conjunction with The Children`s Spoon etiquette program. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to UNICEF`s worldwide effort on behalf of children suffering from AIDS.
Half-price tickets are available for children under 12 for all performances of ”Gilligan`s Island: The Musical” at the Organic Theater
(312-327-5588), and tickets for Sunday performances of ”On the Way Home”
at the Halsted Theatre (312-348-0110) for children under 14 are $7.50 with the purchase of an adult ticket.
”Street Carols,” a Christmas concert featuring Stormy Weather, Jerry Butler and Ronnie Spector, is scheduled for Dec. 19 at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Ind. (219-769-6600 and 312-734-7266). At the Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre (Lincolnshire, 708-634-0200), performances of both
”Heidi” and ”The Sound of Music” are scheduled throughout the holiday season.
Emergencies
According to Murphy`s Law, everything that can happen, will happen, even on the holidays. All of the companies listed below make service calls on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
V.J. Killian Co. (Winnetka, 708-446-0908) has 24-hour emergency service for both heating and plumbing. The company takes calls in both the north and northwest suburbs. Hill Mechanical (312-929-6600) also does heating and plumbing. According to office manager Emmanuel Lacson, the company serves clients throughout the Chicagoland area.
Ron`s Towing Service (312-421-1616) takes calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Owner Ron Hochberg says the company will go anywhere in the Chicago area to accommodate its customers.
Twenty-five Walgreens stores in the Chicago area are open 24 hours a day, and all of them will be filling prescriptions on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For the location nearest you, call 800-WALGREENS. The Osco Drug store at 3101 N. Clark St. (Chicago, 312-477-1967) fills prescriptions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In addition, five other Osco locations will be filling prescriptions on Christmas Day. Call 800-654-OSCO for the nearest location.
