Tick, tock. Don’t go into shock. The holiday countdown is here.
While we can’t personally do away with the family drama, gift anxiety or office party politics, we can offer you a holiday to-do list that’ll gently guide you into ’09 with minimal bruising.
Godspeed and good luck.
Thanksgiving
Ready your stomach for a turkey-day binge. Pick up a big turkey-off-the-bone sandwich ($8.75) — complete with cranberry sauce — from new River North spot Steve’s Deli (354 W. Hubbard St.).
Head to Todd’s Wine (1616 N. Damen Ave.) and pick up a bottle of Pedroncelli’s Mother Clone 2006 Zinfandel ($16), which owner Todd Brill says will pair beautifully with your turkey.
Snag tickets to Metromix’s Black Wednesday Pilgrimage, a Thanksgiving Eve bar crawl that starts and ends at Lotties Pub (1925 W. Cortland St.). $20. Tickets online: pilgrimage.eventbrite.com
Prepare for holiday party season and replace your sad winter coat with a new one from Connect (1330 N. Milwaukee Ave.), a recently opened Wicker Park shop stocking eco-friendly outerwear label Nau.
Hit the Blackest Black Wednesday bash at new Old Town hang Sully’s House (1501 N. Dayton St.), which offers $1 off dark beers and spirits with “black” in the title, plus screenings of “black” movies — such as “Men in Black” — on mute. Bar opens 11 a.m. Nov. 26. No cover.
Order your Thanksgiving bird ($2.39 per pound) and check out just-opened Bucktown butcher shop and deli Sterling Goss (1845 N. Oakley Ave. 773-342-7100). Orders must be placed by Sunday for Nov. 26 pickup.
Christmas
Guarantee your status as the party host with the most: Learn to make eggnog from Room 21 chef Daniel Tucker. 6 p.m. Dec. 4 and 11. $10; free if you stick around and buy dinner. (2110 S. Wabash Ave.)
See the warm but not sentimental family flick “Nothing Like the Holidays,” which was set and shot in Humboldt Park and stars Chicago native Freddy Rodriguez. It opens Dec. 12.
Kill two birds with one stone: Buy a pie and check “goodwill toward men” off your list at The Blue Sky Bakery (4749 N. Albany Ave. 773-478-2233), which employs homeless and at-risk youth. The shop is taking orders through Dec. 22 for its pies and sweets-filled gift baskets. Available for pickup or Christmas Eve delivery.
Have the girliest-sounding drink at the manliest-sounding bar: The Sugar Plum Martini ($12) at Butch McGuire’s (20 W. Division St.), which is always decked out for the holidays.
Buy your tickets for the all-day, always raucous 13th Annual 12 Bars of Christmas Pub Crawl (a.k.a. TBOX) Dec. 13 in Wrigleyville. $30. Tickets online: shopfesta.com/tbox
Grant yourself a holiday shopping reprieve by ducking into the Seasons Lounge inside the Four Seasons (120 E. Delaware Pl.), where you’ll find the staff actually roasting chestnuts in a bronze pan in the fireplace and serving them for free. Match them with an indulgent holiday cocktail like the white chocolate and peppermint Jack Frost Martini ($13).
Let The Chopping Block (4747 N. Lincoln Ave.) ease you through this year’s cookie-baking marathon during Bake ‘n’ Take cooking classes. Learn to prepare and bake rum balls, windowpane cookies, Creme de Menthe bars, ginger cookies and cranberry orange biscotti, and take home a dozen of each. 10 a.m. Dec. 19 and 20. $175.
R.S.V.P.: thechoppingblock.net
New Year’s Eve
Lock in the $100 rate when you buy your tickets before Thanksgivingfor Le Passage’s New Year’s Eve bash. New in ’09 hot spotsAngels & Kings and Vertigo are still planning their sure-to-be-big parties, but there’s a reason why the seasoned Le Passage (937 N. Rush St.) sells out every year by mid-December: They’ve got the holiday down to a science. Includes a premium open bar (9 p.m.-1 a.m.), buffet, champagne toast and favors. Tickets online: lepassage.com
Buy tickets to Holy F*** at Subterranean (2011 W. North Ave.). If this Canadian electronic outfit doesn’t get you moving, check your pulse. 10 p.m. Dec. 31. $30. Tickets online: ticketweb.com
Brush up on seasonally appropriate wines — and stock up on tipples for the New Year — at Just Grapes’ (560 W. Washington Blvd., Suite 100) annual holiday extravaganza (5:30 p.m. Dec. 3), featuring tastings of more than 40 wines with food pairings from West Loop neighborhood spots. Reservations recommended. $50-$60.
Ladies only: Browse the super-affordable sparkly accessories at Spoil Me in Wicker Park for the perfect glittery bag or big-statement earrings to ring in 2009.
Expand your mind, man, when psychedelic popsters The Dandy Warhols take the stage at Metro (3730 N. Clark St.) Tickets ($55-$65) go on sale noon Nov. 29: metrochicago.com
Cure your inevitable New Year’s Eve hangover at Moonshine (1824 W. Division St.), which offers a special Jan. 1 brunch menu with carb-heavy hangover helpers like cinnamon French toast ($7.50) and homemade corned beef and hash ($8.50).
