Just in time for the holiday rush to get out of town, the city will light the official Christmas tree tomorrow at 5 p.m. more ›

Last week, President Obama and his family lit up the National Christmas Tree, a holiday tradition for the President. Joining the Obamas and the Bidens were a wide array of stars including Randy Jackson, Sheryl Crow, Jordin Sparks, and Chicago's own smooth crooner, Common. You can check out more photos here, read Obama's remarks here and watch video of his speech here. more ›

Phillip Menefee, 48, Portage, was arrested early Friday morning for allegedly stealing a Christmas tree while riding his bike home from a bar. Police were apparently looking for the source of a motor noise near the tree lot at U.S. 6 and Willowcreek Road, when they discovered Menefee balancing a fir tree on the handlebars of his bicycle. His bike had a homemade motor and no lights. more ›

It turns out that lovely Christmas tree that adorns Daley Plaza comes at quite a price. CBS2 calculated that the city spends over $300,000 to buy the tree and to pay the workers to create the frame and assemble the tree. The tree is actually made up of 113 small trees combined, unlike the single (privately-funded) tree that adorns Rockefeller Center in New York City, and it took workers six weeks to hoist the trees into position. more ›

There's nothing like tradition in the face of struggle. And in the midst of the current recession, one tradition that's going as strong as ever is the Christmas tree business. While families are scaling back and going with smaller, cheaper trees, sales are still steady across the board. John Tuttle, who runs the tree lot at St. Matthias School (Western and Ainslie), said, "Our sales are better than last year. I was shocked." As for us, we went cheap for the Chicagoist office Christmas tree this year, spending a paltry $25 on a slightly smaller, thinner but nonetheless awesome tree at Strack and Van Til. And don't forget, it's not too expensive to cut your own. more ›

During our rustic childhood, cutting down our own Christmas tree was a normal part of the holiday routine. Rather than going to a tree lot, we would troop out to a tree farm that looked a lot like a tree lot – rows and rows of identical, pre-tagged and measured trees. You marked the one you wanted, it was cut and brought to your car, and you drove it home. Fun, but not quite the slogging-through-the-snow Paul Bunyan adventure we wanted. more ›

For those that have their holiday shopping finished, the Music Box Theatre is rewarding you with several classic and modern movies about Christmas. more ›