Holiday Traditions – Christmas Eve At Butch McGuire’s, Chicago.
When my good friend Laura from Duke Manor Farm asked if I was interested in participating in a holiday tradition blog hop, I was all in. Because my holidays are chock full of long-standing traditions …
right?
That’s what I thought … right on up until I really started to think about it. 😉
I mean, it’s not like there aren’t things we do every year. The tree. The decorations. The Toll House cookies. The new ornaments for the kids in their stockings. The big extended family Christmas day get together.
But as I thought about it some more, do any of those things fall on the spectrum of a holiday tradition?
I guess I was looking for something big. Something different. Something uniquely unique.
And, dare I dream, something magical?
And as I thought some more, I realized many of our family traditions have changed and morphed over the years. As I age. And as the kids age.
One of the earliest Christmas traditions I remember from my youth … back when I was still a believer … was that Santa didn’t just bring presents. He brought the tree too. And the lights. And the ornaments. And he decorated it.
I know, right?
Just imagine going to sleep with sugar plums dancing in your head on Christmas eve, and waking on Christmas morning to the sight of a fully decorated tree with presents underneath.
Magical.
Sadly that tradition ended once I stopped believing.
I even tried to recreate that magic for my kids. Well, not the tree from Santa thing. But for a few years I would decorate the house while they were at school. Hoping that returning home to a decorated house would offer some magic.
Honestly, I’m not sure it really worked.
And just when I was ready to throw in the towel on this whole holiday traditions thing, I remembered one …
Butch McGuire’s.
On Christmas eve.
Brunch at Butch McGuire’s on Division Street in Chicago on Christmas eve! That’s my holiday tradition!
With our friends Steve and Carol. And our kids. And anyone else who happens to be in town visiting either of us for Christmas.
We started this annual Butch McGuire’s Christmas eve brunch tradition 20+ years ago. And we haven’t missed a single year.
Oh, and we chose Butch’s as our Christmas even holiday tradition because of this …
and this …
and this ….
and this.
Magical!
P.S. A second part of the magic of Christmas Eve brunch at Butch’s is the drive down Division Street in The Gold Coast and seeing how those stately old brick and brownstone homes deck the halls for the holidays. Hence all the pictures of stately brick and brownstone homes. 🙂
For even more magical holiday traditions, check out the traditions from my blogging friends:
It All Started With Paint Our Southern Home Confessions of a Serial DIY’er
In My Own Style Kelly Elko Town and Country Living Artsy Chicks Rule
Duke Manor Farm Cassie Bustamante Savvy Southern Style
Sharing: Savvy Southern Style |
that sounds awesome! we used to always go out to dinner on christmas eve but once we had babies that changed… i wrote also about how some traditions change as kids grow, but you know what? it’s ok! it’s all about being with your family and not forcing things that don’t work anymore.
So true! And soon your traditions are going to change again!!! And now your kids can be in on the surprises too. How fun! 🙂
Oh, Linda! Now I have to make a trip to Butch McGuire’s and Division Street before Christmas arrives!! The decorations inside Butch’s reminds me of the scene in the movie Elf when he decorates the entire place in one night for Santa’s arrival. I love your tradition and I’m sending this post to all my kids to see if they want to join hubby and me when we make the trek to the city. I love walking residential streets in Chicago – so much history and interesting architecture! So glad you’re on today’s hop!
I highly recommend at stop at Butch’s! And, yes, it does remind me of Elf … on steroids! 🙂
I worked and had days off int he week when the children were small. I always decorated most of the house while the children were at school for all of the holidays – they told me that was one of the best things they remember – the home would transform in a day. Crockpot meal in and out came bins.
I should probably ask my kids if they remembered those years when I would decorate while they were in school! Perhaps they hold fond memories of those days too? Now my daughter loves that I put up three trees and lots and lots of indoor twinkle lights! 🙂
Butch McGuire’s looks like a fun place! We also love driving around at night looking at the holiday lights everyone has put on their homes. And, we do the pickle thing, too…such fun. Especially as boys grow into men…and scramble for a little pickle….there’s a lot of ornament shaking! 😉
I honestly did not know about the pickle tradition. And now I need to get my head out of the hide-the-pickle gutter! 🙂
Oh my goodness, what a fun place to celebrate in! I love it…and all the other photos, lovely! xo
Thank you! It really is a great place to get in the holiday spirit! 🙂
What a fun tradition meeting at that cool place for brunch with your friends. That ceiling is awesome!
Merry Christmas!!
Thanks Kim! And I forgot to mention the delicious bloody Mary’s we enjoy there too! Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family! 🙂
You brought a smile to my face…This is a place that holds wonderful memories. Thanks for the bringing a memory of my home town
Happy to help! Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas! 🙂
What an awesome place – Merry Christmas!
And you would love the bloody Mary’s! Merry Christmas to you and your family! 🙂
Linda, I enjoyed this post so much! What a treat! Thanks for sharing your (very unique) holiday tradition and gorgeous photographs. Twenty years is really saying something about how special this annual event is for you. As my husband and I grow older we find it’s all about the memories we make with friends and family, not about the stuff. I can’t wait to share this with him when he gets home tonight. He’s going to love it! Happy Holidays!
Thanks Laurel! So lovely to see you here!!! And too true about how making memories is so much more important than things! 🙂
oh, i wanna have a christmas cocktail with you at Butches! your city is just beautiful. I love the 20 year tradition that you have. Cheers and merry christmas !
A cocktail at Butch’s would be a fabulous time with you, my friend! Thanks so much for putting this traditions blog hop together!! Such fun! 🙂
That’s an awesome tradition! I love how they go all out with decorations! Love all the fresh greenery around town too! XO
Thanks!
Carol here of the Steve-and-Carol-Butches-tradition and I would like to add that our kids, now almost all of them grown and living in different parts of the country, look forward to this tradition as much as we do – as do the additions to our family!
This is very true! 🙂
Wow, would love to spend an afternoon at that place! It looks like a perfect place for a yearly holiday tradition!
Hi Linda,
Butch’s looks like great fun! I just LOVE the story you told about waking up to a fully decorated tree with presents. Your parents must have been exhausted Christmas morning, but what an amazing thing to do for your children. It should be a Hallmark Christmas movie! Merry Christmas my dear!
My son and his wife moved to Chicago just a few months ago – and they just love it! I read your post and texted them immediately to tell them about Butch’s. They’ve already been there! They sent me a little video they took of the train, lights, etc. They did want to know what part of Division St. you drove down to see the different houses that were decorated. He said Divison St. is pretty long so he wondered where exactly you were referring to. Thanks for sharing. It was fun to tell him about something new for them to go and see.
What a coincidence! The strip of Division street where I took those pictures is a little strip of Division (about 2-3 blocks) heading east from Butch’s towards the lake and Lake Shore Drive. Merry Christmas! 🙂
My, oh, my! I’m ready to hop on a plane and head to Chicago. What a magical bar/restaurant. I bet the kids look forward to that every year. That’s the perfect tradition. Kudos to your parents to decorating the tree on Christmas Eve from Santa! That’s truly amazing! Merry Christmas! XO
I would love to meet up with you at Butch’s and toast the holidays with a delicious Bloody Mary! 🙂
Hi Linda – Like your, when I was a kid Santa brought the tree and decorated it so when we woke up on Christmas morning it was magical. Once we knew who Santa really was that stopped and my parents decorated the tree in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Thanks for sharing your traditions…Brings back fond memories. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas.
Oh wow! I finally found someone who had that same childhood tradition! Whenever I mention it, people give me a blank stare! 🙂 Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
May I just say your pictures are absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing Chicago with us.
Merry Christmas, I hope you and your family enjoy many more years gathering at Butch’s!
Thank you so much!! You just made my day! 🙂