Christmas, Hanukkah Events In Geneva: Parades, Tree Lighting, More

GENEVA, IL — There is no shortage of things to do in Geneva to get the winter holiday season off to a rollicking good start.

Christmas and Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, intersect this year, with Hanukkah running Dec. 18-26. Christmas, of course, is on Dec. 25, but you don’t have to wait to start taking in all the sights and sounds of the holidays.

In Geneva, there's no shortage of holiday happenings.

• Christmas Walk, Geneva's annual tradition that will start at 6 p.m. Dec. 2. The event features light displays, carolers, carriage rides, visits with Santa and more.
• Holiday House Tour, an annual event touring five architecturally unique houses decked out for the holidays. The event ends with traditional holiday tea at First Congregational Church, 327 Hamilton St.
• Cookie Walk, a Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva-hosted tradition that returns from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Dec. 2.
• Steeple Walk, bringing together four local churches as part of an architecture tour and holiday concert. The event takes place from 2-4:30 p.m. Dec. 4.
• 'Twas the Night Before Christmas: American Christmas Traditions, hosted by the Geneva Public Library from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Dec. 7.
• Holiday Public Skating, happening throughout December at Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva.

Plus, Christkindlmarket has landed in Aurora this season, making the commute to spend time at the traditional German market — with two locations in Chicago — much shorter. The market will be open through Dec. 24.

Christmas parades — often complete with Santa Claus, festively decorated floats and marching bands — are a holiday tradition, both nationally and locally.

Several big parades are taking place this year, including the Mayor’s Annual Christmas Parade in Baltimore City, Maryland, and the Christmas Boat Parade in Newport Beach, California.

Holiday lighting displays are another holiday favorite. Some to catch in Illinois are:

• Aurora Festival of Lights, open Nov. 25 through Dec. 25 at Phillips Park, 1000 Ray Moses Drive in Aurora.
• Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo, happening Nov. 30, Dec. 1-4, 7-11, 14-18 and 26-31.
• Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum, open Nov. 19 through Jan. 7.
• Light Up the Lake, an indoor light experience at Navy Pier, runs through Jan. 7. It features a skating rink, tree maze, visits with Santa and interactive light displays.