Christmas in Chicago: History, Traditions and Fun Facts

Christmas History
Written by Kelsey Cecil

Last updated

The short version

Chicago has been celebrating Christmas in big, bright, cozy ways for well over a century. Long ago, Christmas trees arrived by ship, and today Santa rides through the city on a twinkling train. Here is the story of how Chicago became one of America's most festive cities, plus traditions your family can still enjoy together.

Christmas Trees Arrived by Ship

More than 100 years ago, many Chicago families bought their Christmas trees from sailing ships. These schooners carried evergreens on Lake Michigan, and customers walked onto the boats at the Clark Street dock on the Chicago River to pick out a tree. One captain, Herman Schuenemann, was so loved that Chicago children called him "Captain Santa." In November 1912 his ship, the Rouse Simmons, left Thompson, Michigan, with close to 5,000 trees but never reached Chicago, most likely lost in a storm. His daughters kept the family tradition going by bringing trees in by railroad and selling them on river boats. Before long, trains and trucks brought trees to the city instead.[7]

Neighbors Sharing Christmas at Hull-House

In the early 1900s, Chicago was home to families who had come from many countries. At Hull-House, where Jane Addams and her fellow residents lived and worked, Christmas was a time to share. A 1911 article by Amalie Hannig, who directed the Hull-House Music School, described volunteers filling about 300 baskets with groceries, clothing and toys on the day before Christmas. That evening they carried small decorated trees to neighborhood homes. Children put on a Christmas play, and young people from many nationalities sang folk songs and carols together at a holiday concert, followed by supper beside a big decorated tree.[17]

The City Gets Its Own Christmas Tree

Chicago lit its first official Christmas tree in 1913. Mayor Carter Harrison Jr. lit a 35-foot spruce on Christmas Eve in Grant Park, near Monroe Street and Michigan Avenue. Starting in 1956, the city tree was built by joining several smaller trees together, and in 1966 it moved to Daley Plaza, where it stayed for decades. In 2015 the tree moved again, to Millennium Park, close to the ice skating rink. Today the city picks its tree from applications, and in 2025 a 68-foot Norway spruce from the Mason family of Glenview was chosen as the city's tree.[1][2][3][4][5]

Marshall Field's Windows and the Walnut Room Tree

For generations, a visit to the Marshall Field's department store on State Street was a Chicago holiday treat. The first mention of holiday decorations there came in 1907, when restaurant workers reportedly put up a small Christmas tree. By 1934 the store's tree stood 25 feet tall, and by the middle of the century a 45-foot tree rose in the Walnut Room restaurant. In 1944 window stylist John Moss began telling stories in the windows. In 1946, windows called "A Christmas Dream" introduced Uncle Mistletoe, a character dreamed up by designer Joanna Osborn. Aunt Holly joined him in 1948. The store became a Macy's after the 2005 season, and the Walnut Room tree tradition continues.[8][20][21]

Trees From Around the World

In 1942, during World War II, the Museum of Science and Industry put up a single Christmas tree to honor the Allied countries. Community groups decorated it, and a beloved tradition was born. That one tree grew into Christmas Around the World, an exhibit of more than 50 trees and displays, each decorated to show a different culture's holiday traditions. Volunteer groups from the Chicago area still help decorate them. In the middle stands a Grand Tree about 45 feet tall with more than 30,000 lights. Nearby, the Holidays of Light displays share celebrations such as Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa and Chinese New Year.[9][10]

A Market, a Holiday Train and a Festival of Lights

In 1992, CTA Blue Line workers decorated a train to deliver boxes of food to charities, and the CTA Holiday Train was born. Santa and his reindeer were first added in 1995, and passengers began riding in 1996. That same year, Ray Lotter of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest started the Christkindlmarket, inspired by the old Christmas market in Nuremberg, Germany. It opened at Pioneer Court and moved to Daley Plaza the next year at the invitation of Mayor Richard Daley. Meanwhile, the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival grew into a beloved kickoff to the season, reaching its 35th year in 2026.[11][12][13][15]

Trains at Christmas

All Aboard: Trains and Christmas in Chicago

Trains have been part of Chicago's Christmas for a long time. In the 1920s, when more than a million Chicago trees were decorated, eastern railroads, Great Lakes boats and trains from Michigan and Wisconsin delivered them, and a 40-foot flatcar could carry 2,000 to 3,000 small trees. In 1992, CTA Blue Line workers turned an out-of-service train into the first Holiday Train. Today families can still meet Santa on the rails. At the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Santa rides the Happy Holiday Railway, and at the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin he visits families aboard a 1950s trolley. Pullman National Historical Park honors the company that built railroad sleeping cars and held its first holiday light show in 2024. At the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, The Great Train Story runs trains from Seattle to Chicago, and the Chicago History Museum shows the locomotive Pioneer.[22][13][26][27][24][25][28][30]

Griffin Museum of Science and IndustryKids can watch up to 34 model trains run on The Great Train Story layout, then visit the Christmas Around the World trees.Visit the museum guide →Pullman National Historical ParkIt tells the story of the company that built railroad sleeping cars, and the factory site has held a holiday light show since 2024.Visit the museum guide →Chicago History MuseumFamilies can see Pioneer, the locomotive remembered as the first to run in Chicago, in its Chicago: Crossroads of America exhibition.Visit the museum guide →Illinois Railway MuseumIts Happy Holiday Railway is a roughly 40-minute ride with Santa on a historic train.Visit the museum guide →Fox River Trolley MuseumSanta's Trolley Express brings hot chocolate, a sing-along and a visit from Santa aboard a 1950s vintage trolley.Visit the museum guide →

🎄 Rally’s Chicago Christmas quiz

Five quick questions for the whole family. How much do you remember from this page?

Christmas traditions you can still enjoy in Chicago

  • Ride the CTA Holiday Train Each holiday season a train covered in lights rolls along Chicago's L lines while Santa and his reindeer wave from an open flatcar. In 2025 the tradition reached its 34th year.[13][14]
  • Visit the Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza This German-style Christmas market fills Daley Plaza with festive huts, and kids can say hello to the Christkind, the fairy-like figure the market is named after.[6][12]
  • See the City Christmas Tree in Millennium Park The official city tree stands near Michigan Avenue and Washington Street. In 2025 its lighting ceremony included music, fireworks and a countdown with Santa.[4][6]
  • Explore Christmas Around the World at the Museum of Science and Industry Families can wander among more than 50 trees decorated to show holiday traditions from many cultures, all gathered around a giant Grand Tree.[9][10]
  • Cheer at the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Mickey and Minnie Mouse lead a parade down Michigan Avenue as about one million lights glow on more than 200 trees, and the night ends with fireworks over the Chicago River. In 2026 the festival is on November 21.[15][16]
  • Stroll Through ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo The zoo sparkles with more than two million lights and over 100 light displays. The zoo began requiring tickets for most nights in 2020, so check its website before you go.[18][19]
Rally’s Chicago Christmas coloring sheet

Rally’s Chicago Christmas coloring sheet

Rally is looking out the train window at a Christmas tree. Print it free, color it in, and draw a present for Rally under the tree.

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See Christmas in Chicago this year

Upcoming family events from our Chicago guide, checked against each host.

Holiday lightsChristmas Around the World and Holidays of LightGriffin Museum of Science and Industry · ChicagoSaturday, November 7, 2026 Tree lightingTree Lighting and Cultural FestivalGriffin Museum of Science and Industry · ChicagoSaturday, November 7, 2026 Holiday lightsHoliday MagicBrookfield Zoo Chicago · BrookfieldThu November 19 and Fri January 1, 2026, 3 to 9 pm Holiday lightsZooLights Presented by Invesco and ComEdLincoln Park Zoo · ChicagoSaturday, November 21, 2026 to Sunday, January 3, 2027 (nightly per Choose Chicago listing), 4:30 to 9 pm

See all 13 Christmas events in Chicago →

Look inside the book

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Rally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, hand-painted in real watercolor. It makes a cozy bedtime story after a big day with Santa. Turn a few pages here.

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Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

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Questions parents ask

When did Chicago's Christmas tree tradition start?

Chicago's first official Christmas tree was lit in 1913. Mayor Carter Harrison Jr. lit a 35-foot spruce on Christmas Eve in Grant Park. The tradition has moved around the city since then, from Grant Park to Daley Plaza and now Millennium Park, and in 2025 a 68-foot Norway spruce from Glenview was chosen as the city's tree.[1][2][3][5]

Where is Chicago's official Christmas tree?

Chicago's official Christmas tree has stood in Millennium Park, near Michigan Avenue and Washington Street, since 2015. Before that it stood in Daley Plaza, where it moved in 1966 and stayed for decades. In 2025 its lighting ceremony included music, fireworks and a countdown with Santa, which makes it a fun evening for little ones who love sparkly things.[2][3][4][6]

When did the Christkindlmarket start in Chicago?

The Christkindlmarket began in 1996 at Pioneer Court and moved to Daley Plaza the following year at the invitation of Mayor Richard Daley. Ray Lotter of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest started it, inspired by the old Christmas market in Nuremberg, Germany. Today it fills Daley Plaza with festive huts.[11][12]

Does Santa ride the CTA Holiday Train?

Yes, Santa and his reindeer ride on an open flatcar of the CTA Holiday Train and wave to families along the L. They were first added in 1995, and in the early days a CTA employee played Santa, though CTA officials now say the rider is the real Santa Claus. It is a nice story to share with curious kids.[13][14]

How did the CTA Holiday Train begin?

The CTA Holiday Train began in 1992, when Blue Line rail maintenance workers decorated an out-of-service train to deliver food to charities. About 50 boxes of food went out that first year, and the train now delivers more than 600 boxes each season. It began carrying riders in 1996, after people noticed it parked on an overpass. It is a sweet story about neighbors helping neighbors.[13]

Why did Chicago kids call a ship captain "Captain Santa"?

Captain Herman Schuenemann earned the nickname because his schooner brought Christmas trees to Chicago from Michigan. Families climbed aboard his ship at the Clark Street dock on the Chicago River to pick out a tree, and he was so loved that children called him Captain Santa. In November 1912 his ship, the Rouse Simmons, left Thompson, Michigan, with close to 5,000 trees.[7]

How do I explain the Christmas tree ships to young kids?

Tell young kids that long ago, boats worked like delivery trucks for Christmas trees. Schooners carried evergreens across Lake Michigan, and families walked onto the boats at the Clark Street dock to choose one. Later, trains and trucks took over. If your child asks about Captain Schuenemann, you can gently say his ship was most likely lost in a storm in 1912, and his daughters kept the tradition going.[7]

Who is the Christkind at Chicago's Christmas market?

The Christkind is the fairy-like figure that the Chicago Christkindlmarket is named after. You can tell kids she is a gentle Christmas helper from the German market tradition, since the market was inspired by the old Christmas market in Nuremberg, Germany. At the Daley Plaza market, children can say hello to the Christkind in person.[6][11][12]

Who were Uncle Mistletoe and Aunt Holly?

Uncle Mistletoe and Aunt Holly were friendly characters in the Christmas windows at Marshall Field's on State Street. Uncle Mistletoe first appeared in 1946 in windows called "A Christmas Dream", dreamed up by designer Joanna Osborn, and Aunt Holly joined him in 1948. Window stylist John Moss had started telling stories in the store windows in 1944.[8][20][21]

What is the Walnut Room Christmas tree in Chicago?

The Walnut Room tree is the giant Christmas tree in the restaurant of the famous State Street department store once called Marshall Field's. By the middle of the last century it rose about 45 feet, and the tradition continues even though the store became a Macy's after the 2005 season. Earlier, in 1907, restaurant workers reportedly put up a small tree there.[8][20][21]

What is Christmas Around the World at the Museum of Science and Industry?

It is a museum exhibit of more than 50 trees and displays, each decorated to show a different culture's holiday traditions. It began in 1942, during World War II, with a single tree honoring the Allied countries. A Grand Tree about 45 feet tall with more than 30,000 lights stands in the middle, and volunteer groups from the Chicago area still help decorate it.[9][10]

When is the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival?

In 2026 the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival is on November 21, and it is Chicago's big kickoff to the holiday season. Mickey and Minnie Mouse lead a parade down Michigan Avenue, about one million lights glow on more than 200 trees, and fireworks light up the sky over the Chicago River. The festival reaches its 35th year in 2026.[15][16]

How did Hull-House celebrate Christmas in the early 1900s?

Neighbors from many countries shared Christmas together at Hull-House. A 1911 article describes volunteers filling about 300 baskets with groceries, clothing and toys the day before Christmas, then carrying small decorated trees to neighborhood homes. Children put on a Christmas play, and young people sang folk songs and carols together at a holiday concert. It is a lovely way to show kids that Christmas is about sharing.[17]

Where can kids see a giant Christmas tree in Chicago?

Kids can see two giant trees with real Chicago history behind them. The city's official tree in Millennium Park was a 68-foot Norway spruce from Glenview in 2025, and the Museum of Science and Industry has a Grand Tree about 45 feet tall with more than 30,000 lights. For dates, tickets and what is happening this year, see our Chicago Christmas events guide.[5][9][10]

Is there a Christmas market in Chicago?

Yes, Chicago has a famous Christmas market, the Christkindlmarket, which began in 1996 and now fills Daley Plaza with festive huts. It was inspired by the old Christmas market in Nuremberg, Germany, and kids can say hello to the Christkind there. For current dates and hours, see our Chicago Christmas events guide.[6][11][12]

Did trains bring Christmas trees to Chicago?

Yes, trains helped bring Christmas trees to Chicago. In the 1920s, trees came by eastern railroads, Great Lakes boats and trains from Michigan and Wisconsin, and one 40-foot flatcar could carry 2,000 to 3,000 small trees. Captain Schuenemann's daughters also brought trees in by railroad. Across the country, trucks took over most of the tree business in the 1970s.[7][22]

Can kids meet Santa on a vintage train near Chicago?

Yes, families near Chicago can meet Santa on historic rails. At the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, the Happy Holiday Railway is a roughly 40-minute train ride with Santa, and Mrs. Claus waits in a heated tent. The Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin runs Santa's Trolley Express on a 1950s vintage trolley. See our Chicago Christmas events guide for current schedules.[26][27]

Why do families visit Pullman National Historical Park at Christmas?

Pullman National Historical Park honors the Pullman Palace Car Company, founded in 1867 to build railroad sleeping cars, and the planned community built beside its factory starting in 1880. At Christmas 2024 the park held its first holiday light show, with over 10,000 lights on the factory site, plus a holiday display of six vintage model trains. Train fans of any age can enjoy the history.[23][24][25]

Where can kids learn about Chicago's railroad history?

Two Chicago museums show kids real railroad history. At the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, The Great Train Story, which opened in 2002, runs up to 34 trains on a 3,500-square-foot layout following a 2,206-mile trip from Seattle to Chicago. At the Chicago History Museum, the locomotive Pioneer, remembered as the first to run in Chicago in 1848, is displayed in the Chicago: Crossroads of America exhibition.[28][30][31]

What are ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo?

ZooLights is a winter light show at Lincoln Park Zoo with more than two million lights and over 100 light displays. Tickets have been required for most nights since 2020, so check the zoo's website before you go. For this year's dates and prices, see our Chicago Christmas events guide.[18][19]

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, hand-painted in real watercolor by Leslie Dunn. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

Keep exploring Christmas with Rally

Sources

Every fact on this page was checked against the sources below.

  1. The History Of The Official Chicago Christmas Tree, CBS News Chicago
  2. City's Official Christmas Tree Will Be Moving To Millennium Park, CBS News Chicago
  3. The City's Official Christmas Tree Is Moving To Millennium Park, Chicagoist
  4. City of Chicago Christmas Tree, City of Chicago, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
  5. Glenview Norway Spruce chosen as official Chicago Christmas tree to light up Millennium Park, ABC7 Chicago
  6. Chicago Christmas Tree lights up Millennium Park, Christkindlmarket opens as holiday fun begins, ABC7 Chicago
  7. The Christmas Tree Ships, WBEZ Chicago
  8. Christmas at Marshall Field's, The Saturday Evening Post
  9. Discover Christmas Trees and Christmas Traditions From Around the World, WFMT
  10. Christmas Around the World Opens at MSI, Chicago Defender
  11. 1996: When and How it All Started, Christkindlmarket Chicago
  12. History of Chicago Loop's Christkindlmarket, Chicago Loop Alliance (Loop Chicago)
  13. The history of the Chicago CTA holiday train, WBEZ Chicago (Curious City)
  14. CTA Holiday Train back for 34th year, WGN-TV
  15. Lights Festival History, The Magnificent Mile Association
  16. Magnificent Mile Lights Fest Marks 23rd Year, CBS News Chicago
  17. The Spirit of Christmas at Hull-House, Jane Addams Papers Project, Ramapo College of New Jersey
  18. Lincoln Park ZooLights and Its More Than Two Million Lights Are Back, WTTW
  19. ZooLights will return to Lincoln Park Zoo in November; tickets now required, CBS News Chicago
  20. Chicago Traditions: The Holiday Season, Loyola University Chicago
  21. For Generations of Chicagoans, Marshall Field's Meant Business and Christmas, Zocalo Public Square
  22. Five mind-blowing facts about Christmas and trains, Trains.com
  23. Pullman National Historical Park holiday model train exhibit, WGN-TV
  24. Pullman National Historical Park, Wikipedia
  25. Holiday light show at Pullman National Historical Park, CBS News Chicago
  26. Happy Holiday Railway, Illinois Railway Museum
  27. Santa's Trolley Express, Fox River Trolley Museum
  28. The Great Train Story, Wikipedia
  29. CTA Celebrates Heritage Fleet Rail Cars' Centennial, Chicago Transit Authority
  30. The Pioneer: The Little Locomotive That Could, Chicago History Museum
  31. Chicago History Museum, Chicago History Museum
Kelsey Cecil
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