CHICAGO (CBS) — For anyone who hasn’t yet made it to Christkindlmarket in downtown Daley Plaza, the clock is ticking.
The market closes its doors the evening before Christmas. The bustling shoulder-to-shoulder crowd that poured into the German Christmas market, snow or shine, will be gone, and not a single being will stir. Not even a mouse.
But that is not yet the case. On Sunday, the lines to enter Christkindlmarket were around Daley Plaza.
Customers and staff all said that Christkindlmarket was generally much busier this year than any year in the past. This is likely partly because the Wrigleyville Christkindlmarket was not held this year, leaving Daley Plaza as the only option in town.
Alyssa Wright and her family were among the many people who decided to stop by despite a noticeable chill on Sunday.
“We just left Block 37 and decided to come here,” Wright said.
They joined hundreds of people in line for this last Sunday of the market.
“It was nice, I mean, smooth. It was pretty good,” said Demi Ventura of Chicago, “and I guess it’s not that cold once you get used to it.”
Not everyone agreed with that sentiment. Many fled the cold to find hot chocolate or hot toddy.
Maddy Fisher and Murphy Jones decided to do just that, but found they couldn’t figure out where the line ended or began.
“It’s not certain if people will just sign up or if they’ll be in line for hot chocolate, so we’ll just go with the flow and see if we get in line or not,” Jones said.
Once they got their hands on that hot chocolate, there was one more mission.
“And grilled cheese,” Fisher said.
Ryan Aaronson from the northern suburbs also got his hands on some hot chocolate, creating new memories with loved ones.
“This is my second time here. The last time I was here I was very, very young. But I was a great memory,” Aaronson said. “I wanted to come back. I have my family and my girlfriend here. It’s a great experience.”
It was a great experience not only for the customers, but also for employees like Evan Herrington at the Sweet Swabian nut roasting facility.
“The weekends were very busy,” Herrington said. “During the week it was pretty average, but on the weekends it was quite busy.”
This Sunday was Herrington’s last day at the market: he served the Chicago roasted nut mix.
“It’s cinnamon sugar on pecans, almonds and cashews,” he said.
But what Herrington will miss most are the people as the market prepares to close and hibernate until November 2025.
“Everyone is so friendly,” Herrington said. “It’s vacation time. I just love talking to people. It’s great.”
Christkindlmarket remains open on Mondays and Tuesdays. The gates close at 8 p.m. both evenings.
