Steady Mobbin': Best Trip Home for Christmas of 2014

Here is my report on going home to Chicago for Christmas. In it you will hardly see anything having to do with Christmas and you will not see any pictures of me. It's just one of those kinds of Christmas reports.

I flew home to Chicago late the night before the night before Christmas Eve. Mom picked me up from Midway and took me straight to El Asador for some tacos. I had more than two.

At the restaurant I picked up this flyer for a Lucha Libre event coming up in Cicero. This is a very serious lineup...I saw Octagon and Mascara Sagrada wrestle in Mexico City. Fuerza Gerrera and Lizmark are big names, too.

Then on the day before Christmas Eve I had my teeth cleaned. And after that Mom and I went to Gene's & Jude's, a hot dog place I've been driving by since I was a kid. It was time to finally try it.

Lunchtime rush line was in full effect.

But there were a lot of articles declaring Gene's & Jude's's best-ness to read while you waited.

And hot dog artwork.

Every order is personally handled by the person you order from. They see your caddy full of hot dogs through from start to finish.

Here's a Gene's & Jude's hotdog with the french fries taken off of it.

At home: Our Eagle sits on its perch once more.

Then on Christmas Eve it was time to eat at one of the best restaurants in the world...

Johnnie's!

Italian Beef and Sausage Combo with Hot Peppers. This is the realness.

Christmas Eve night we went down to the Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago for their Christmas service. We've done this two years in a row now so I guess it's a family tradition.

My title for this photo is "No, Actually I Was Taking a Creeper Photo of That Other Woman"

Christmas Eve Dinner? Make your own tacos and taco salads and quesadillas and such! Perfect!

And then it was Christmas morning. We didn't go downstairs until almost 10! Everyone is growing up.

For Christmas dinner I captained the cooking of Korean Tacos, Cauliflower Tacos, Ma Po Tofu Chilidogs, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Ginger Scallion Noodles, Roasted Corn in Miso Butter, Bacon Rice Cakes and...hmm, I think there was something else. Oh yeah! Smacked Cucumbers!

The day after Christmas I went to the Garfield Conservatory with Mom, Emily and Owen.

And then we headed downtown

To check out the new Mrs. Daley park. They have a skating ribbon! It's not a rink, it's a path. Or more like it's a rink without the middle part of the rink where you can only go if you know how to do jumps.

No one even worries about girls with selfie sticks and if they're going to crash into you on the ice ribbon.

There's some very serious playgrounds there, too. This is the Slide Crater.

For dinner we ate at this ramen place. Uh. Ramen San?

Mild chicken wings.

Then I got lost at the Chicago Eataly but the rest of my family didn't.

And then we saw this great play, "Looking Glass Alice", at the Water Tower. I'd never been in the Water Tower before.

Next night: Las Fuentes for dinner!!

And HMS Pinafore with the family.

Audience and actors shared the stage. You just have to move if they tell you to. It's no big deal.

Costuming was Slumber Party themed. Lots of good slippers.

There's Greg.

I found an idea for a tattoo. Or just a decorating my apartment.

After church on Sunday all the kids that don't live in Chicago any more were like "Wow, did they make the parking lot bigger?" and the people that do live in Chicago were like "You already knew about this, it happened years ago."