From uncovering the holiday’s 2,000-year-old origins to frying up golden potato pancakes, Geoffrey Baer does a deep dive into what makes Hanukkah, well, Hanukkah. 

From light shows to theater, themed bars and dance spectacles, there’s something for everyone to enjoy this holiday season. We’ve rounded up some of the season’s highlights in Chicago and the suburbs.

The movie, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and has since been nominated for several awards, is returning to theaters next week with screenings at the Gene Siskel Film Center on Dec. 23 and 28.

Sammy Sosa appeared to acknowledge using performance enhancing drugs during a career in which he hit more than 600 home runs, and the Chicago Cubs said they were ready to welcome back their former star.

He checked out the book in 1974 at the age of 13 because of his love of baseball. After discovering he still had the book a few years ago, Chuck Hildebrandt decided to hang onto it until the 50th anniversary of the due date to visit Warren, Michigan, and return it in person.

The holidays are hectic, so why not go eclectic? Here’s a wide-ranging shortlist of good bets for seasonal art, culture and discovery.

The new ballpark name comes after the mortgage company Guaranteed Rate, which has secured naming rights for the stadium since 2016, announced this summer that it would be rebranding to Rate.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

A federal appeals court left in place a mid-January deadline in a federal law requiring TikTok to be sold or face a ban in the United States, rejecting a request made by the company to halt enforcement until the Supreme Court reviews its challenge of the statute.

The Cubs are sending third baseman Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and Cam Smith, one of their top infield prospects, to the Astros for Tucker, who is eligible for free agency after the 2025 season.

After you’ve experienced Joffrey Ballet’s Chicago-style “The Nutcracker” and the Goodman Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol” multiple times… what to do? Here are five solid ideas — some reverent and timely, some not so much.

A federal judge in Texas rejected the auction sale of Alex Jones’ Infowars to The Onion satirical news outlet, criticizing the bidding for the conspiracy theory platform as flawed as well as how much money families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting stood to receive.

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

Forrest Claypool served twice as Richard M. Daley’s chief of staff and had a unique perspective on his leadership. Claypool is out now with a new book painting a behind-the-scenes portrait of Chicago’s longest serving mayor.

Ryne Sandberg was the National League MVP in 1984 and a 10-time All-Star during 15 seasons for the Cubs from 1982 to 1997, with 282 home runs and 344 stolen bases. After his playing career, he served as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 2013 to 2015.

In a first for the Field Museum, the exhibits staff has outfitted four of its dinosaur replicas (OK, three dinosaurs and one pterosaur) in Santa hats to celebrate the festive season.