You're Invited: The Twisted Toasty Extreme X-mas
Plus burr baskets, cannabis advent calendars, and more Netflix romcoms.
I don’t know about you, but I’m about ready for the holiday season to “officially” start. This fall has been more stressful than I’ve ever imagined (and adding a weekly newsletter to my list of other responsibilities certainly didn’t make things easier).
That’s partially what inspired this week’s lead story. My inbox began to get filled with press releases, emails, and invites to Chicago’s ever-growing list of holiday pop-up bars, which are often just a capitalist scam and an easy way to dive head first into the season. In this week’s edition of “The Christmas Cache,” I discuss a recent visit to one such bar and reminisce on my past experiences of holiday bars that got it right.
P.S.: I’m working on interviews and a photo roundup of trees from friends, family, and readers of “The Christmas Cache.” Interested in taking part? Share your thoughts with me in this quick survey.
Jack Frost’s Jingle Jangle Christmas Holiday Mega Extravaganza
They didn't have much - just a cold hot chocolate bar, a few passed-around appetizers, and a gaggle of influencers with portable vanity lights.
I'm talking about the latest "holiday pop-up" in Chicago. Over the past two weeks, I've been invited to many openings and media previews for the city's ever-growing list of holiday bars and pop-ups. But I declined most of them due to a jam-packed work schedule and a deep desire to catch up on "my shows."
However, earlier this week, my friend Rupa and I went to one of them (NOT the one pictured above). The results were... middling. No, embarrassing. Granted, this was a media preview, so they likely didn't want to pull out all the stops. But if this is what guests have to look forward to, even in an imagined elevated form, they will surely be disappointed.
How did it all go so wrong?
Well, quite easily.
Holiday pop-ups, bars, and "interactive experiences" have become a rich-in-price yet cheap-in-quality activity for elder zoomers and bored millennials. In lieu of authentic Christmas season activities or low-stakes fun, we've replaced them with hastily produced monstrosities that are neither festive nor fun.
I say this knowing I'm not immune to their surface-level charms. Last year, a friend and I went to one the day before Christmas Eve. It was more upscale than usual, taking place in the Waldorf Astoria. While there was little to show besides an abundance of Christmas trees, it was still magical. We played childhood board games, ate the best Parker House rolls ever, and left tipsy and dazzled.
That's because the holiday pop-up works best when the stakes are low.
Pre-pandemic, my favorite holiday pop-up in Chicago was at Fox Bar in Soho House. There were no crappy, overpriced sugar-bomb drinks, pre-paid tickets, or time limits for sitting. My friends and I could just claim a table, order snacks from the nearby Chicken Shop (RIP), and settle in for a cozy evening. The room, which I thought about throughout the year, was covered in dangling ornaments and garland. I loved it so much that it became the lead image for this newsletter in issue #1. It was overwhelming and beautiful in the best way - the kind of space you melt into and cherish for years to come. It was everything a holiday bar is supposed to be.
Part of that is probably because Fox Bar is always a bar. It's not some temporarily converted storefront in your local city's tourist district or an abandoned plot of land still struggling to find a real estate developer to build another monstrosity of a high-rise. No, it was everything a holiday bar is supposed to be because it is also everything a bar is supposed to be: unpretentious, dependable, and welcoming. Those sentiments easily translate to the holiday season.
I'm curious to see what's out there this year, including the pop-ups, one-offs, and money grabs. Maybe they're not all as disappointing as the one I visited earlier this week. (There's a Mariah Carey pop-up bar that I plan on trying post-Thanksgiving, if only because of my love for the singer.) Or maybe they're just a sign of the holiday sludge that has unfortunately taken the season by storm.
Local to the Chicago area and interested in visiting a pop-up? Here’s a round-up of this year’s offerings (not including the one I visited).
See
Three Wise Men and a Boy: I liked (but didn’t love) 2022’s Three Wise Men and a Baby, a riff on the film Three Men and a Baby, so I am moderately excited for the 2024 sequel. Premiering this Saturday, the film also includes Andrew Walker, aka Hallmark’s Glen Powell, so there’s that. And remembering the sequel, this follow-up is likely 1-2 steps above the usual composition of films from the network. 9pm, Hallmark Channel
A Wesley South African Christmas: I’m super excited to see BET (and BET+, where many of the network’s holiday films are landing) explore new locations for their Christmas films. This one joins the Wesley family as they head to South Africa. Now streaming, BET+
The Merry Gentleman: It seems like Netflix, which has been producing holiday romcoms for the last couple of years, has found a niche of their own—Christmas with a little spice. After last week’s Hot Frosty, they up the ante with this Britt Robertson and Chad Michael Murray-starring film, which focuses on our heroine staging an all-male Christmas revue to save her parents’ performing arts venue. Now streaming, Netflix
On a final note, I kind of, sort of loved Hot Frosty. Maybe it was because the townsfolk were all on board with the snowman-to-real-man concept. Maybe it was Lacey Chabert’s enduring charms. Maybe it was all of the shirtless shots. Who knows?
It may have snowed in many parts of the U.S. yesterday, but that doesn’t mean climate change isn’t real. In the Northeast, an ongoing drought has decimated the start of the Christmas tree season.
The Daily Mail has a tendency for hyperbole, so I don’t know if “joyless” Christmas trees are truly “all the rage” this year so much as they are a humbly growing trend that the paper wants to turn into rage bait.
First there were Easter baskets, which were rational and for children. Later, there were “boo baskets.” And now, apparently, there’s something called “burr baskets.” They’re filled with winter season favorites like cozy blankets and sweet-smelling candles. My question: Why are baskets always the chosen form for consumption? And perhaps more importantly, is this another sign of millennials’ inability to grow up?
I can’t believe this movie is real and not just a plot point for an episode of Entourage.
Advent of the Week
Looking for a last-minute advent calendar for the person in your life who needs to chill? Let me introduce you to the RISE Dispensary Cannabis Advent Calendar. Yes, you read that right. This calendar includes 12 “perfectly packed pre-rolls” and arrives in stores on December 5. I’ve got to say—this is by far the most “interesting” advent calendar I’ve heard about this year, really highlighting how the concept has grown and evolved in the U.S. I wonder what we’ll see next year. Available in-store only at RISE locations nationally.
Everything Else
Custom pet ornament: As my tastes continue to evolve, so too does my love of different types of ornaments. And this one is adorable. Get the pet owner in your life a custom pet ornament featuring an image of their beloved fur baby. It’s simple, sweet, and thoughtful—the perfect kind of gift. $63.75, Etsy
Grow Anywhere Calamondin Tree: This is the sort of impractical item that you’d never think to purchase for yourself, but becomes a delightful surprise when received as a gift. I can’t make any promises about how well they grow inside (especially during a Chicago winter), but it might be the sort of learning project your SAD friends would appreciate. $65, Uncommon Goods
And one final thought … until next time!
