5 playful gifts under $50
"Elsa, Elsa, Elsa." We can hear Santa sighing — but in his ho-ho-jovial way — as he scans yet another letter with the "Frozen" star at the top of the...
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Why parents should crack open kids’ tech gifts first
If tech devices will be under the tree on Christmas morning, parents would be wise to crack them open before the kids do. "A lot of tech toys say 'plug-and-play,'...
3 hotels pack holiday fun for families
Downtown Chicago hotels are stirring up holiday fun for families, no overnight stay required. Here are three that are decking their halls (and, in one case, an elevator) to offer...
Morton restaurant family restore mansion to former glory
An 1890s Tudor mansion with an interior decorator for an owner isn't the first place you'd picture a Ms. Pac-Man arcade game blinking in the living room and kids whizzing...
Hour of Code encourages kids to create, not just use, technology
This week kids in more than 150 countries will try their hand at computer programming as part of the Hour of Code initiative, designed to introduce children as young as...
Pantone’s color of the year: Marsala
Much of the fun of Pantone's color of the year announcement is seeing the personality traits ascribed to the winner, the way an oenophile might rhapsodize about a varietal, or...
The ugly Christmas sweater reaches a new level of tacky
Mulling over what to wear to your kids' holiday concert? You can make them as proud of you as you are of them, by donning gay apparel from Shinesty.com's treasury...
Johnnie-O label finds sweet spot between East and West Coast prep
For many years, John O'Donnell's fame came by association with actor and younger brother Chris O'Donnell ("NCIS: Los Angeles," "Grey's Anatomy, "Scent of a Woman"). Over the past decade, though,...
6 gifts for the too-cool-for-toys set
As kids age out of dolls and action figures, video games often pick up where vivid imaginations left off. We have nothing against a little Minecraft or Skylanders Trap Team....
Dylan’s Candy Bar opens for holiday sugar rush
It's like the Fun Size of openings: Dylan's Candy Bar has unlocked its doors and stocked some jars at 445 N. Michigan Ave., just in time for the Magnificent Mile...