Tag: chicago

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Chicago’s Christkindlmarket

Flat Stanlina and I headed to the very middle of downtown. Daley Plaza is a large open space in the middle of downtown, named for one of Chicago’s long time mayors, Richard J. Daley. A statue by the famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso stands in the middle. Flat Stanlina asked me what the statue was. I told her I think Mr. Picasso wanted each person to decide because named his statue “Untitled.”

But at this time of year the Picasso statue has a lot of company. (There’s the statue on the left in the picture below.) We were going to Daley Plaza to see the Christkindlmarket! (It’s pronounced like Chris-kindle-market. That’s the German spelling.)

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The great thing about Chicago is the many different groups of immigrants who have made Chicago their home over the years. Each group brings their own traditions, food, religions, languages and customs.

One group that immigrated to Chicago was the Germans. The Germans brought their tradition of an outdoor Christmas Market to Chicago. It is called the Chriskindlmarket, and it is run by the city. Continue reading “Chicago’s Christkindlmarket”

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Bundle up for the Cold Chicago Chill!

When Flat Stanlina arrived, she was very excited to explore Chicago, but she was not prepared for the cold weather! All she packed was a very pretty sundress! Great for southern California or Chicago in summertime, but not wintertime! Poor Flat Stanlina was shivering when she came out of her envelope.

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“Why is it so cold?” Well, Flat Stanlina, that is a question I ask myself almost every day around this time of year. Continue reading “Bundle up for the Cold Chicago Chill!”

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Flat Stanlina Visits Chicago in December

A few months ago, our family friend Christine, who lives in Southern California, asked me if I’d be willing to host a young friend in Chicago named Flat Stanley. Before Christine asked me to do this, I had no idea who or what Flat Stanley is.

Christine’s young daughter, Naomi, is in third grade in Southern California. Naomi sent me her Flat Stanlina to Chicago.

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Flat Stanley is a project helps young people learn about the world. The story goes that a kid named Stanley was flattened by a falling bulletin board. Don’t worry, he wasn’t hurt! He’s able to do something very cool now as a result. He can visit all the places of the world very easily. His parents place Flat Stanley in an envelope, carefully addressed and with proper postage to friends across the world. He records his adventures in a small journal. Continue reading “Flat Stanlina Visits Chicago in December”