I’m so, so excited to finally post about a Chicago-specific activity for babies! I know there’s a ton of stuff in the city for kids, and highlighting that is a big part of the reason I wanted to start this blog. But the reality of being a mom to an infant has been a lot more watching the city out the window than it has been participating in these activities. But of course that will change as he gets older, and our adventure this past weekend was a great example of how much fun it’ll be to explore the city again through Hudson’s eyes.

As a shameless Christmas freak, getting a Santa pic was non-optional for Hudson’s first Christmas. But as a claustrophobic and slightly panicky new mom, the thought of taking Hudson to any of the local malls made me… claustrophobic and slightly panicky.

So imagine my delight when I came across Santa Saturdays at the Driehaus Museum while browsing SantaInChicago.com. (Thank you, whoever started that site!) My fingers were crossed that it was as ideal as it sounded: ticketed time slots so no crazy crowds, within walking distance, and a family portrait with Santa in a Chicago historical landmark.

I’m happy to report that it exceeded my expectations. The Driehaus Museum is a meticulously preserved home and example of 19th century architecture in Chicago. Not only do you get to tour the home and imagine life for the super-wealthy back then, but they also host complementary galleries in some of the rooms upstairs. I loved an exhibit featuring cover work and other illustrations from Puck, a satirical magazine from the early 1900’s.

The house was totally decked out for the holidays and there were carol singers in the lobby for the event, which Hudson loved and watched, drooling away and open-mouthed, for no less than 20 minutes.  Our tickets included a craft and storytime, both of which we skipped because Hudson still tops out at about 120 minutes of awake time right now and we wanted to get to the main event: SANTA!

Santa was charming, the set-up was beautiful and warm, there was no line, there were Christmas carolers, a great photographer… I mean, this is THE way to go. It all added up to Hudson totally nailing his first ever Santa picture, and our family portraits turned out pretty well, too! Big high-fives all around.

The only complication was that apparently 19th century homes weren’t built to accomodate Uppababy’s.  The staff graciously helped us get our stroller stashed away in a safe space when we arrived, and we ended up carrying our little tank up and down a bunch of flights of stairs. No disaster, but a carrier would have made things easier.

We’re already looking forward to going back next year when Hudson’s a little bigger for round two, and we’ll definitely be partaking in the cute crafts and storytime then. Jason and I paid $15 a piece and children under 2 are free. I consider that a steal, especially for the printed photos that they give you before you leave as a part of your ticket.

Also, a funny Hudson story from the day: I had the cutest little man outfit picked out for him. Sweater, plaid shirt, pants, and shoes. Our angel baby who rarely cries absolutely LOST his mind at the indignity of being forced to wear that getup, so after about 10 minutes of hysterical crying he was happily hanging out in his “My First Christmas” onesie. Santa said he liked that Hudson matched his suit, so maybe it all worked out as it should. But… anyone want an adorable outfit that we’ll apparently never be using? It’s all yours 🙂

See you next year, Santa!