It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Chicago is the cutest city in the world during the holidays. There are the Christmas windows at the old Marshall Field's, outdoor ice skating rinks right on Michigan Avenue, free hot chocolate stands, lights everywhere, and carolers on every corner. And with the near-freezing temperatures, you just naturally pull the one you're with a little closer. The slippery sidewalks force you to cling to each other a little more tightly, and the holiday music spilling out of the stores and shops invites you to sing along.

And the decorations!! It's almost as though Chicago ate too much Christmas candy and threw up toys, elves, sugarplum fairies, reindeer, and boughs of holly all over the place - and then decked the crap out of its halls and streets on top of it.

It really is a winter wonderland.

And it really does make you smile a little bigger, hum a little louder, and step a little more lightly. If I could go a-wassailing', I would.

And the snow! It just covers Chicago in this thick blanket of magicalness. It's kind of amazing, looking out the window and just seeing fields and fields of pure unadulterated beauty.

Of course, the couples are out in force, holding hands and giving each other little pecks all over town, going for carriage rides, laughing, cuddling, and throwing snowballs at one another. True story: I overheard one couple calling them loveballs. It's so cute I could throw up.

Man, look at that. These snowflakes are so beautiful! They look like little balls of cotton.

Yeah. Little balls of freezing, making me wet, cotton.

...

Whatever dude. It's romantic.

Too bad it's completely wasted on us.

[Five minutes later.]

Michelle!

What?! I asked as I turned around to get a huge snowball in the face.

OW! Oh, you are going to pay...

And that's what I call a snowball. He laughed triumphantly.

One thing's for sure - that sure as heck isn't a "loveball..."

If you can't have a boyfriend, I guess having a cynical smart aleck of a friend is the next best thing.

Chicago at Christmas might be for lovers, but it's just as good as a playground for friends.