Shop til you drop and other events between now and Christmas

Nandika Gervais, Eva Bergant, Caitlin Carroll, Alisa Hauser and Elaine Coorens celebrate Celebrate!, the magazine

Shopping locally provides a wealth of diverse opportunities no matter what you are trying to find for whom. In addition, each $100 spent in locally owned independent stores returns $68 to the community. So get ready...go...shop local.

As publishers of Celebrate!, both Alisa Hauser of Chicago-Pipeline and I encourage you to shop with all our advertisers (print out our attached list). According to the Wicker Park / Bucktown Chamber of Commerce and the merchants participating in the WPB's Unwrap Passport program they too encourage shopping at all local venues for presents and entertainment.

Here are some of the activities happening around and about starting Saturday.

If you see people on bicycles dressed in costume on Sat., Dec. 17, they may be part of the Dreidel and Santa Rampage which starts at 11 a.m. at the Twisted Spoke, Grand and Ogden. They will be doing a seven mile ride throughout the city dressed up as a Santa, elf or dreidel.

Holiday Art Exhibit,  RGB Lounge, 1420 N. Milwaukee Ave, from 7 p.m. until Sun. at 10 p.m.

Shapeshifters: the Musical, Defibrillator, 1136 N. Milwaukee, opens 8:30 p.m., performance at 9 p.m.

Ugly Sweater Contest at the Blue Line, 1548 N. Damen, Dec. 17, 10 p.m. to 1 a.m

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Logan Square Indoor Winter Farmers Market in the Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave., 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Artisan food pop-up market will be in full swing at Katherine Anne Confections Production Studio, 2745 W Armitage, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

On | Off, Defibrillator, 1136 N. Milwaukee, 7 p.m.

Thru December 29, 2011

Nutcracker, Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division, Thurs - Fri at 8 p.m., Sun. at 7 p.m.; Sat. and Sun.: Dec. 17 & 18, 23 & 24 at 3 p.m.