Usually, I am happy with no snow, but we were hoping for a little for Christmas. We especially wanted to have at least flurries when we went to Brookfield Zoo‘s Holiday Magic, Chicagoland’s longest-running lights festival. With no snow in the forecast, we decided to go before Holiday Magic ended December 31.

Celebrating its 43rd year, Holiday Magic features more than 2 million LED lights and 900 decorated trees throughout the zoo. This year highlights included a tunnel show, Candy Cane Lane, nightly holiday-themed Dolphins in Action presentations, nightly Penguin Encounters and of course, Santa.

The Holiday Market is always a fun spot for seasonal food and beverages, along with holiday crafts and gifts. Warm apple cider on a frosty evening is one of life’s real pleasures.

Holiday Magic has grown a lot over the years. According to Julianne Olivo, the zoo’s director of public relations, in 1989 there were 60 trees and 200,000 miniature white lights. By 2000, those numbers more than doubled to 450 trees and 750,000 lights.

With 200,000 expected attendees, it is easy to see the economic impact on Brookfield Zoo and the area in general. Of course, attendees aren’t thinking of numbers. We just enjoy the lights, animals and spirit of Christmas, even without snow.

— John Wroblewski, online writer