December Chicagoland Meetup (Patreon)

Hello, hello! I'm so excited to start planning our first local Chicagoland meetup. This has been 14+ years in the making 🙈 Tell me you're an introvert without telling me you're an introvert, amiright? 😜 For real, though, I am beyond grateful to be in an online community where I feel safe and comfortable enough to do something like this. Thank you for being a part of that!

Ok, now that we have that dramatic intro behind us, let's talk details. The original plan was to try and do an afternoon tea, but that's proving to be a bit tricky to plan logistically without at least somewhat of an idea of how many folks could come. In my mind, I never think more than like 2 people will show up to something like this, but after our Town Hall last week, I'm seeing it might be a few more than that. Also, there was a good point made about maybe sticking to downtown Chicago since it looks like some people might actually travel in for this (I am shook!).

So...here's what I can offer you right now for planning purposes: the date - DECEMBER 14, 2024. One idea I have is to meet at the Christkindlmarket, which is free to enter. The 14th is a Saturday and will be crowded so I'd recommend meeting there right when they open, which in past years has been 11 am (they haven't announced this year's hours yet). The market is outdoors, FYI. There was some interest in still trying for the holiday afternoon tea at the Peninsula, but it is very pricey at $140 per person. There are also several other Chicago holiday tea options that cost less. I don't have an exhaustive list for 2024 yet, but based on this list from 2023 I could call around and see what's available this year.

I'm looking for input from all who would like to attend and are at least fairly certain they could make it so I can get an idea of the headcount. Also, what would sound fun/doable for everyone. What I've provided above are just some initial thoughts. I'm open to suggestions! I would like to sort out the details sooner than later if we need to make a reservation somewhere.

Whatever we land on, I am so excited to have the chance to get together and celebrate the holiday season together 🥳

While I'd absolutely love to treat everyone, that's really not possible for me or fair to those who cannot attend, so I ask for everyone attending the meetup regardless of what we settle on doing to pay their own way. I will of course bring stickers and friendship bracelets to share 😊