O' Christmas Tree

The tree in the famous Walnut Room at Macy's.

This is the fifth year I've lived in Chicagoland during Christmastime and the first year I've been able to dine in the Walnut Room at Macy's. 2012 marks the 105th year that Macy's, formerly Marshall Fields, has had a tree in the Walnut Room. People flock here at this time of year to dine and, hopefully, get seated under the tree.

I've been here before to see the 45 foot tree, its 1,200 ornamaments and 25,000 lights but the long dining wait has always eluded me from staying - but today we planned ahead. Joe and I had tickets to see War Horse (amazing show!) so we came early and waited at Macy's to dine. To give you an idea, we showed up at 11:15 am and our seating time was for 12:30. Then at 12:30 we were able to get in another line for 15-20 minutes before actually getting a table.

I may not have the patience to do this every year but it is a Chicago tradition that you should experience at least once.