We at Hennacornoelidays are nothing if not about holiday cheer. And in that spirit I present to you our first annual holiday extravaganza highlighting a few of the great family focused shows available for your holiday consumption. Rest assure, everything listed below is Hennacornoeliday approved.

Photo by Amy Boyle

Elf, The Musical at Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph)

OK, it’s nowhere near as good as the Will Ferrell comedy. But it’s still pretty good and if you are looking to expose the kiddies to a downtown theater experience (and there are few theaters as pretty as the Oriental Theater) this is the one to go with. The review I did for Splash is here. Only real negative to this show is the cost (at least $80 a ticket).

Nutcracker at Mariott Theatre in Lincolnshire

You will get the most for your buck here as tickets are just $15 (or slightly more than a movie). Henna, Avery (6) and Reagan (3) loved it. You, the parent, will think it pretty swell but probably not swell enough to go without the kids. This was my review of the play.

Photo by Danny Nicholas

Once Upon A People at Black Ensemble Theater (4450 N. Clark)

I think this musical is pretty awesome. Of the three, this is the most original. The music and dancing is amazing and it even has children from Studio One (a South Side organization that exposes children to the arts) dancing on stage. Click here for the review. Tickets are $30 for kids and $45 for adults.

It’s A Wonderful Life The Radio Play at Oil Lamp Theater (1723 Glenview Road, Glenview) and The Greenhouse Theater Center (2257 N. Lincoln)

We also greatly enjoyed seeing the radio play version of It’s A Wonderful Life. It really is fun watching actors recreate a radio broadcast of the classic movie. Chicago has not one, but two productions of this going on. Either one should be a lot of fun. This is what I wrote at the time.

Remember, Hennacornoeliday is right around the corner! So smile. Noel