Chicago is still holding on, if tenuously, to one of the truly lovely Christmas traditions that has all but fallen by the wayside in recent years: midnight mass.
Parishes around the city, and the country, have taken to starting Christmas Eve mass hours earlier, hoping to accommodate families and drive up attendance. Last year, even the Vatican had its "midnight mass" at 10 p.m., hoping to let the Pope get to bed early. (Turns out, that didn't work out too hot for him.)
But, in our humble opinion, there's a certain magic of caroling and praying in the dead of night, the snowy silence of it all, that 9 or 10 just doesn't capture. (Although with Christmas Eve on Friday this year, it may not be such a silent night after all, midnight or not.)
We've compiled a list of some churches around the city offering a proper Midnight Mass, starting at midnight. If we left your parish out, please leave us a comment to let readers know where to go.
Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N State St, Chicago
Caroling begins at 11:20 p.m. and mass begins at midnight. This will be broadcast locally on WGN-TV, Channel 9.
Old St. Patrick's Church, 700 W. Adams St., Chicago
Caroling begins at 11:15 p.m. and mass begins at midnight
St. Vincent de Paul, 1010 West Webster Avenue, Chicago
Caroling begins at 11:30 p.m. and mass begins at midnight
St. John Cantius Parish, 825 N. Carpenter St., Chicago
Caroling begins at 11 p.m. and mass begins at midnight
Queen of Angels, 2330 W. Sunnyside Ave., Chicago
Caroling begins at 11:30 p.m. and mass begins at midnight
Notre Dame of Chicago, 1334 W. Fluornoy St., Chicago
Caroling begins at 11:30 p.m. and mass begins at midnight
Nativity of Our Lord, 653 W. 37th St., Chicago
Caroling begins at 11:30 p.m. and mass begins at midnight
St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 813 W. Roosevelt Rd., Chicago
Mass begins at midnight
St. Peter's Catholic Church, 110 W. Madison St., Chicago
Caroling begins at 11:00 p.m. and mass begins at midnight