Will You Be in Chicago for New Year's Eve?

MillerCoors will cover the cost of your ride on the El and CTA buses on New Year's Eve to keep the inebriated from getting behind the wheel. Read more on a sister Patch in Chicago.

Fun Facts for New Year's: Wear Red Underwear, Lock Your Car and Eat Black-Eyed Peas

Check out these interesting fun facts and trivia about New Year's Eve.

If you're celebrating New Year's Eve this year and find a lull in the conversation, impress your family and friends with this New Year's trivia.

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Resolution Success Starts with a Plan

Every New Year, people make resolutions. How successful a person is in following through depends upon whether they take positive steps to achieve their goals.

With the arrival of the New Year, the resolution-making begins. Whether it's losing weight, finding a better job, spending more time with loved ones or some other worthy goal, the list of things to do, to change or to quit gets written up. The key mistake people make when writing those resolutions for the New Year is that they set the expectations too high and want results too soon, according to a life coach and two fitness trainers. "One of the biggest things is people tend to make their goals too lofty," said Erik Walter, manager at Endure It!, a Naperville fitness training business for those interested in fitness and endurance sports. "When they see how hard it is to achieve them, they throw them out the window." That is a year-round …

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Looking for a Ride Home on New Year's? Here's Your Solution

Police will be out in full force on the holiday, and drinking and driving will cost far more than a cab ride home. Do the responsible thing and set up your transportation ahead of time.

Fun Facts for New Year's: Wear Red Underwear, Lock Your Car and Eat Black-Eyed Peas

Check out these interesting facts about New Year's Eve.

If you're celebrating New Year's Eve this year and find a lull in the conversation, impress your family and friends with this New Year's trivia.

• Photos (1)

A Champagne Guide: Ring in the New Year with Some Bubbly

New Year's Eve is champagne's time to shine. Our weekly wine column discusses what types of champagne are best for specific occasions.

We'll soon be ringing in the New Year, a time when champagnes and sparkling wines rule the drink menu. Choices of these great sparklers can be overwhelming, so let's review which ones may be best for your New Year's Eve dinner or celebration.  Generally speaking, people refer to all sparkling wines as champagne. Actually, the only wines that can be called champagne are the ones that are produced in the Champagne region of France, hence the name.  Wines produced outside this region of France are called by different names. The primary grapes used to produce champagne are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. There are now only five family-owned champagne houses in France, and Laurent-Perrier is the largest of the three.  Champagnes …

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Start 2012 Off Right With One of These Local New Year's Celebrations

Say goodbye to 2011 and ring in the New Year with your choice of these local bar and restaurants special deals and packages.

WHAT: Ring in the New Year and celebrate 2011 with a countdown to 2012 including free appetizers, a champagne toast, horns, whistles, a DJ and dancing. Advance reservations are recommended. WHERE: BlackFinn    WHEN: 7 p.m. Dec. 31 COST: $25 MORE INFO: Email Casey at CDulny@BlackFinnChicago.com to reserve your booth, or visit the event page WHAT: Open bar, appetizers and live music will be on hand for this celebration. WHERE: City Gate Grill, 2020 Calamos Court WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Dec. 31 to 1 a.m. Jan. 1 COST: $65 MORE INFO: Call 630-718-1010 or visit City Gate Grille's website WHAT: The party at this dance club for people ages 16 to 25 will include party favors, hats, horns, leis and food buffet, as well as live video taping, a balloon drop, …

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Five Things You Need to Know Today

Dec. 30: Five Places to Celebrate New Year's Eve in Lemont

Several local restaurants and bars are planning festive food and drink menus to celebrate the holiday.

Lemont residents won't have to travel far for a party atmosphere on New Year's Eve, as several Lemont restaurants are planning a festive parties with such extras as a balloon drop and champagne toasts. Slammers Pub and Grill, 1243 State St., will have a free appetizer buffet from 11:30 p.m. until 1 a.m. Party favors will be given out and patrons will receive a little bottle of champagne for a toast at midnight, said owner Tom Gangas. The pub will offer its regular menu of burgers and other bar fare until 11 p.m. Gangas said his 12-year-old daughter will attend the event at the family-friendly restaurant, which also offers video games. The countdown to midnight in many cities will be watched on more than 20 televisions in the pub. No cover …

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