Chicagoans are a hearty bunch so the cold isn't stopping many for getting out and enjoying what was an otherwise sunny day.
The temperature finally caught up with the calendar as frigid cold weather comes to Chicago.
"I'm a little chilled, but I've got the bell and I'm moving a little bit," said bell ringer Emily Eagon.
State Street was packed with those refusing to let below normal temps for this time of year keep them from enjoying the season.
"We haven't had too much freezing weather, so I have them all pack up, we've got layers and layers, we don't want to get sick before Christmas," said shopper Amy Irace.
The possibility of wind chills as low as ten degrees below zero, and the chance of snow made it a challenge for street artists.
"It feels different because it's colder, yes, it's getting closer and closer to Christmas time," said street performer Mario Sanders.
But there are always those caught off guard by winter weather.
"There's snow in Indiana, so I thought it would be a little warmer, but I guessed wrong," said shopper Dominique Winfrey.
And although it's cold, for a 15th year, sisters Linda Abrahamson and Paula Sanders came to the Christkindl Market to buy an ornament as a part of their family tradition.
"I've got long underwear, four pairs of socks, my winter ski jacket, two pairs of gloves and I can't move," Sanders said.
People said they are okay with the cold, but they are not looking forward to the snow.
