When it begins to look a lot like Christmas, it begins to look like a terrible time to travel. Lines get longer. Lost bags pile up higher. Even the emotional support dogs look tense. But at O’Hare’s American Airlines–heavy Terminal 3, the insanity of holiday travel meets the actual joy of the holidays. Garland hangs from the ceiling. White lights sparkle at every gate. Oversize red bows wrap up the terminal. More than 30 years after Home Alone’s McCallisters dashed through the festive terminal to catch their flight to Paris, it feels the same. The garland looks just as tall, the wreaths just as perfectly positioned. It’s a rare feeling of time standing still — an oddity anywhere, but especially in a place where we are used to racing from the security line to our gate. Every year brings that same cozy feeling of nostalgia — one best paired with the crescendoing strings of a John Williams score.