SJ Events - December 20th ┃ Pokémon & Sports & TCG Card Show brings a holiday collecting outing to Crystal Lake, Illinois, combining a buy, sell and trade floor with an afternoon visit from Santa. For families balancing card hunting with seasonal plans, the show offers a chance to browse together and work a photo stop into the same visit.
The setting is Elara Convention Center at Holiday Inn Crystal Lake, putting the event in the northwest suburbs rather than downtown Chicago. SJ Events describes a newly remodeled ballroom with more than 11,000 square feet of open space. Free parking adds a practical benefit for anyone arriving with children or carrying a trade binder.
A Full Day of Cards & Collectibles
The flyer advertises 100+ tables, with Pokémon, sports cards and TCGs at the center of the show. The event's card categories also include One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering and Lorcana, alongside mixed collectibles. That range gives groups with different collecting interests several reasons to explore the floor, while individual selections depend on the participating vendors.
Buying, selling and trading are all part of the announced format. If you are bringing cards to discuss, the useful distinction is between a vendor's asking price and what that vendor might offer in a purchase or trade. Participation does not mean every table buys collections or accepts exchanges, so start those conversations by asking how the seller handles them.
The organizer highlights graded cards among the show's attractions. Seeing a card in person gives you an opportunity to inspect its presentation and ask questions before agreeing to a transaction. For holiday shopping, that also means you can compare potential gifts directly rather than choosing solely from a photograph. Specific players, characters, sets and price ranges will depend on the inventory available that day.
More Than Just a Card Show
Santa photos are scheduled for 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, a shorter window within the broader card show. Photos are free with paid adult admission and offered first come, first served. If meeting Santa is central to your visit, plan around that window and allow time for a line. Arriving near the end of the card show would miss the announced photo session.
The child admission policy matters when planning a family outing: children ages 12 and under enter free with a paying adult. The organizer also states that children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. The paid adult entry condition applies to the Santa photo offer, so include admission in your plans even if the photograph is your main reason for stopping by.
Raffles, prizes and gifts for children are also announced. Ask SJ Events about participation details when you arrive, particularly if you are deciding how long to stay. A prize schedule and exact gift selection are not publicly specified, so these work best as additional activities alongside browsing rather than appointments around which to organize the whole afternoon.
There is a holiday shopping angle beyond the cards, too. SJ Events is inviting holiday and craft vendors to participate. That invitation could broaden the mix, but it does not establish a final craft lineup. Keep the card floor and Santa visit as the confirmed anchors of your plans rather than expecting a particular handmade product or food seller.
A Show for All Levels of Collectors
For a first visit, the day's timing is straightforward: public browsing begins at 10:00 AM and ends at 4:00 PM. The flyer's earlier 9:00 AM start refers to vendor setup. Families planning both cards and Santa can use the morning for browsing, then join the afternoon photo activity, while anyone focused on the tables has the full public window available.
The hotel and convention center names refer to the same destination. Look for Elara Convention Center at Holiday Inn Crystal Lake on Route 31 when planning your arrival. That distinction is especially useful if a map search emphasizes the hotel name while the event announcement emphasizes Elara.
New collectors can use the broad card mix to discover which categories interest them, while more experienced visitors can focus their conversations on particular collecting goals. Families do not need to share one specialty to make the outing work: browsing different tables and meeting back for Santa provides a natural way to combine separate interests. Before leaving home, check the organizer's "Official Source" for any announced updates to the day's activities.
Final Thoughts
SJ Events - December 20th ┃ Pokémon & Sports & TCG Card Show pairs a Crystal Lake collecting day with a clearly scheduled holiday photo opportunity. If you attend, let the organizer or other attendees know you found the show on Card Show Dex, and keep exploring upcoming events across Illinois.
Find another local stop on the Chicago card show calendar.