I'm not sure where you are in Chicago area. I'm in the south suburbs, and that can make a difference because if you come from the north, you'll waste a lot of time going through the Chicago area.
We drove last Xmas and stayed overnight in McDonough, GA which is just south of Atlanta. We arrived there at about 7:00 pm. Macon is a bit past that but would be fine too. That puts you more than halfway there.
For what it's worth, McDonough was nice.