A Day at the Circus!

As I have mentioned previously, my family has many holiday traditions. I love them all, but my favorite one of all might be the Big Apple Circus. The circus travels around and comes to New York at Lincoln Center every year from late October until the middle of January (so if you haven't gone yet, you have another week! Don't miss your chance!) It's really a highlight of my year.

For many years, we went on Christmas day. They would always wish us a Merry Christmas, which I thought was funny because the audience was always filled with Jews. This year, we went on the Sunday after Thanksgiving due to people's busy schedules, capping off the weekend's many events.

There are probably other circuses that are more over the top and grand, but I can't imagine loving any one more than this one. The show changes every year. The clowns are neither obnoxious nor scary, and the tricks seem more and more extraordinary every year. (See a few examples towards the end of the post.) I've probably been 25 times, and I've only ever missed one year. Many years ago, we started going with our best family friends, and now we all sit together. A few years ago, we brought Simon for the first time, welcoming in the third generation, and this year Leo got to come too.

He was enthralled. And happy that we let him eat popcorn and cotton candy. And that my mom bought him a toy. What's not to like?

Toys and junk food. Happy children.

There's only one ring, which I like much better, because then it's easier to know where to look. There are cute puppies and horses, which I sometimes find sort of boring, but they are pretty. I always love the acrobats and aerialists, two examples of which you can see below. It's an amazing reminder of the strength of the human body, even though I would never be able to do what they're doing in a million years. In solidarity with their crazy feats, I wore a neon pink skirt. If you can't do it, might as well look the part, right?

After the circus, as is customary, we went back to my parents' house, made a fire, and ate lots of cheese and other delicious things. We also celebrated Maddie's birthday. She's only one now, but we can't wait for her to join in with us in just a few years!

What I'm wearing: Boden kilt (this year's model on sale here), GAP long sleeved shirt, GAP Factory cardigan (similar here), HUE tights, Born boots, scarf from Nepal