Downtown Indy All Lit Up

      

       Like most cities across the U.S., Indianapolis has an annual tree lighting celebration the day after Thanksgiving to usher in the Christmas festivities downtown.  Indianapolis Circle of Lights is a huge event every year where the streets are jammed packed with locals and visitors alike, enjoying the free concerts and performances. 
         Due to an annual family gathering the day after Thanksgiving,  I never attend the well-known city celebration.  Not wanting to miss out on the beauty of downtown Indy during the holidays, I always visit the circle city one weekend before Christmas to enhance my holiday experience. 
        After I do some Christmas shopping at the Circle Center Mall, I usually walk to the Starbucks on the circle where I indulge in the holiday taste of a caramel brule latte before walking across the street to the massive Christmas tree that is our city monument.  Just a few minutes in the glow of the lights is all I need, before the cold December air sends me walking back to my car with another Christmas memory stored away, and the anticiapation of many more memories to come in the years ahead.