The Lincoln Park Zoo

While in Chicago we stayed at a hostel in Lincoln Park, a rather lovely suburb just north of the city. The suburb takes its name from Lincoln Park, within which is a 35-acre zoo. It was founded in 1868, and one early inhabitant was a bear with a penchant for escaping its enclosure and freely roaming the park at night.

Not only is this zoo one of the oldest in the country, it's free. Better still, each year in the lead up to Christmas it's decked out with gazillions of fairy lights in every colour imaginable. After dark the zoo becomes a rainbow playground where people eat copious amounts of warm buttered popcorn and watch ice sculpting, while the animals look on, slightly annoyed by the kerfuffle. 

For Daniel, this was the pinnacle of our American Christmas experience. They celebrate the holidays with such earnest joy and enthusiasm, it's hard not to get swept up by it.