By: Christina Ricucci

It’s finally that time of year! The weather is changing, leaves are falling, and excitement of the season is in the air! The holiday season is such a wonderful time of year. My favorite time of year actually! It’s almost like the “calm before the storm” before the competition season picks up again. Fall is the time to surround yourself with family and friends & get reconnected with the ones you love. And to bring back your favorite warm up clothes to bundle up in at the studio.

One of my favorite parts of fall is the cold and rainy weather we get, but how do we stay warm and cozy in the studio while we’re waiting for class to start? Well, I always love to wear a few layers. I love my leggings and comfy socks to warm up my feet. I also tend to wear a short sleeve shirt under my outer layer or sweater, just in case I get a little too warm! It is also very important to spend a little extra time warming up before class in this cold weather because we are more prone to injuries. So make sure you’re stretching and strengthening a little more than usual!

Most of my favorite memories in life surround fall and the holiday season. My mom and I get super into decorating and every year we set aside a day to just completely lavish our house with festive decorations! It really gets us in the mood for the season. We also love our annual trips to the pumpkin patch. It takes us a while to find the perfect pumpkin, but when we do, we can’t wait to get home to carve it out! We always make a complete mess in our kitchen with the pumpkin guts everywhere, but that’s part of the fun! There is always a competition to see who can make the best jack o’ lantern…I can’t wait to see who wins this year!

Another fun fall festivity I love to do, is to go over to my Nonna’s house and bake a ton of yummy, cute, fall treats! We also make a ton of pies for thanksgiving, all kinds of flavors! Every year I make a mixed berry pie with crumble topping. Not going to lie, It’s pretty amazing! Another fall tradition in my family is to watch all the football our eyes can handle! My dad, brother, and I get pretty into it. We have little football parties in his office and just have a great time!

There are so many exciting and fun things about this time of year. Fall is definitely my favorite season and I can’t wait to get reconnected with family and check all of these seasonal activities off my to-do list! I can’t wait to wear my comfy socks and warm clothes to class! So go spend some quality time with your loved ones and take advantage of the serenity before you get back into the craziness of comp season! Happy Fall everyone!