I love fall. I mean I LOVE it. I could not be happier that the high temperature today is only 52 degrees. I love wearing sweaters and jackets and scarves… I mean, let’s face it. I’ve never been one to show much skin. And the trees! But my obsession is not only about the gorgeous weather and foliage. I love fall because it’s back to school time, and I love school. (Can you tell?) Even as a kid, I got excited about September, shopping for school supplies, learning new subjects, and yes, even homework. Who doesn’t love the smell of a math textbook or a freshly sharpened pencil??

I also love fall holidays. Halloween is SO much fun–I was the kid who ate all her trick-or-treating candy that very night. And got very sick. In our town, we always did the trick-or-treating on the actual day of Halloween, regardless of whether it was a weekday. And we always did it at night, which was such a huge part of the fun. I think daytime trick-or-treating days before or after Halloween is just sacrilegious and downright silly. The other thing sacrilegious about Halloween? People who hand out those nasty peanut butter kisses… or worse, raisins.

But I digress. After Halloween, Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Who doesn’t love eating great food and spending time with family? Well, I suppose some people don’t for very valid reasons, but I love going home. It helps that my mom is a phenomenal cook and my family is very tolerable. And the greatest thing about Thanksgiving, now that John and I are married, is that we still always spend it with my family. I don’t mean that in a bad way–I like John’s family very much. And I know some couples always deal with the yearly fight of which family to spend each holiday with. But we have it all figured out, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are with my family. We do this mostly because my family is the only one that ever plans anything, but also because my birthday (and my brother’s) is always right around that time. So it’s like two celebrations in one!

And then after Thanksgiving, you know Christmas is only weeks away. I’ve never been one to get depressed about the holidays, although I could see how some people do. But I love walking through the mall with all the decorations glittering. I love hearing the Salvation Army bell ringers and seeing the nativity scenes in front of churches. I love anxiously awaiting the first snowfall and seeing all the Christmas lights on houses. I get obsessed with Christmas shopping and wrapping every gift absolutely perfectly. Presentation is very important, you know. All the giftwrap must be color-coordinated. And of course, I again love spending time with my family.

And then after New Years, it all comes crashing down and the cold temperatures, gray skies, and leafless trees just depress me. I feel like I can’t smile again until about May. But from September through December, I am as happy as a clam! Maybe I should write a sonnet about fall or call the local radio station and dedicate “Lovin’ You” by Minnie Riperton to “autumn.” Listeners will probably just think Autumn is a friend (or even my lover?), but little do they know, it’s the season. La la la la la. La la la la la…