Image: Autumn leaves floating in a park via Aaron Burden (Unsplash)
I step outside. The leaves crunch under my feet as the tree in front of me displays a vibrant array of oranges and yellows. The brisk breeze hits me and a chill engulfs my body, even with two layers on. People pass by and discuss what costume they’re going to wear and what candy they hope to get. This is autumn.
The best season, in my opinion. Finally, the heat waves of the summer are gone and the chilly weather of fall begins. While I do enjoy the summer and its warm aura in the beginning, it eventually gets old and I sit desperately waiting for fall to come around. I’m not saying summer is a bad season — it probably sits at number two for me — but I can’t ever see myself putting it above fall. I even have the extra bonus of my birthday being in July, but still, fall remains at the number one spot.
In my opinion, nothing beats this fall feeling. You go from wearing t-shirts and shorts to crewnecks and pants. It’s so much more comfy. The only feeling that could rival it is the night of Christmas Eve, but that only comes once a year; this fall feeling happens multiple times a season.
The feeling isn’t all that makes fall great, though; it’s also all the traditions and activities that come with it. Whether it be carving pumpkins, getting scared in haunted houses, getting lost in corn mazes or watching fall-themed movies, there is always something to do.
Carving pumpkins in particular has been a staple in my household, and I love doing it every year. Even if you do a basic design, the whole process is so much fun, especially with family. I feel like a lot of fall-based activities are to be done with family or friends, which is another perk of fall I’ve always enjoyed.
The holidays are a big factor in this too, as Halloween and Thanksgiving are both very public holidays. With Halloween, you’re going to spend a lot of it with your family when you’re younger; then, as you grow up, you start going out more with friends. Then with Thanksgiving, the whole idea is to have a big family dinner, which can be very reuniting if you have family that lives far away. Even if I’m not a huge fan of Thanksgiving food, it doesn’t take away from the sentiment of spending quality time with family.
Holidays aren’t the only thing that brings families together like that though, as even small activities like watching fall-themed movies can be great. There are so many fall/Halloween movies that can be so much fun to watch this season. Some of my favorites include “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993), “Knives Out” (2019), “When Harry Met Sally” (1989) and “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009). People’s ideas of a fall movie can be very personalized, meaning they don’t necessarily have to take place during fall, but these are just my favorites. Every fall season I try to watch them, as most have taken on a nostalgic feeling for me after having watched them every fall for so many years.
I think the only thing that deters me about fall and that most definitely deters others is the surrounding theme of death. The name “fall” itself refers to the falling, or dying, of the leaves, which, if you think about it, is kind of depressing. All this nature we saw grow and become beautiful in the spring and summer is now disappearing. While I do love the warm colors that encapsulate the fall season, it’s important to remember exactly why it’s happening in the first place.
The cold temperatures don’t help either, as I’m being forced to put on more and more layers. Especially with winter coming next, the idea of seasonal depression is around the corner. While I myself have experienced seasonal depression in small doses over the last few winters, I know it can have a major effect on people. With the amount of isolation and freezing temperatures, it doesn’t surprise me how badly the effect of seasonal depression can be. That’s why it’s best to prepare for this during the fall, so that when winter rolls around you’re prepared for its harshness.
Even though so much death surrounds the season, fall can be a very beautiful and relaxing period of time where you can wind down from the blistering heat of the season earlier. Instead of looking at all the bad, look at all the new activities and opportunities that fall brings to the table and how you can spend this time with loved ones. Whether it be celebrating with your family, going out with friends or just watching a fall movie by yourself, there is so much the fall season has to offer. This isn’t a time to look at the depressing season of the future, but at the beauty of fall that is now.
Samuel J. Beadle is a first-year English major.