Fall: A Confusing Time of Year

September, October, November, December.  Fall or Autumn.  Dead leaves or beautiful foliage.  Cold weather or seasonal temperatures. It’s the time of year when Mother Nature and Father Weather tease us with an occasional flashback to summer or chill us with frigid previews of winter.  It’s a confusing time of year.

How confusing is it?  It’s so confusing that Fall doesn’t even seem to really know its name.  Just ask Autumn.

Among season, I put Fall in 4th place.  I love Spring.  I love Summer.  I even love a snowy Winter.  But Fall? I never really felt Fall’s love.

Fall starts on September 22 and ends on December 21.  Fall is a thief of the magic of sunlight.  Be honest, you never really notice the days getting shorter until after September 22.  (The days actually start getting shorter on June 23.)

To add insult to injury, Fall throws us back to standard time.  No more saving of our daylight, because clearly Fall likes us getting up for work in the dark and leaving the office in the same dark.  How generous is Fall to give us an extra hour of sleep?  Once.  On one weekend, not even a work day.  Stingy Fall.

Fall is when we have to hear how many shopping days there are till Christmas.  I want to boycott any store that puts up Christmas decorations before Halloween.  Christmas is in Winter.  Not in Fall.

September – Lets Pretend Its Still Summer

In September I mind-fake the season and pretend its still Summer.  September still means the beach, shorts and tshirts, outdoor festivals, cookouts, and ice cold beer.  When I was a child, September was a drag of a month with back-to-school and homework.  Now back-to-school just means a slower morning commute (watch those school buses everyone).  Because for as much as Fall wants to own September, I say no way.  School kids got tricked into giving September to Fall, but I refuse to.  September still belongs to Summer.  Amen to Summer.

October – Its OK Because Of Halloween

October is not that bad.  Football, world series, and apple cider.  Chilled white wine is swapped out for smooth bourbon.  Pumpkins. Octoberfest.  Hoodies. And October ends on a high note – Halloween.  Dressing up in costumes, lots of candy everywhere, ghoulish decorations, and families and kids roaming the sidewalks.  I’ll give Fall props for Halloween.  Much more fun than Columbus Day.

November – The First Two Letters Are NO!

And then there is the most miserable month of the year:  November.  Movember. Whatever. Did you know that November is National Critical Infrastructure Protection Month?  Neither did I.  In my mind, November has 3 of the most dreaded days of the year:  Election day, Thanksgiving, and Black Friday.

Election Day

Once upon a time, Election Day was a beautiful example of democracy with a peaceful transition of government.  But now, it reinforces our divisiveness.  It legitimizes bullying.  And it leaves questions about what kind of democracy (and choice) we really have.  And yet I vote year in and year out, feeling less and less good about our Divided States of America United States of America.

Thanksgiving

turkey jimThen comes Thanksgiving.  Someone remind me, what specific harvest are we giving thanks for? Oh that’s right, the harvest of ridiculous consumerism called Black Friday.  Thanksgiving is the exact same boring traditions every year featuring the exact same turkey and same fixings annually.  The exact same sitting around without any real activities.  Thanksgiving is hardly Christmas, 4th of July, or even Easter.  To me, it’s a day we are trapped into being bored.  I don’t do bored well.

 

Black Friday

Black Friday is not a day about civility.  Abnormal numbers of crazies on the road recklessly driving from store to store.  The debasing of any meaning that the religious holidays have is rampant.  Getting a good deal at all cost, whether you need the product or not.  Walmart.  Big box stores.  Malls.  Black Friday stands for too many things wrong with American culture.  I do not think I have ever bought a single thing on Black Friday. And it gets really dark really early that day.  I try to go for a day hike on Black Friday.  Clears my soul. #OptOutside.

December – Winter Says Hello and Happy Holidays

But hope lives for Fall with the advent of December.  December begins the holiday season.  It is after all the most wonderful time of the year.  Jingle belling and party hosting; marshmallows toasting and sleigh bell’s ringing.   Christmas and New Years are in Winter. The gifts of songs, parties, and festivities we enjoyed in Fall – well those are actually a gift from Winter.  Fall could never come up with these on its own.  The perfect December to me has lots of snow.  Getting us ready for that white Christmas dreaming with days merry and bright.

Rebirth

img_2617A snowy December getting us ready for that Winter wonderland.

Followed by Spring with the re-birth of plants, trees, and long days of warmth.  And the re-birth continues into the leisure of Summer.  Beaches, leisure, cookouts.

Keep that Vitamin D going on for Fall.  If you are like me, you need it.