Director’s Corner: Fall is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Ever since I was a little guy, Fall has been my favorite time of the year. More specifically, I have always felt that September 1st and New Year’s Eve bookend a perfect four month stretch filled with pleasantly changing weather, lovely scenery, and fun holidays. So for those pedantically minded readers out there, when I say Fall, that is the timeframe to which I am referring. 

Now my parents on the other hand, they always liked Spring more than Fall because it was the precursor to Summer, which seasonally speaking, they preferred over Winter. In my opinion they were letting negativity hold them back! Fall is a time to focus on what is good, and let tomorrow be what it will be. So here is a short list of my favorite reasons to love Fall.

  1. The sights, smells, and sounds are beautiful. I grew up just outside of a small Midwestern town whose nickname was The Maple City. Fall was a magical time there, with all of the Fall colors one could want exploding from the tops of those majestic old maple trees all over town. The first time you catch a whiff of smoke coming from a neighbor’s chimney or from a pile of burning leaves you know that Fall is in the air. Outside, there’s nothing like the sound of leaves crackling beneath your feet. It’s a sound and a feeling of which I will never grow tired. In fact, I often seek it out piles of leaves to walk through, doing my best to crunch as many as possible.
  2. The weather becomes perfect.  After surviving the heat of summer and especially the dog days of August, September, and October bring cooler temperatures and some of the most perfect days of the year. For those who like the outdoors, this is the absolute best time to take a hike in the woods, go fishing, or simply sit out on your porch or patio and reflect on all of the summer projects that you worked so hard to accomplish. An old pair of jeans and a comfy sweatshirt are pretty much my uniform for Fall, and I cherish every minute.
  3.  Birthdays and Holidays. It is a fun oddity in my family that both of my parents, my three siblings, and I all celebrate our birthdays in September and October. Of course Fall is also loaded with great holidays. Labor Day weekend kicks it off with family fun and lots of outdoor activities. Then Halloween really gets us all in the mood for cooler weather and community activities. Veterans Day provides us a time to be serious and thank all those who have served. Thanksgiving is my wife’s favorite, and our feast gets better every year. Of course Christmas has always been my favorite. My wife being English, I will throw Boxing Day into the mix as part of the Christmas Eve & Christmas Day trilogy. I mean, seriously, who doesn’t like giving and receiving presents and eating and drinking for three days straight?  Then there is the annual send-off that New Years Eve provides us…
  4. Sports. I know not everyone is into sports, but Fall is the one time of year when the baseball, football, basketball, and hockey seasons collide. It is a magical time!
  5. It is cozy. As the weather gets colder outside, the appeal of a warm house (or a pub if that is your thing) becomes very inviting. If you are lucky enough to have a fireplace indoors or a fire pit outdoors, this is the best time of year to use them for maximum effect. A good book and your favorite drink to enjoy while sitting in front of that fire is crucial.
  6.   Seasonal treats. For me, something about Fall just says “it is time to eat”.  Maybe it is because traditionally this was when the harvest occurred, after which farmers could relax a bit and enjoy the fruits of their labors. All I know is that every Fall my stomach tells that it is time to pick and eat apples, bake pies (apple and pumpkin come to mind), search out guilty pleasures (pumpkin spiced everything), and fire up the grill or the smoker and try to outdo myself with epic culinary creations.  Of course apple cider, candy corn, roasted turkey, and a dozen other delights combine to make this an amazing time to be alive.
  7. Ch-ch-ch-changes. I saved one of the best for last. Fall, whether you like it or not, is all about change. The season is changing. The weather (in most places) is changing. Change is all around us and it’s deliciously intoxicating.  It is a time to reflect on what has passed and give thanks, but it is also a time to get busy living and look to the future as well.

I will leave you with a great Fall poem from Emily Bronte:

Fall, leaves, fall

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;

Lengthen night and shorten day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow

Blossom where the rose should grow;

I shall sing when night’s decay Ushers in a drearier day.

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