Pumpkins are out, leaves are on the ground, Halloween movies are playing, and people are starting to make plans for Thanksgiving already. But somehow-- it's eighty degrees outside. My church was putting on a Trunk or Treat day and I was standing outside in a t-shirt, in late, late October, and I was sweating. This is not okay. When I'm wearing a scarf for fall, drinking some hot chocolate and kicking through the fallen leaves, I should not have to also be blaring my AC. It's time for Mother Nature to pick a season, and stick with it.
Once we have the first day of the fall season under forty-five degrees, it should be a rule that you are not allowed to then go back up thirty degrees in temperature for another two weeks. When I first wear a sweater with jeans and boots, I am not willing to go back to wearing t-shirts and shorts again. I am fully committed to dressing for fall, and that means that, yes, I will wear a scarf when it's seventy-five degrees out with the sun fully shining. I've passed the time for dressing for the beach and I am not going back.
Certain autumnal activities are only suited for the colder weather. Hiking through the mountains, trick-or-treating, pumpkin picking, attending football games, and watching seasonal movies under the blankets are only fun if it's actually cold out. Because let's admit it, part of the fun of participating in these activities is getting chilly, and being able to get cozy and warm again with a hot drink while relaxing next to a fireplace.
I am the type of person to get excited over holidays long before they have arrived. The particular one in my mind is Christmas. For example, I already know what I'm getting some people for their gifts. This is hard to do when it still feels like it's summer out. I'm ready for the weather to get cold quickly so that we can receive snow days quickly. It's the point in the year where it feels as though you've had no break from school and it's been an endless battle to keep up with the ever-growing pile of homework received daily. Winter is the time associated with students to be full of days off, relaxation, and some well-deserved breaks full of snow and getting together with friends-- the best of which being the unplanned snow days. We all know those teachers we have that look forward to snow days just as much as we do and watch the school website anxiously along with us to see if it's been canceled. And along with snow days, one of the most exciting announcements to ever be heard can sometimes accompany them-- canceled midterms.
