Autumn is Here

Today marks the autumnal equinox. It’s the first day of fall. For SAD sufferers like myself, it means a rapid descent to long nights and short days. On the other hand, in just ten weeks, it starts to stay light later again. But that is a column for another time.

New Years Day may be January 1st, but for those of us who are teachers or are married to teachers (like moi), the real start of the new year is the beginning of September. Labor Day marks the end of summer and beginning of a new season of everything. There are new television shows. There is the new theater season. There is the new NFL and NCAA football season. School starts anew, and we once again ready ourselves for a “new year” based on how we live rather than a day on the calendar.

For those of us involved with politics, it marks the beginning of the active political season, especially as we approach a presidential election year. Debates are all over the place. Television commercials begin in earnest for candidates and issues, the focus of this November’s election.

Christmas promotions are already starting. They are extra early this year because of the lousy economy. Kraynak's Time of Year is already playing on television. QVC has been pushing Christmas merchandise on television since July. I kid you not!!! I actually bought a bunch of wrapping paper and tasteful decorative gift bags perfect for re-gifting that bottle of wine Uncle Bill gave you last Christmas…or perhaps a lovely fruitcake.

Autumn is my most favorite time of year. It contains my two favorite holidays…Halloween and Thanksgiving. (My least favorites are New Years and July 4th. Christmas is “ify” at best. Have to double down on the xanax). While spring may be nature’s renewal, autumn seems to be a time for personal renewal. As the days grow shorter with a chill in the air, and colors abound all around us, it’s easy to become pensive; to think about what we have accomplished, and what we yet want to achieve. We might even make some resolutions about goals for the new season.

It’s easy to be reminded of years past as we watch the school buses go by our houses in the morning as we drive off to work. I still remember the apprehension about starting a new school year…and the anticipation of being another year older…closer to that driver’s license, closer to graduation, closer to starting a grown up life. If we knew then what we know now, perhaps we wouldn’t have been so anxious to grow up!

But for right now, it’s time for trips to the apple farm.  Whitehouse Farms is like Times Square.  It’s time for pumpkin pie and goblins and ghosts. It’s time for firing up the leaf blower, and testing the snow blower to make sure it will start when the snow flies. My wife and I have made it our custom to take a long weekend autumn trip. These past few years we have driven to Washington DC. We like to stay in Georgetown, especially around Halloween…right by the Exorcist house!!!! The fall can even make Washington politicos almost tolerable!!!

Then it’s time to come home. We begin the Christmas rituals early because there is so much to do and we are extremely busy. If we don’t get most of the holiday prep done early, it don’t get done!!!! Outside lights are usually up by the second week in November even if we don’t turn them on. Christmas decorations are up in parts of the house we don’t use on a daily basis the week before Thanksgiving. The Friday after Thanksgiving, the fall season is over and the rest of the Christmas stuff goes up.

Sound depressing? Not really….because the first week in December starts the countdown to the winter solstice…and it actually starts to stay lighter later on December 15. Hurrah!!  All that’s left is a few fa-la-la-la-las, 12 weeks of winter and spring is here!!!!

Okay, we’ll go with that!!! Happy Fall.