Top reasons to love fall.

Please help me I’m fall-ing in love.

It is now a little over a week and a half into the season of autumn, meaning that the heat, fun, and freedom that filled out summer days have faded into our memory. Although it was difficult at first to be back at school, we are now used to our schedules, classes, and the rhythm of being a student. The temperature has drastically started to drop, the daylight hours have decreased, and all around us are falling leaves. While it is difficult to adjust to some of these negative aspects, especially the cooler weather, autumn is not just a transition into winter, as most people often perceive it. Instead, autumn is a unique season with multiple aspects to appreciate and enjoy.

1. Delicious fall flavours

One of the clearest signs that autumn has arrived is the abundance of flavours like pumpkin spice, apple cinnamon, and caramel apple. No matter where we go, we are surrounded by these flavours in ice cream treats, hot and cold beverages, and pastries, including my all-time favourite: pumpkin pie. Although some of these special treats are available year-round, to me, they’re just not as enjoyable to consume at any other time. These flavours are not only essential to autumn, but can also creatively be added into a variety of ordinary foods including pancakes, bread, muffins, cookies and ice cream to create a sweet treat. So go out and enjoy these delicious fall flavours!

2. Beautiful, crisp leaves

Leaves in various shades of yellow, orange, red, and green hanging from the trees make Autumn one of the most beautiful times of the year and a perfect background for photos. Unfortunately, this beauty is short-lived as the leaves soon fall, covering the ground and leaving the trees bare. Even though raking up the never-ending leaves can be a lot of work, there is no reason why we can’t enjoy the beauty and have some fun at the same time. As a kid in the fall, I always enjoyed walking on crisp leaves and jumping into the leaf piles my Mom raked up (much to her annoyance and dismay) and although I like to think I have matured, that is unfortunately untrue. This autumn, I encourage everyone to go for a walk, take photos and enjoy the crunch of leaves underneath your feet. Don’t be embarrassed to release your inner child. Just make sure to check who you are near, or with – after all, you are a university student with an “expected” maturity level.

3. Thanksgiving and Hallowe’en

Together, these two holidays make autumn a lot more exciting than it is usually perceived to be. Thanksgiving is a great holiday to spend with your loved ones and reflect on your blessings. Additionally, you can’t go wrong with delicious food, most of which you can only enjoy twice a year and therefore, if you’re anything like me, likely have been looking forward to it ever since last year’s leftovers were finished. Similarly, Halloween is also great holiday. Although I do believe that trick-or-treating is quickly outgrown, dressing up, carving a pumpkin, and roasting pumpkin seeds are activities you will never fully outgrow (or maybe that is just me).

4. A fresh new start

Although January traditionally marks the beginning of a new year, I’ve always associated fall with the concept of a new start. This may be related to the start of a new school year, since I have spent the last 18 years as a student. However, to me, there is not only something refreshing about the season of fall (or this may just be the brisk morning air), but it also seems like a perfect time to distance yourself from your previous struggles and challenges and start fresh.

5. Cozy fall wardrobe

I know that it can be upsetting to put away all the summer tops, shorts, skirts, and dresses we have gotten used to wearing these past few months, since it signifies that the hot weather has come and gone. However, the arrival of cooler weather allows us to once again wear all of the sweaters, bunnyhugs, scarves and berets which we love, but had previously forgotten about. This autumn, don’t be disheartened by the cool weather as you pull out those essential fall  clothing items from where they have been hibernating in the back of your closet, or the bottom of your drawer. Instead, enjoy their warmth and comfort, since damn are they cozy!