Katy McDermott

It’s official. Fall is upon us. Well, it’s been official since September 22, but I’ve been in denial. The current trifecta of Halloween, Election Day, and Daylight Savings Time has made me (reluctantly) take my head out of the sand.

Actually, there are a lot of things I like about autumn – it’s winter that I really hate. When I was little, I used to love back-to-school shopping (for supplies, not so much clothes – all I wanted was a new pencil case – yes, I was an odd child). But the memory of last winter has scarred me.  WAY too much snow. Seriously, if I wanted that much snow, I’d move to Montana.

But thankfully, it’s not winter yet. So in honor of my former favorite season, here’s a list of pros and cons about this time of year:

Farmers’ markets – pumpkins, hayrides, cider doughnuts, caramel apples, mums. Farmers’ markets look gorgeous, smell amazing, and get you into the Fall spirit like nothing else can. (Good)

Daylight Savings Time – anytime you have an event that’s associated with a psychiatric condition (Seasonal Affective Disorder, aka the brilliant acronym SAD), you know you’re in trouble. I dread it every year, and seem to get SADder every year too. You can have your extra hour of sleep – I just want more light! (Bad)

Turtleneck sweaters – not only do I love how turtleneck sweaters look and feel, I love what they represent. Every year, there comes a time when you rediscover half of your wardrobe you haven’t worn in 6 months, and are therefore excited about. Also, you don’t have to worry about the horror that is bathing suit shopping for awhile! (Good)

Frost on the car – as if it weren’t bad enough that the mornings are getting colder and colder (we’ve gone from “brisk” to “chilling” and will soon be at “I don’t care if I get hat-head – I’m freezing!”), we now have to scrape our windshields too. Just a harbinger of the delightful snow-shoveling that awaits… (Bad)

Election Day – manipulative TV ads, radio spots featuring narrators whose voices drip with contempt when discussing the opposition… I’m almost tempted not to vote, because apparently all of the candidates knock little old ladies off their walkers, kick puppies, and/or worship Satan. (Bad)

Thanksgiving dinner – the knowledge that I’ll soon have to cook it. (Bad)

Thanksgiving dinner – the knowledge that I’ll soon get to eat it. (Good – so that one’s a wash)

Foliage – it’s a cliché for a reason, folks! The staggeringly beautiful sight of bright red, orange, purple, and yellow leaves on the trees – their last hurrah before falling off and carpeting people’s lawns – never fails to astound me.  (Good – I don’t have a lawn)

Halloween – when I was a kid, this was, of course, good. (It was especially good for us Catholic school kids, since November 1 was All Souls Day and we had off from school and could basically spend the day in our pajamas, watching cartoons in a Clark-bar-induced coma.) Now that my priorities have changed, I’m not so wild about it. In my office, there’s candy everywhere, and I also have to deal with reminders that I’m getting old. A 25-year-old colleague recently told me she went to a Halloween party dressed “as an 80s girl” – my misspent youth is now a costume, apparently. (Bad)

Baking supplies – I’m a pretty busy person, so I don’t bake that often, but this time of year puts me in a cookie-making frame of mind. That grocery-shopping trip when I stock up on supplies like cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar, chocolate chips, and flour is a delightful annual ritual. (Very very good!)

Christmas stuff – we have a radio station in our area that plays Christmas music starting the day BEFORE Thanksgiving. I first saw holiday ornaments in Hallmark back in August (not kidding – August). Malls are tricked out in tinsel and holly, grocery stores’ “seasonal” aisles are already filled with poinsettias, and Starbucks is using their snowflake-and-Santa cups. It’s too soon, people! (Bad)

Holiday specials – and here’s where I contradict myself. I know I just said it’s too early to be thinking Christmas-y thoughts in the Fall, but there’s one area where that doesn’t apply. Television. I don’t let myself watch them until we’re trimming our tree, but just the knowledge that soon I’ll get to see “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” can cheer me up on even the darkest Fall day. Heck, the Grinch’s change of heart happened when he stood “with his feet ice-cold in the snow.” The least I can do is not grumble when I have to scrape my windshield. (Good)

Faraway family – I have several family members that I only see once or twice a year. Spending time with them pretty much cancels out all the things I rated as “bad.”

So if I total up, I find that I’m even – until I get to that family part. Then the “good” obliterates the “bad.” Which is kind of nice, when you think about it…

And now I’m off to have a snack – a nice crisp apple would hit the spot about now, I think…