There is a Season (Turn, Turn, Turn)

My favorite season has always been and will always be fall.

I should tell you, I don't go by the academic definition of fall - solstices and equinoxes and such. No, fall starts on the first day of school and ends on Thanksgiving. Marty and I disagree about this.

Anyway, I suppose there are many reasons for my autumn preference. Marty and I met in the fall, and a few years later our first child was born in the month of September. Then there is the crisp air, the outdoor mural of oranges and reds and purples, and the promise of holidays right around the corner.

When I was younger, I loved fall simply for the start of the school year. (I always was a geek like that. I know you'll back me up on this, Tiff.) I counted down the summer days until I could purchase my books and plan out my assignments. I've been out of school for seven years now and still love it. Some years I make up my own classes and syllabi in September - subjects like Scrapbook Design Essentials, Meal Preparation 301, and The Old Testament. Alas, I'm not kidding.

Now that I have children of my own, my fall favorites are a little different:

Watching Jacob make leaf angels. Breaking out the flannel sheets and fuzzy socks.

Hot cocoa with marshmallows or whipped cream. A really good book to read in bed when it's chilly outside.

The Biggest Leaf Contest. Homemade apple pie a la mode.

Putting up fall decorations to heighten the mood. More time on the computer doing family history.

A new project. And leaves just begging to be raked and jumped in.

But the best part is watching the children relish this time of year and the changes it brings. A new routine. A new backdrop. A new anticipation. Time to gather and read and play and sing and hibernate.

Though I must admit, I'm really hoping to take that imaginary course in Classic American Literature this semester.