1. Comfy sweaters

For months, you’ve been rocking shorts and loose skirts and tank tops, but once fall hits it’s time to break out the comfy sweaters. Oversized sweaters, knitted sweaters, holey sweaters, literally any kind of sweater you want. In fall it becomes acceptable to wear a sweater every day of the week, 24/7. Sweaters also give you the chance to gain as much weight as you want because no one can see you in your oversized sweater.

2. Wearing Pants

Along with sweaters being back, fall brings pants back into the equation. Jeans, yoga pants, sweats, leggings. Throw your shorts back in the closet and cover those thighs up, it’s time to bring back the pants. If you’re like me and letting those thighs of yours jiggle in all their glory is not your favorite thing, this aspect of fall is one of your favorites. Pairing a cute sweater with a nice pair of pants is basically the essence of fall.

3. Cuddle Weather

Whether it’s with a significant other, your best friend, or even your Pillow Pet, the colder weather is the perfect time to curl up on the couch with a blanket and a good movie. While my cuddle buddy of choice right now is definitely my cat, we all have a dream cuddle buddy we hope to one day experience cuddle weather with. (@NiallHoran)

4. Cute Fall Dates

Now, while I don’t have a boyfriend nor have ever experienced what a relationship is, I have heard great things about dates in fall. Walks through the park under the changing leaves; days spent in bed while it pours outside; baking that turns into a food fight you’ll have to clean up afterward. Even if you don’t have a significant other, like me, you can still have cute fall dates with your best friend or your cat, whatever you choose.

5. Pumpkin Spice Lattes

This is probably the most basic thing on the list but then again, it’s all basic. But regardless of its level of basicness, I can’t deny the excitement I feel when Starbucks finally puts the PSL back on the menu. As I sit here and type this I am drinking a PSL and I have no regrets. There is just something about them. Warm and creamy, they are the taste of fall. (Ignore the calories)

6. Everything else pumpkin flavored that doesn’t need to be

Pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin nail polish, pumpkin lipstick, pumpkin flavored condoms. The coming of fall brings about the popularity of pumpkin on everything that doesn’t need it. Do I need pumpkin colored nail polish? Probably not. Do I need a pumpkin flavored condom? Definitely no. And yet here I am at the store buying both of these things. I don’t know what it is, but the fall season makes me want to buy everything pumpkin that really doesn’t need to be.

7. Changing Leaves

This is probably the most obviously wonderful thing about fall. When the trees finally change from boring green to vibrant yellow and orange and red and pink. I like to find a nice road encased in trees and drive as slowly as possible, while people behind me honk as loudly as they can. Ahh, the sounds of fall.

8. Fall Concerts and Shows

Concerts are fun no matter what time they’re in, but the feeling of fall always makes listening to music so much more enjoyable. Wrapped in a comfy sweater, sitting under a beautiful canopy of stars, rocking out to your favorite band, it’s like a dream. Going along with that, all the fall premieres of shows that have been gone come back and it’s like God opened his arms and said, “Let there be joy”.

9. Going to Pumpkin Patches

While this could also be another cute fall date, it’s also just fun to go to the pumpkin patch with your family (who will buy your pumpkins for you). Fall is the only socially acceptable time to be riding around fields of corn in a big tractor so make sure to take advantage of that. Never pass up the opportunity to go to a pumpkin patch, it really doesn’t get any better than that.

10. Monday Night Football

Yep, that’s right everybody. Big grown men throwing a ball around and running into each other every Monday night is back. Football is possibly the best sport of all time, solely because it makes it okay to sit on your butt and yell at people on your TV screen to do better and work harder, while you shove handfuls of chips in your mouth. Or maybe that’s just me.

11. All the Halloween Decorations

Even though people start putting up Halloween decorations approximately eight months in advance, it is always fun to see all the scary ghosts hanging from windows and carved pumpkins sitting outside of houses in the fall. It’s also a good excuse for scaring your little brother into peeing himself.

12. Thanksgiving

Ah yes, the one time of the year it is socially acceptable to eat your weight in turkey and stuffing and potatoes and gravy and pumpkin pie and anything else you can find on the table. Gaining 12 pounds in a matter of six hours is probably one of my favorite things to do all year. Football on the television, your family all around you, and your stomach attempting to digest everything you just ate. What could be better?

13. The Rain

Rain is the most comforting thing in the world. Hearing it pattering on your windows at night, bundling up and running through it, or, my favorite pastime, sitting in the rain alone pondering what to do with my life. Whatever you do in the rain, there is no denying the pleasantness of the sun going away for a while and the rain taking its place.

14. Fireplaces

In summer, it’s much too hot to be spending the money to sit by the fireplace as much as you want to. There is no reasonable explanation for spending money on heating in the summer. But once fall hits, you best believe all my money will be going towards lighting my fireplace so I can curl up with my hot chocolate and cheesy romance novel. I have absolutely no shame.

15. One step closer to Christmas

And of course, as wonderful as fall is, one of the best things about it is once it starts, it’s that much closer to ending. Which ultimately means we are that much closer to Christmas, people. One step closer to Christmas carols, and Peppermint Mochas, and Santa Claus, and alcoholic eggnog. Christmas is the all-time best holiday of the year and the beginning of fall brings about the excitement of its nearness.

So, who is ready to jump into fall with me? Because I’ve been ready for months.