Have you ever noticed that you feel out of sorts during the month of November? Or that it seems to drag on forever? That is because November is probably the worst month of the year and here is why:
1. Halloween is over.
Everyone gets so excited about Halloween that it is hard to face reality when it is over. Whether you’re a kid in costume collecting candy from neighbors or an adult sampling a cauldron of “Witch’s Brew” at a party, Halloween is one of the best holidays to go have fun. But November marks the end of the fun and games.
2. It’s too warm for snow but too cold to be outside.
As soon as November starts it seems like someone flips a switch and suddenly the weather is terrible. Sometimes little snowflakes will make it out of the clouds, but as soon as they touch the ground they disappear. Never leave your umbrella at home because if you do it will inevitably rain all day.
3. The leaves stop being crunchy!
One of the best parts about fall is the crunchy leaves, but we can thank November for ruining that. Because of the terrible weather all the leaves lose their crunch and become soggy and gross. The splat of a soggy leaf underfoot is not nearly as enjoyable as the dry crunch of October leaves.
4. Everything is always grey.
The sky, the leaves, the trees, the stale air, the neighbor reluctantly fighting the wind to check his mailbox; everything takes on grey hues. The drudgery of it all has your soul on the brink of turning grey itself. When the sun does finally peek out you will inevitably be unable to enjoy it. Your skin will have to wait a little longer for that much-needed Vitamin D.
5. Panic sets in because there is only a month left in the semester.
For college students, the threat of the end of the semester becomes real in November. With the good vibes from Halloween, students are able to coast for about two weeks, and then they suddenly realize it is the middle of November and finals are a month away. Procrastinated assignments start surfacing and no matter how much time you have, the mountain of work never seems to go away.
6. A diet is in order so you can enjoy the holidays.
Because Christmas is just around the corner, you realize you need to lay off the leftover Halloween candy to make room for the coming of Christmas cookies. You mentally prepare yourself by thinking “I will start going to the gym, eating healthy and drinking less!’ If you are lucky, this lasts for all of one week (which is probably longer than your last New Year’s resolution lasted, so that’s a bonus).
7. Sickness, sickness for everybody!
The changing of the weather really messes with our immune systems. The cold brings out a runny nose, which leads to a sore throat, which combined with the stress of looming finals, leads to getting ridiculously sick during your busiest week and chugging a bottle of Nyquil just to function as a semi-decent human being.
8. Thanksgiving seems so far away.
The need for Thanksgiving break is real. The dreariness of November is only broken by Thanksgiving, not because the weather gets any better, but because you get to gorge yourself on good food and take a little break from the stresses of life.
9. Christmas is even further away than Thanksgiving.
Christmas feels like it is so close because the box stores began setting up their Christmas displays on Halloween, which seems exciting at first. You think “OH MY GOD! Christmas is almost here and it is going to be great!” But then you realize that it is still two full months away…
Just hold in there! You can make it through November, only a couple weeks to go! Just remember that at this point, Christmas is not too far away!
