The changing of the seasons happens very slowly, but surely, as if it’s trying to carefully slip its way into your life day by day. First you notice the sun setting earlier each night, then you might feel a sudden chill in the evening that’s unlike what you’ve felt the past two months in the summer. Of course, it might also get incredibly cold in the morning causing you to wear a jacket only to find yourself regretting that decision in the middle of the day when it warms up. But once the new season is here, it’s really something to admire.

Autumn is definitely my favorite season and I feel the most content during it. Though, it’s funny I say I feel the most content during the season when it’s also when my allergies start acting up the most. How horrible does it sound having not just spring allergies to flowers, but also an allergy due to the withering and dying leaves of autumn? Sometimes it’s hard to tell if I’m sick or just suffering from allergies. Nevertheless, it’s still such a great season and there’s so many things to look forward to. Let’s look at a few of them then, shall we?

I always find it really amusing how the fall season within the retail world technically starts in August. Of course, that’s just to introduce all the new merchandise and to act as reminders that hey, it’s going to start getting cold soon, you might want to buy some essentials if you haven’t already. Already they start temping you to buy all the cute sweaters that get released. Don’t even get me started on the back-to-school sales, the semester is already getting pretty rough. So because of this, the very first thing that can technically be counted as the beginnings of autumn would be the start of school. That is, of course, something most people don’t look forward to, but also autumn doesn’t feel the same without it, at least in my opinion. Since starting college, however, a majority of my fall semesters have been starting in summer, so once autumn comes around, it really feels like I’m in the semester since by then I usually have a set routine as well.

Another thing that screams autumn to me the crisp scent in the air and the lack of humidity. Once that humidity is gone, it just feels so much more refreshing and definitely much cooler. Not only does it get a little easier to breathe, but the air mixes in with the scent of the leaves and it feels like its own thing. Perhaps a mix of pumpkin spice is in the midst of that autumn scent? It gets even better when the sun sets and it gets chillier, and suddenly things start seeming spookier too. Oh that’s right, Halloween is just around the corner too, who could forget about that?

Halloween is definitely the number one thing that makes it autumn for me in my book and the spirit of it all just brings out so much fun and excitement. It’s probably the thing that makes autumn so great for me because of how much I look forward to it. When I was fourteen, I spent a good portion of my evening going trick-or-treating with a few of my friends. It was a particularly windy night as well and we were walking through a street that was pretty empty. The streetlight above us was flickering and dying out as it cast shadows of the nearby trees, and the wind howled through the tree branches above us making it sound like some creature was screeching.

I remember exchanging a look with my friend, a terrified look actually, and I remember just being so scared and speechless like, was this scene actually happening to us? It was Halloween and we were so lost and scared.

Still, thinking back on it now and how much detail I still remember, I want to experience that again. It was so crisp, so cool and creepy that it makes me associate autumn with this very moment.

So, readers, I hope you find the joys of autumn as the season unfolds. I hope you find the things that definitely scream autumn for you, whether it’s the comfortable fashion, the tasty drinks, the cool temperature, or even the creepy aesthetic that might come near Halloween that might actually make you scream.