It's that time of year again. The mornings become brisker, the sun peaks through the horizon a little later, and the smell of fall is in the air. You all know what that means… it's time for Starbucks to bring back their famous specialty drink, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, into your life. It's basically a seasonal celebrity. Every Starbucks lover has been counting down to this moment for months and now it's finally here.

Fall has become one of my absolute favorite seasons (besides summer, of course). Growing up in New England, I have always looked forward to the beautiful foliage every year with the gorgeous assortments of warm-colored leaves on the trees. My siblings and I would wake up early every Saturday for a morning full of soccer games followed by playing in the colorful leaves before raking them into a big pile and jumping in them. Spending time with family and enjoying each other's company has always been my favorite memory of fall. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays where I get to spend time with my grandparents, cousins, and aunts and uncles, and enjoy my grandmother's delicious home cooking.

This is a special time, especially now that I am in college because I don't get to see my family very often. Being able to spend time with them on this holiday is something that I look forward to every year, besides the delicious food (obviously).

If fall could be described by one scent/flavor, it would definitely be pumpkin spice. There's no question about it. Whether it's pumpkin spice-flavored coffee creamer, specialty coffee drinks, bakery goods, cereals, ice cream, candle scents, air fresheners, you name it. It's impossible to get away from it during the fall months. I have definitely become acquired to pumpkin spice over the years. I'm still not a big fan of pumpkin pie, but I enjoy most pumpkin spice-flavored things, except Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

I have never thought of fall in terms of a Starbucks drink. This has become the new craze over the last few years and quite frankly, I think it's overrated. Sure, I like Starbucks, but I don't think the PSL deserves all of the praise it gets. A few years ago, I wanted to see what all of the talk was about, so I ordered my first PLS. Come to find, I could barely take three sips. It didn't even taste like pumpkin to me because it probably didn't have any pumpkin in it. It was loaded with sugar and I couldn't drink any more of it without feeling sick.

Yes, I know that probably makes me an outcast, but fall is supposed to be about family, playing in the leaves, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Friday night football games under the lights, apple and pumpkin picking, and much more. People have become so obsessed with this drink and it's taking away from what pumpkin spice really is.

So to all of you PSL enthusiasts, it's time for a wake-up call. Try something that has real pumpkin in it and see if you can taste the difference. Trust me, it will be worth it.