Fall, autumn -- whatever you want to call it -- is finally gracing us with its presence after nine long months. The autumnal equinox occurred last Wednesday, Sept. 23, meaning that summer is officially over and fall is here for three perfect, glorious months. They are guaranteed to be the best months of the year. It's the one time of year that's filled with bright colors, delicious food, and an endless string of festivities. If you're still not convinced, then I'm here to enlighten you about why fall is the best season of all.

1. Scenery

In what other season can you find the beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows that are so abundant in fall? Spring and summer offer us an array of greenery with the occasional bright pop of color, which, while lovely, will never provide the perfect backdrop for those Instagram pics of you apple-picking with your squad the way the deep hues of fall will. Winter gives us either a barren wasteland of dead shrubbery or the occasional stunning blanket of crisp white snow, which would be perfect if it wasn't inevitably transformed into a muddy brown mess within the first few hours. Fall scenery really just can't be beat — nothing can compare to walking through a cluster of colorful trees while sunset colored leaves float down around you. Plus, the feeling of stepping on a crunchy fallen leaf is arguably one of life's finer moments. When it comes it the great outdoors, Fall is a clear winner in all aspects, which brings me to another huge selling point of the season:

2. Weather

The weather can vary depending on where you live, but it's nearly impossible to go anywhere in the summer without being overcome by sweltering heat and humidity and sweating so much that you lose any chance of looking presentable. In the winter, leaving the house is a health risk: you can't do it without wearing at least eighteen layers of clothing or else risk hypothermia in all of your extremities. In the fall, we are granted a blissful mix of warmth and chill that creates that perfect temperature. It's the type of weather in which you can wear a sweatshirt or a t-shirt and you're comfortable either way. Not to mention that it's the perfect weather for staying in and cuddling up with a good book, or a cute person, and a blanket. Don't take the perfect weather for granted though, because before you know it, winter will roll through bringing something reminiscent of an Ice Age with it.

3. Clothing

With the lovely weather that fall offers the outfit opportunities are endless. It's usually not too cold for your summer clothes and maybe a cardigan, but it's not too hot to whip out the good ol' leggings, long-sleeve shirt, and boots combo. You can utilize all of your clothes and look more stylish than ever all because the fall gods bless us with perfect temperatures. When it does start to get a little chillier, you can bundle up in adorable sweaters and scarves which look casual but fashionable on literally everyone, and it still won't be too cold to go outdoors and do fun things like jumping in piles of leaves and get those Instagram pics for which you've been waiting! If you're like me and like to live the lazy and cozy life, just pull out all of your favorite hoodies that were neglected during the warmer months and wear nothing but them and yoga pants every day until Spring comes back around.

4. Festivities

The great thing about fall is that you get all the fun of not one, not two, but three different holidays, all of which are pretty hype times of the year. First, you get Halloween in October, which means costumes, pumpkin picking and carving, hay rides, parties, and most importantly an excuse to eat ungodly amounts of candy. What's not to love? Next, you get Thanksgiving in November which is arguably the best holiday of the year because there is so much food, as well as the opportunity to spend time with your loved ones and give thanks for all you have. Overall, it's a festive and highly anticipated holiday, and almost everyone gets time off of school and work which we all know is what really matters. Finally, you get Christmas. I know that Christmas doesn't actually happen until Dec. 25, but given that fall doesn't technically end until Dec. 22, you get to bask in all of the fun, festive, cheery things that come before the actual holiday, such as the 25 days of Christmas countdown, the endless loop of Christmas music, the parties, the caroling, and the shopping! Isn't the anticipation of Christmas the best part, anyway?

5. Food

Now, for my personal favorite part of fall: the food. Call me basic, but when it comes to pumpkin flavored things I am the most basic of all the basics. That being said, we all know that with fall comes pumpkin: pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin spice everything — but there is so, so much more than that. Hot apple cider, caramel apples, candy corn, chili, pecan and sweet potato pie, s'mores, soups, and casseroles galore — the list is endless. As if those traditional fall favorites weren't enough, bulk candy goes on sale after Halloween, and the most delicious Christmas desserts start to pop up everywhere for the holidays, not to mention the fact that Thanksgiving, the biggest food holiday in America, falls in November! And with this season comes an overall air of acceptance for eating and drinking your weight in baked goods and pumpkin spice lattes on a regular basis. Holiday weight is real because almost everyone packs on a couple pounds around this time of year, and it's totally cool if you do because no one will even notice with all of those cute sweaters you'll be wearing!

5. Football season

Does this even need an explanation? Football season is a glorious time when people of all ages can stand together to support the team and the sport that they love. If you're still in school, you get to cheer your team on and show off your school spirit with your classmates almost every weekend. There's also usually tons of tailgating and day drinking to look forward to, and what's not to love about that? Whether you're spending Sunday on the couch or at the stadium cheering your team on, keeping up with your fantasy league, or playing for your own team, there is always something to love about football this time of year. And even if you aren't a football fan, you can always use game day as an excuse to make fun, yummy food like chicken wings, nachos, and all the dip.

6. Television

New seasons of all the best television shows always seem to start in the Fall. (Apparently there's a reason for that.) New seasons of some of the greatest series on TV right now recently premiered or are about to premiere -- shows such as "Modern Family," "Blackish," "Scandal," "American Horror Story," and "Once Upon A Time" — and much more. (In case you're in need of some help to sort through all of your TV options, here is a handy dandy little guide to what you should watch and what you should avoid this season.) However, even better than the new TV shows are the movie reruns! Around Halloween we are all blessed with endless reruns of movies like "Hocus Pocus," "Halloweentown," and "Casper."Then, as soon as Thanksgiving is over, we are hit with another wave of movies, this time of the Christmas variety -- looking at you, ABC Family. Arguably, fall is the best time of year for classic movie throwbacks, and even though all of these movies are now widely available for streaming, there really is something exciting about seeing that one of your favorite movies is about to air.

And if somehow you are still not convinced, here is the indisputable most important reason that fall should be number one in our hearts: "Mean Girls" day.

If this reference isn't making any sense to you, then go make some apple cider, cuddle up on the couch in your most comfortable hoodie (blanket recommended), and watch "Mean Girls" on repeat until further notice.