The beginning of a new season

Today is the first official day of fall. Apparently some people didn't get the memo. I gleefully (you see what I did there, it's also the premier of "Glee" tonight) announced it was the first day of fall in our staff meeting and it was met with blank stares. I guess not everyone shares my passion. That's OK, but I never forget the first official day of fall, because it's usually one of my happiest days of the year.

There are four seasons — Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. And they always begin on the 21st day of the month in which we change. Sept. 21 for fall, Dec. 21 for Winter (which is also the Solstice, the shortest day of the year), March 21 for Spring and June 21 for Summer (also a Solstice, the longest day of the year). OK, so I'm a season nerd. I accept the charge and wear it proudly.

Anyway, there may be four seasons, but they are hardly equal. In my opinion — and since it's my blog mine is the only one that really counts :) — Fall is without equal as the best of the seasons. I look forward to fall more than any time during the year. It's just the best. In fact, when I was attending a school board meeting with Katy in August I started to get those feelings of fall and I was filled with warmth. I wanted to write this blog post then, but I decided to wait for the actual start of the fall.

Anyway, I'll share a few reasons why I love fall. Hopefully you'll see the wisdom in this argument.

1. Fall falls right after the worst season, Summer. Summer is a time of exorbitant temperatures, lackluster sporting options, and people with too much time on their hands. I always feel out of sorts during the summer because schedules are thrown WAY off.

2. Fall signals the beginning of Football, God's gift to humanity. In fact, the two weeks of jubilee (this is my term for a time when I'm filled with an optimism that is hard to shake) begins on the the Thursday that the NFL season returns. I love football. I never have to wonder what the highlight of my Sunday afternoon will be (note I said afternoon, God is still the highlight of my Sunday, especially on weeks when the Broncos get crushed). But I love football. I love watching games, highlights, and reveling in the competition.

3. TV and Movies get better. Fall marks the beginning of the season, which is always full of promise and includes a host of new shows with the potential to entertain for years on end. Though the finales in May are exciting, the fall premiers always feel more meaningful. By the same token, fall and early winter is when films of substance make their way to the theater. Sure, there will be a run of schlock in October around Halloween, but then we get some gems in November and the first few weeks of December.

4. Fall has the best holidays. You can't really claim Christmas for the fall (it falls four days later), but the Christmas season is certainly a hall mark of the Fall. You do most of your shopping and have office parties prior to Dec. 21, so I'm attaching my flag to that. Also, there's Thanksgiving. In fact, the whole month of November feels like a pretty big holiday. There's also Halloween, which has its comical purposes. Plus, you get pumpkins galore. Of course, this year I cheated and had two Pumpkin Spice Lattes and a Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffin prior to today's Fall debut, but still the change in goodies is wonderful.

5. And finally, the weather takes a turn for the better. It's not as cold as winter, and not as rainy as the spring, but the air is crisp, the leaves are falling, and you can finally wear long pants without melting. It is a sign of good things to come.

Now I defy you to come up with a better argument for another of the seasons... For me, it has always been Fall. So a happy Fall to all!