With September 22nd marking the official first day of fall, it is time to embrace all the cozy warmth and gratitude that this season brings.
In the coming weeks, as we walk outside, we will start to see the gradual changing of the leaves as they begin to adopt their annual palette of reds, ambers, and browns. The sight of your own breath against the nippy air will once again become familiar and the redness will return to our cheeks and noses.
This means it’s time to bust out your favorite pumpkin spice recipes, grab your sweaters and flannels, and press play on your favorite fall movies. I went on a hunt to find out what exactly makes this season so special for students at Arcata High.
Many students focused on the sensory aspects of fall. “I guess I just like fall aesthetics! Walking in the forest when everything is orange and walking on the crunchy leaves,” Bella Reagan said.
The weather is another favorite aspect of this time of year. Aurora Pitts, a junior at Arcata High School, got particularly excited about this topic. “I love when it gets rainy. Rain is my favorite weather! Like, I just want to go outside and sit in the rain,” Pitts said. Numerous other students agreed with this sentiment, claiming they loved to cozy up inside with a blanket or a cup of tea and watch the downpour outside.
Another student takes a slightly different approach to the sudden abundance of rain. “I like rain because it gives me an excuse to bring my umbrella to school and hit people in the hallway… by ‘accident,’” confidently announces senior Jennifer Haggerty.
A third popular response was baking! As mentioned before, most people are likely familiar with the smell of pumpkin spice and cinnamon drifting through the air and nothing quite welcomes the autumn warmth like a homemade pumpkin pie or warm apple cider. “I love baking lots of apple things,” reflects senior Sierra Paliaga. “My favorite part of baking with apples is the flexibility – like improvising and eyeballing stuff until it looks right … it usually turns out pretty good.”
Lastly, some of the most memorable holidays take place around this time of year. First, Halloween comes with all its spooky goodness and gives us the chance to dress up, have fun with friends, and eat lots of sweet treats. “Halloween is definitely my favorite holiday,” says Bella Reagan. “I just love the movies and scary aesthetics.”
Next, we have Thanksgiving which encourages us to be grateful for everything that we have and fosters the connection of family and friends. It’s hard to feel down with a table full of familiar faces and a plate full of mashed potatoes and gravy.
