Each new season brings changes and Autumn is no exception. Fall has been upon us for over a month now, and I’m starting to remember why it is not my favorite season.

It does have its good points. For example it hosts two of the greatest holidays, it gives you the ability to make huge leaf piles, and boasts some beautiful colors when the leaves begin to change colors.

Thanksgiving, which is just around the corner, is one of my favorite holidays because it allows me to do what I love to do most, eat. It also allows me to spend time with family while eating, which is even better. I’ve been trying to institute the family tradition of bringing a present to the Thanksgiving meal as a sort of warm up for Christmas, but I haven’t been successful yet. Halloween is the other great holiday that Fall hosts. It is great for one reason, candy. Being too old to trick-or-treat puts a damper on the Halloween spirit, but it is still a great holiday.

Even though autumn isn’t my favorite season, it ranks third behind summer and spring, it does give you the chance to do something that no other season does with that being the opportunity to make huge leaf piles. As a child and now as a 22-year-old, I still love to make big mounds of leaves and jump in them. It’s quiet fun. No other season produces massive amounts of leaves all over the ground that would allow for such a grand opportunity.

My favorite thing about the fall season is the beautiful foliage that the leaves produce when they change colors. I love to see all the bright yellows, reds, and oranges. I look at all the gorgeous colors and think, “Wow what an awesome Creator we have because there is no way something this beautiful could have evolved.” The colors remind me why I love to live in the mountains.

Even though for a short time, fall is one of the prettiest seasons; it ranks as my third favorite season for many reasons: the days get shorter, the leaves completely fall off the trees, and the weather gets colder. We set our clocks back a couple weeks ago and I am still adjusting to the change. The time change makes the days seem so much shorter. I don’t like the fact that it gets dark at 5:30 every evening. I miss the long summer days with over 12 hours of daylight.

Fall’s changing temperatures are another thing I don’t like about the season. It’s not bitterly cold like winter can be, but the temps cool down quiet a bit and it leads you into the bitter cold of winter. I live in what my family calls the “north pole” because when the Earth moves on its axis into the Fall Equinox position, it means that where I live won’t see much sunlight until spring. Because the sun doesn’t get over the tree tops, the only bit of sun that we get in the fall and winter is when it shines its weak rays through the trees onto our house.

The thing I dislike most about fall is how it goes from being one of the prettiest seasons at its start in September to one of the ugliest at its end in December. Looking at trees with bare branches is no where near as pretty as looking at them when they are covered with bright orange, yellow, red, purple or green leaves.

Even though the Earth is in the same position on its axis during both the Spring and Fall Equinoxes, I enjoy spring so much more because I know that it is leading to the Summer Solstice and my favorite season, summer. During fall you have nothing more to look forward to than a couple months of cold, dreary weather. I can’t wait till Summer.