Anna-Catherine Kueng ~ Assistant Editor
For many people, fall is a favorite season. The leaves are changing, the temperature is cooling down, and the smell of cinnamon is in the air. Although I love fall, I am not one of the people who claim it as my favorite season. I much prefer winter, which is partially because I was born in February, but that is a story for another day.
Anyway, I still like fall very much. It is a nice transition before winter, and it means the semester is almost halfway over (hallelujah). As with every season, I have some lovely memories I think back on during this time of year. I thought I would share a few, and maybe you have similar ones.
What stands out to me the most when I look back on my middle and high school years is going to pumpkin patches. For most of my life, I went to Owen Farm, in Danville, VA, with my mom and sister. My mom would hold my hand, help me pick out the right pumpkin, and then take me back to the house so my dad could carve it for me. Last year, my sister and I went to White Fall Farm, in Gretna, VA, for the first time and got to bring our dog. Needless to say, that was a fun experience.
Other memories I have are related to my best friend’s birthday parties, which kind of tie in with pumpkins. Nicole’s birthday is on Oct. 30, so she would usually include some kind of Halloween activity in her parties. During high school, I could always count on getting to carve pumpkins with my friends at Nicole’s house. Even though we are in college now, I still enjoy celebrating her birthday the day before Halloween.
That brings me to another great part of fall: Halloween. When I was little, I always dressed up as a princess and went trick or treating in my neighborhood. It was so exciting to walk the streets with my family and to meet my neighbors. In middle school, I started passing out candy from my house and it was cute to see children’s costumes. During high school, I did trunk or treat at my church with my sister. My favorite year was when we dressed up as 50s girls and got to wear poodle skirts.
At my age now, I do not do much for Halloween anymore because I am away from home and in school when the holiday falls. However, I still enjoy seeing pictures of costumes on Facebook, hanging up decorations, and listening to supposedly spooky songs, like “The Monster Mash.” This fall, I carved pumpkins with my loved ones and I hope to go hiking soon.
Whatever your memories are with fall, I hope they are good ones. I know October can be a stressful month between papers, presentations, and midterms, but be sure to take some time to take in the beauty of the season!