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Why I Ache For Fall…
By: Christina Frost
I have two confessions… I live in Texas, and I don’t do summer.
Some people love the heat. These sun worshipers soak up the golden rays of June, July, and August — basking on tubes along lazy, winding rivers or giving themselves up to be deliciously roasted alive laying next to the ocean.
I, on the other hand, used to take ice cold baths as a kid and if the water was even slightly warm it was TOO HOT.
I crave shade. Crisp, playful breezes. Wrapping myself up in soft sweaters, leggings, and scarves as blustery clouds billow overhead. This is my happy place.
Sadly, we do not get a lot of gloriously cool days in Texas. Half the time you're freezing one hour and sweating the next.
I dream of the northeast part of the United States where the trees blaze with reds, oranges, and yellows once the weather starts to turn. I wonder what it would be like to go on an annual hay ride where you drink hot cider next to fields of pumpkins — each one waiting to be snatched up to add a pop of color to a plain white porch.
I went to Maine once and almost scared our driver off the road when I saw a WILD apple tree and gasped, “APPLES!” You simply don’t see those in Texas...
I believe the heart of why I yearn for fall though is all the whimsy it brings.
People start baking in the fall. We break out recipes new and old filled with cinnamon, nutmeg, pie crusts and ooey gooey fillings. We get a chance to surprise people with what we’ve baked for them or just get to enjoy our own creations at home, curled up in our favorite chair, watching rain pelt the window outside.
Hygge, eat your heart out!
We finally start thinking about decorating our homes again. We unbox those garlands of autumn leaves, blow the dust off from smiling scarecrows, and get ready to carve the most original design on a pumpkin we can think of (or a great idea we found on Pinterest anyway).
And speaking of pumpkin carving, Halloween is a holiday that champions creativity at its core! “What are you going to be this year?” people ask, and for a moment you’re free to imagine that you can be anything or anyone you want for one glorious Hallow’s Eve evening…Not to mention ALL those memories of hard won candy come flooding back. Now, as an adult, you get to play the part of making a child’s night magical when they arrive at your door and recite the sacred words of decades past, “Trick or Treat!”
All of this just scratches the surface of this enchanting season. Those who love fall know our affection for it runs deeper than pumpkin spice lattes and new wool jackets. It whispers to our hearts dreams of coziness, thoughtful gestures, and lovely, mysterious change.
And I, for one, plan to drink up every single moment of it!
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