Autumn is my favorite season. Normally I advertise this statement and recieve such responses as, "But it's full of death. Why don't you like spring or something." Still, I can't help but stick some fall music into my CD player toward the end of August and let the memories of autumns past trickle through my blood. Marching band, the smell of dead leaves, a fresh start at school (meaning new classes with new, cute boys to oogle over), cooler weather, hoodies, drinking tea every night, the Jewish holidays, the first fire int he fireplace, and the beautiful autumnal landscape that no one can honestly knock.

I will never stop loving autumn, but I will always mourn its rapid passing. One terrible burden placed on autumn, which aids in its quick demise and causes many onlookers to close their eyes to the beauty of this season altogether, is CHRISTMAS.

Why must we be speaking about Christmas in the beginning of October? We still have Halloween and Thanksgiving to look forward to! Yes, I know, Christmas brings toys and snow and breaks from school. But Halloween is one of the best holidays around! You get free candy, you get to dress up as something you're not, and when you can no longer pretend that you're anything resembling a kid, it's a reason to buy a keg and gorge on candy corn. I don't care what you say Lewis Black, I love the candy corn. Yes, Halloween may be just another holiday stolen from others and warped, corrupted, and turned into something it was never meant to be, but at least it doesn't pretend to be Christian, so everyone can enjoy it. And Thanksgiving! What more can any honest American ask for? Food, food, food, beer and football. YES! These holidays also have some beautiful, underlying meanings if you're interested in seeing them for more than what I wrote above, which to me is a wonderful, multi-faceted blessing.

I say let it be autumn. I say we put off Christmas, let it come slowly, because once it's over we'll be paying off those credit card bills for the next six months anyway. Enjoy the leaves and the crisp feeling in the air, the smell of fires ushering out of chimneys, the last bit of life before the streets turn black with car-murdered snow.