By Olivia Peterson

My premature excitement for the holidays has been a running joke in my family for quite some time. In fact, it would be a blatant lie to claim that I don’t start listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween, or that I don’t start pulling out my collection of spooky, gothic novels on the first day of September.

Despite my awareness that people are often annoyed by my early seasonal celebrations—especially my tendency to refer to Thanksgiving as simply a pre-Christmas—I have not a single regret.

You see, the autumnal months and holiday seasons—at least for me—serve as a vehicle for many comforting traditions that my family and I have had since I was a little girl. And especially now, in my first semester away from all the familiarities of home, these traditions are a small comfort that I am able to bring with me to college.

It is certainly no shock that the atmosphere of New York and that of my home in Wisconsin are drastically different.
However, despite the cultural and physical differences, one thing that I can rely on to stay the same is autumn and the craze that consumes myself and some others when the fall season arrives.

Autumn is, and always has been, the time of year where family dinners, late night movies and homemade caramel apples become more prominent in my household. These small traditions that my family has developed have become a source of excitement for my siblings and I. They have also brought my family closer together throughout the autumn and winter seasons.

But this year is different. I am 871 miles from my home, and to cope with the drastic changes I am facing in my life, I feel myself turning to the traditions from home even earlier than I have in the past. I do this to bring some familiarity and comfort with me. Though it may be mid-September, the idea of wearing warm sweaters and drinking hot drinks evokes memories of the cozy nights of Wisconsin autumns, which I want to hold on to as much as possible.

But all sentimentality aside, there are some more legitimate reasons that premature autumn excitement is reasonable. The first being that sweaters are the most comfortable thing you will ever wear! Hear me out, nothing is better than waking up on a cold morning to transfer yourself from your warm blankets into another warm blanket that’s in shirt form.

Reason number two: fall is pretty. Now, I’m aware that it’s not exactly pretty yet, but the idea of all the leaves changing is still exciting. Finally, reason number three: as much fun as it is to celebrate fall as soon as August ends, it is equally as fun to make fun of the people who celebrate fall as soon as August ends.

Even the cynics find enjoyment in poking fun at the people trying to wear sweaters when it is 90 degrees out. In fact, I am sure many friendships have been born over the bond of hatred for the fall craze. Essentially, the early celebration of fall brings something to the table for everyone, because the only bond stronger than one formed by love is one formed by hate.

All that being said, celebrating fall early is acceptable not only because it brings comfort and traditions to many people—especially college students—but also because it is just fun. Furthermore, even those who hate the fall craze love to hate the fall craze.

At the end of the day, if fall brings happiness to those who adhere to it, it is worth it (no matter how annoying it may be to others). Fall is fun. The holidays are fun and so on and so forth.

Therefore, you really cannot blame those of us who get excited maybe a little too early, because when all is said and done, it makes complete sense.

Olivia Peterson, FCRH ’22, is a journalism and environmental policy major from Racine, Wisconsin.