Bring on the pumpkin spice
I'm holding onto the last day of summer with all of my might. Not that it will do any good! The calendar slides officially to fall tomorrow, Sept. 22, when we get the same amount of daylight and night, and after? Well, it gets darker sooner.
Those who came before us marked the autumnal equinox with rituals and celebrations, some of which continue in one form or another to this day. I don't know if modern America has its own specific "fall tradition," but I've got a few contenders.
1. Start pushing fall merch by the Fourth of July. You don't want to "fall" behind! Plus, you've gotta clear the shelves in time to bring in the Christmas stuff by September, so you can have Valentine's Day goodies displayed on Dec. 26. I personally curse/praise the evil marketing genius that brings us Brach's candy pumpkins by about the third week in August, so I can lard up even more than usual, thanks to these little sugar bombs from heaven. (Seriously, I'm trying to resist and only bought my first bag this weekend — AND I've still got some left! Usually, I eat most of them in the car on the way home, ugh. And, yes, these are essentially the same thing as candy corn, which makes me one of those freaks who likes sweetened crayons.)
2. Two words: Pumpkin. Spice. This isn't my jam, necessarily; in fact, I might be among the few who are neutral about all things pumpkin spice. It's probably because I don't drink coffee and its variants, so I don't really care how shops begin flavoring their lattes and what all. If you love it, though, enjoy! You can also find plenty of recipes for making it at home with a simple online search. Drink up! If you don't love it, you can always get a laugh out of this oldie-but-goodie from John Oliver.
3. Seriously, though. If there are true fall traditions, getting out to see the trees change their clothes is probably the big one (along with trips to pumpkin patches). It's leaf-looking time, or nearly. What's on display depends on several factors, like weather, and this year, the change could be sooner than expected. Also keep in mind you could have lots of company in the high country, where roads are winding — keep an eye out for cars along the shoulders, and people walking where maybe they usually don't. More tips from the Colorado State Patrol here.
(Trees near Crested Butte glow with autumnal fire in 2024. Photo by Jeremy Morrison)
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