Vai Patil

Every month has some holiday associated with it. There’s Halloween in October, Valentine’s Day in February, Mother’s Day in May; then summer passes with the blink of an eye, coming to a close in September, when we finally return to school. Let’s be real here: when school starts, so does the stress. It can feel like we have nothing to look forward to until three entire months later when Thanksgiving break finally appears.

The thing is, Thanksgiving is at the end of November, marking the beginning of the December holiday season, but it captures a different aspect of the fall aesthetic. The leaves have already fallen and Dunkin’ is switching out its winter menu, leaving out the beauty and nuance of early fall. 

What if there was a holiday with this exact autumn mood, a holiday for Fall as Christmas or Hanukkah is for December? Perhaps it could even be called a “Fall-iday.” Instead of pushing through the first marking period to reach the holiday season, what if we had a reason to celebrate the season in the interim instead? It seems like the only reasonable decision. 

To start off, you can’t have a “Fall-iday” without the foods that remind you of it. The pumpkin spice latte, of course, would be a signature drink. Wherever you’d look, there would be cinnamon. Cinnamon rolls, cinnamon buns, cinnamon cookies, doughnuts, cake, and even pie. Since pumpkin is taken by Thanksgiving, apples would be the signature fruit. With this new autumn celebration, families will no longer have to debate which of the two pies to serve during dinner, since one will be allocated to each holiday.

How about some activities? Imagine walking home from the bus stop on a Friday afternoon, moving your legs as fast as they will. You would arrive home, scurrying to your bedroom to find your favorite book sitting on your desk. You’d find a blanket, make coffee, sit in a quiet corner, and enjoy reading like you seldom have time to do. Nothing feels as fresh as apple picking in the early fall with friends and family in a wide orchid full of green grass and trees, dotted with red deliciousness. They certainly make for a good apple crisp later. On rainy days, people would get together with their friends in their checkered pajamas to watch movies and Gilmore Girls with a bowl of popcorn. 

Moving on, one of the best parts of fall is the attire. People would wear sweaters, knitted scarves, orange, maroon, and plaid. You would see flannels left and right, stylish boots, and trench coats during chilly mornings when you can see your own breath outside.

The JP Stevens classrooms would be lined with orange and brown trim, leaves on the walls, and vines with fairy lights for the teachers who are really into the fall spirit. The cafeteria would serve cinnamon cookies, and the tables sitting near the door to the courtyard would shiver every time it opens. The Taylor Swift Red album would play on the speakers in the mornings, and the teachers would all have their Dunkin’ Donuts coffee on their desks. 

At the “Fall-iday” parties, people would bob for apples, maybe even go out for pumpkin picking. You would look around at the clothes, the decorations, the color schemes, and let the fall spirit fill you with joy and satisfaction; this wonderful season finally would finally have the recognition and attention it deserves. 

The fall season would gradually transition into the holiday season, leaving no empty space for dullness. Though excitement would fill the air for the upcoming Christmas fervor, there would always be a bittersweet feeling to say goodbye to fall, not wanting it to end. It’s a good thing you’ve already started making plans for how you’re going to spend your next “Fall-iday,” knowing that it can only be better than the last.