I love this time of year! The shorter days, crisp cool air, harvest fruits and vegetables, apple butter, I could go on and on! I especially love the way we come together as a family and the go-go-go of summertime is winding down. Those of you who know me, know that the changing colors of this time of year just excite me from my very core.

I love all of the seasons and I am usually ready for them as it is their appropriate time to come, but fall is something special. This time of year is a time of reconnecting, of coming back together.

During the winter months, we all bundle up and keep warm. It’s dark for so many hours of the day, that when spring arrives, we are ready to come out from under the heavy clothes and breathe in the fresh, new air. We watch everything outside come to life and there is a sense that we are arriving again, too. Baby animals are born, flowers are painting primary colors everywhere, and the sun is starting to warm us again.

Not long after spring arrives, along comes summer. Here is the big preparation for what I love about fall. We shed our blankets, open our windows and doors and even take off many of our clothes. We start our days early and use them all the way up until the last ray of sunshine is gone. This usually isn’t until after 9 pm. For my family, we are going, going, going, and going some more, and almost always in different directions!

As summer comes to a close, everyone seems to want to come back home. Not just back into the house, but they want to help cook and eat dinner together, the pace slows as we metaphorically prepare for the long, dark months ahead. In the process of preparing for winter, we get to enjoy warm days and cool nights. There are hints of fragrant fires burning in fireplaces and the scent of autumn that is different for all of us. The colors mother nature uses to redecorate with are spectacular, but the show is for a limited engagement. A big gust of wind or an early rain, will shorten the run of her show. This is where I love to take it all in. Take a moment to notice the way the earlier setting sun lights up the colors of these gorgeous trees. I do, and in doing so, I give my family the gift of taking notice as well.

What do you love about fall? Please, do tell!