The Autumn Equinox signals the beginning of Autumn and is defined by Earth’s orbit around the Sun; this falls on the 22nd or 23rd of September. However, to keep a record of climate data that is easy to compare, Meteorological Autumn always begins on the 1st of September. 

If asked what my favorite time of the year is, I think I would have to say, Autumn. The change of color on the leaves as the trees get ready for winter, that beautiful sound of crunching underfoot as you walk over dry foliage already settled upon the ground. It’s that time of year when it’s not too hot, but not yet the bitter cold of winter. You can wear your cozy and comfy clothes; scarves start to make a rare appearance, and coffee shops start to make special spice coffee that brings us all running in. 

As the evenings start to become dark earlier, it seems to make them cozier, as you settle down with a hot drink to watch a film or the latest hot TV show that everyone is talking about. My favorite activities of the year happen during autumn, Halloween, and Fireworks night. 

You can guarantee shops make money off these events as early as possible. With Halloween stuff on sale as early as September, you see shops stocked with costumes, treat boxes, decorations for inside and outside of the house, as well as treat containers, plus much, much more, all for your Halloween needs, as far as the eyes can see.

Coffee shops start selling pumpkin-spiced coffee and treats, and I find myself going from shop to shop and trying to find which coffee company serves the best one caught up in their advertisement slogan that it will be around for a limited time and, so I must try it now.

Two weeks before Halloween, pumpkin patches start to advertise that they are open to the public, a great way for families to have an evening out; if you can’t get to them, you can always grab a pumpkin in the stores. Now it’s time to buy the best pumpkin, carve it up, and stick it on your front doorstep for Halloween. 

It’s great to see the kid’s excitement on Halloween night, knocking on doors, saying those famous words “trick or treat,” and holding out their bags, ready for their next lot of candy to be handed over. Their costumes were way better than what we had when we were younger, and the threat of a “trick” was totally lost over the years. 

Once Halloween is over, it’s straight on to fireworks night, as the shops have started to make that their focus for the next week. As people now start to buy fireworks for their own get-togethers in their gardens or if they are anything like me, they start looking for local events or further afield for bigger, more amazing displays such as firework competitions or weekend events, all of which have been booked months in advance.

I like the little local events. Some will even have a huge bonfire burning and a choice of food vendors for your convenience, and, of course, the main event will be THE FIREWORKS!

Where you stood in the dark on a cold evening, looking up at the sky as a multitude of fireworks are set off at just the right time, each one making you jump as it explodes, yet everyone going “Ahh” at the array of colors and shapes that are made, all for our entertainment. As the last firework goes off, people cheer and applaud before making their journeys home; an evening of excitement and wonder is over…until next year. 

Despite what the weather shows, Autumn lasts until 21st December, when winter officially starts on the day of the Winter Solstice; this means that we also do all our Christmas shopping during the Autumn period as well. See all the Christmas plays, switch on the Christmas lights, and sing our Christmas carols upon an autumn night. It’s not until four days before Christmas that Winter finally wraps its cold arms around us, and we say goodbye to Autumn for another year. 

This was written by our contributing writer, Leah Palmer.