With the end of August, something magical appears in the air. As if a little “Ber” Nymph sprinkles a special dust in our dreams, and the world starts to slow down a little. The air becomes crisp, the days grow darker, and a familiar feeling begins to creep into our hearts: nostalgia. A special form of magic accompanies the Ber months; something that is not seen, but most certainly felt.
September
Despite starting school in August, September will always be synonymous with “Back-to-School” season. Every Labor Day I am washed with memories from my childhood; clambering onto the bus on my first day of kindergarten, already crying because I missed my mother. Learning about Johnny Appleseed accompanied with apple themed crafts and mid-day naps. Gish, I am overtaken with a wave of mourning not only for my childhood, but the whimsy of youth.
Despite this sadness, September is familiar. The scents and the activities remain constant. The Pumpkin Apple candle always burning, the outings to an orchard or the Cider Mill. The start of Buffalo Bills football, when hope is still present. September is a constant being, never changing.
October
The month of scares brings a different wave over me. October will always be related to It is The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown as well as Garfield’s Halloween Adventure. These movies represent what it was like to be raised by a 1970’s mother in the 2000’s. I yearn for a 2009 Halloween, with purple lights, a Beauty and the Beast Costume, and a Jack-O-Lantern full of candy. That is not to mention the act of carving a pumpkin, the laughs that filled my kitchen as my dad scooped the guts out of my pumpkin and my mother roasted pumpkin seeds.
Watching Disney Channel’s Halloween commercials and specials while munching on a Happy Meal out of a green bucket. Begging to go to Spirit Halloween so you can get a princess dress. It is such a special feeling with the anticipation of Halloween, fearing monsters under your bed and watching Hallmark’s 31 Nights of Halloween on your cable TV.
November
This nostalgia comes in the form of a single day: Thanksgiving. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is so nostalgic as an event. With balloons spanning as far back as my mother’s childhood. The Hello Kitty balloon has always been my favorite. There are so many traditions that accompany Thanksgiving. Sitting with my mother and looking through black Friday ads, eating cinnamon rolls, watching the Thanksgiving Day football game, watching Christmas movies with a full and happy stomach. All moments from my childhood that remain, and the ones that have not (like physical ads), are lost in the sea of nostalgia, waiting to be unlocked again.
December
This is my most nostalgic month. From Christmas shopping, to watching movies from my childhood, I feel most like a kid again in December. It saddens me that I will never again have a Christmas party with my classmates the day before break. The first snowfall of winter creates an eerie feeling that I have experienced since childhood. The quiet and lifeless look of it gives the same feeling as the Polar Express.
Christmas morning itself is full of nostalgia and tradition. Waiting eagerly to open gifts, but also to watch others open the gifts I gave them. Arguably, Christmas is my most nostalgic time. The feeling of waiting on Christmas Eve, the magic of the season transports me back to childhood. When things were easier.
The “Ber” months bring a feeling that is not felt in any other part of the year. They merge a sense of comfort in the wintry weather with the warmth of memories. This creates a sense of familiarity and longing for a time that once was.