It’s the beginning of October and it’s beginning to feel slightly cooler. Target has tribal printed scarves out, pumpkin spice lattes and salted caramel mochas are finally here, and let’s be honest, so is your holiday spirit. The image of sitting on a warm, comfy couch with coffee in hand, a book in the other, and a cable knit blanket over your lap is the epitome of happiness and comfort to you, and you spend all day on campus daydreaming about it. While counting down the minutes till you can put your PJ’s on, you may be thinking of popping popcorn or baking pumpkin spice cookies instead, maybe even watching Halloweentown or Hocus Pocus. Guilty. As. Charged.
If I’m being brutally honest, my autumn obsession has been here for about three weeks, but I hid it carefully, restricting it to Pinterest pumpkin cookie recipes and Youtube soup recipe videos. I’m considering it an epidemic, a sudden, all encompassing change of mind; one day you’re thinking of beach tanning and popsicles and the next day, sweaters, mugs of coffee or tea, leather bound books, and slippers are all you can think about! Autumn obsession is a real thing and being the only friend in your friend group to have it may be a bit disconcerting, but fear not! There are ways of dealing with your solitude and making the most out of this holiday season!
Firstly, don’t hide it! Embrace this time of year and all the joyful comfort it brings! If autumn is what makes you happy, who’s to tell you to not obsess over it? Butt Munches are who. And we don’t need that negativity in our lives. Plus, it’s already so hard to get into the holiday spirit when it’s summer all year round. If you can feel it, bring out your inner duck and let the eye rolls, snide “it’s too soon” comments, and mild mockery slide off you back!
Secondly, when your roommate walks in on you sitting in the living room surrounded with mini pumpkins, gold and black glitter, giant sharpies, googly eyes, and hot glue gun in hand and gives you “the look”, just smile. Laugh with them. Enjoy the silliness of decorating for Halloween 4 weeks early and Thanksgiving 8 weeks early. Know that they secretly love it. A well decorated house, especially one that has burgundies, burnt oranges, mustard yellows, warm browns, and vibrant reds running through it, gives off such comforting, homey feelings; it’s like being home with your crazy, holiday obsessed mom (yes, you’re more like her than you thought).
Thirdly and finally, SPLURGE. Be smart with your money and realistic about what amount you can spend, but this time of year is so precious to us autumn lovers. If you are seriously craving that PSL and SCM, get it! Spend some quality time baking and filling up your apartment or common room with the glorious smells of cinnamon buns and pecan pies. You can even forget money and splurge your time; walk home the long way or take a stroll through Poly Canyon’s eucalyptus grove! It won’t have the orange and red leaves we’re craving, because hey, we’re California. But by spending enough extra time outside, you’ll feel a little bit more connected to nature and will start to notice the subtle changes in weather when the occur. Plus, no one will know about your autumn obsessed, romanticist behavior.
I suppose what I’m getting at is…WHO CARES who knows about your obsession! All the nay-sayers wish they could be in your jolly, autumn mood anyway and even though they won’t admit it, they love your home decorating, oversized sweaters, and delicious baking. Being the only autumn obsessed friend in your friend group won’t be something to deal with, because soon it’ll be something to celebrate!