Autumn brings many holidays, both religious and secular. Yom Kippur, Columbus Day, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Halloween, Veteran’s Day. Approaching the Winter Solstice.

Autumn is my favorite season. Also known as fall. Are we falling? In a good way, I think. Falling into our yearly traditions: apples, pumpkins, harvest, shelter, remembrance, costumes. Falling into coziness and home.

The kids are happy. The kids are busy. The kids push our buttons. The kids are loved.

To me, autumn traditions and routine signal comfort. They bring joy and are a harbinger of the winter to come. We experience each crunch anew - the tangy apple in our mouths, the crinkling leaves beneath our feet, the crispy first frost under our fingertips.

Soon we will cozy up, hunker down, look inward. But each autumn, we frolic, we jump in, we replicate our traditions. Each year we are different ages. Gone are the years of baby steps and snuggle suits, but here are the years of excitement, of full-hearted embracing of childhood. Each year is different yet the same. We’re comforted and renewed. We see our children at their present stage, but also at all the stages that have come before. We welcome the fall. And then, the winter to come.

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