Looking outside and I can see why this time of year has always been my favorite. The color of the changing leaves on the trees, the cooler air temperature and my favorite holidays all happen around this time. Fall is great!

The trees changing colors always make me happy. I love to look at all the different shades of orange, yellow and red. The time when the leaves change seems to only last a couple of weeks before they all fall to the ground and winter starts. There is just something special looking at those bright fall colors against a blue sky.

Waking up to a crisp, cool Fall day is wonderful. I love having to wear a sweater, scarf and boots. That is the perfect autumn outfit. I like when the weather is chilly but not cold...no winter coat needed. Not to mention the upcoming holidays. I have always loved Halloween of course because of the candy and dressing up in costume. I remember in elementary school having our class Halloween party and then racing home to put on my costume and grab a quick dinner. My dad used to always bring home a McDonald's Halloween Happy Meal. We would then light out Jack-0-Lantern and head out the door at exactly 6:00.

We would run from house to house with my parents trying to keep up with me and my three siblings. It was always the best night no matter the weather. We would come home and dump all the candy on the floor and sort it out into categories. My parents always loved when they would get the candy we did not like. My brothers and sister would trade with me and compare what we got.

Thanksgiving was soon to follow. I would wake up and smell the turkey cooking in the oven. My Mom would be in the kitchen cooking all day and I couldn't wait for company to show up so we could get to eating. It was always nice to hang out with my cousins at Thanksgiving. I knew I would not see them again until Christmas, which would be right around the corner.

I still love this time of year but the holidays don't quite seem the same as when I was a kid!