Northern Fall vs. Southern Fall

 

   When I think of fall I picture red, orange, and yellow leaves everywhere, cool crisp days, sweaters, apple picking, hot apple cider, fall festivals and pumpkins. There are basically two types of fall on the east coast; the typical cliché fall, also known as the Northern fall, and the Southern fall. They are the same season and both last from September 23^rd to December 20^th, but there is a huge difference between the two.

  I personally prefer the Northern fall. One of the huge differences between the two is the changing of the leaves. In the North the leaves always change into exaggerated, vibrant reds, and oranges, and yellows. Deciduous trees are everywhere so you are just surrounded by these colors. It almost feels as if you are in a painting. And when they start to dance to the ground it is just magical. During the Southern fall you don’t get to experience this as much. For one thing there are so many pine trees everywhere that you don’t get to see as many leaves. And the few leaves that do change don’t last long.

  The cool, crisp days are another great thing about the Northern fall. The refreshing coolness starts close to the end of September, and is probably one of my favorite parts. You can bundle up in a great sweater, and drink hot apple cider or hot chocolate to keep warm. It’s always the perfect temperature, not to warm, not too cold. There is even sometimes that exciting first snow during this time.  In the South it is always about 10 degrees warmer, and a lot of the time when it does start to get cold it just rains and rains. There is never a time when it really just stays cold. It might be in the 60s one week and in the 80s the next.

  The fall traditions in the North are what I have known and experienced all my life, there are so many I can’t even remember. The fall festivals at schools, churches, Quaker meetings, and pretty much everywhere, and of course the apple picking and pumpkin picking at orchards. The fall is an exciting time and everyone celebrates it with exuberance. In the South I have noticed that none of these things really happen. There aren’t any orchards around that I know of.  There are fairs, but they aren’t specifically for fall. To them it seems like it’s just another season. 

  I am from the North so I have experienced the Northern fall almost all my life. So far the Southern fall hasn’t really impressed me. I miss all of the things that made the Northern fall so special. It’s amazing how the same season can be so different. The Northern fall is beautiful and exciting, while the Southern fall is well just fall.