Allow me to let you in on a little secret: Florida is hot. Shocker, I know.  A typical day in Florida involves my face melting off as I walk to class and results in me arriving to class looking as if I just finished running a half marathon while wearing a parka.  So call me crazy but it’s hard for me to jump into the fall season wholeheartedly when I‘m living in a place where there is no distinct season change.
There is no amount of pumpkin spice lattes I can drink in order to somehow trick myself into thinking that boots, leggings and an oversized sweater would be an appropriate outfit choice. Not even when it gets down to the “chilly” high 70s here on campus.
Schools with a heat index lower than 90 are lucky enough to experience some sort of change in seasons that awakens their summer minds and helps them to switch gears and prepare for the holiday season. However, for me, it’s hard to decipher whether Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up or if I should be getting ready for Fourth of July barbecues and beer.
A majority of these non-swampy-like schools even have the luxury of getting a week off after midterms called fall beak. Fall break allows these students to travel and see their families instead of some students having to wait an entire term from August all the way until December to see their families.
Why don’t we have a fall break?
Perhaps it’s because we are still melting in October, or maybe it’s because it’ll never be cold enough for us to actually enjoy a non-iced latte while marveling in the beauty of the changing leaves. Though our weather may not change substantially I believe we too deserve a week off in order to recharge our batteries after studying and completing our midterms.
A fall break would allow students to take a step back and remember the true meaning of this upcoming holiday season that goes a little deeper than hay rides and Black Friday sales.
The true meaning of this season shouldn’t be buried in festive Starbucks orders or elaborate pumpkin carvings. The true spirit of the fall season is in being thankful for the loved ones around us and being able to show our appreciation for them.
It’s in cherishing all of the time we have to spend with one another whether it’s while melting on the beach or watching the first snow fall from the comfort of our porch back home. It shouldn’t matter how the time is spent, just as long as it is spent together.
Just because the seasons hardly change here, it doesn’t mean we don’t have families that deserve to be visited. The most precious gift a person can give to another is their time. You can’t exchange the gift of a loved one’s time with a gift receipt at the store. A person can never get back the time they have chosen to spend with you.
A fall break would allow a lot of students to give the gift of time to their families. Sooner than we want to admit, the majority of us will fall into the trap of growing up and having a career and by then the ability of being able to give the gift of our time will become scarcer.
An additional break during fall could serve as a reminder of how grateful we should be for the incredible people we are lucky to have in our lives and could be just what the Scrooges of Autumn, like me, need in order to get into the true spirit of the season.