Retrospective: Memories of Autumn Holidays Past

I'm not sure why, exactly, but lately I've been given a lot to thinking about holiday times of the past. I don't necessarily mean things like Christmas or Easter here... I mean any times when the season dictated that there would be a holiday; time off, whether it be from school or from work.

Maybe it's simply part of the aging process that we tend to look back on times gone by and view them through the somewhat rose-colored lenses of passing time.

The funny thing is, I actually like the holidays more now than I can recall doing since my pre-teen years. I imagine I am not alone in having a part of me remember (adult) holiday seasons as being filled mostly with obligation and expense, rather than joy and merriment.

I expect I was also somewhat "ruined" by having been owner/operator of two rather gift oriented retail stores that kept me trapped behind a sales counter for long hours while others were making merry.

I remember feeling the irony of being open extra hours for Labor Day, which was historically a day on which labor was honored with a day off. But I digress...

Today, it really started looking like fall outside... and it sounded like fall, with raindrops being driven onto the windows by high winds, and the rustling of dry leaves on the trees as their season draw to an end.

Back in Denmark, we actually had an "Autumn Holiday" that gave us a week off from school. Traditionally, it was only a holiday in the technical sense because it gave children a week off school to work in the fields to bring in the potato harvest for winter. However, the holiday was kept on, into modern times.

I was always grateful for any time I got to take away from school. I was a very awkward kid, you see, and I'm sure you remember how kids can be rather ruthless towards anyone who's a little bit "different."

I've always been very fond of this time of the year... something that perhaps started during my 20+ years in Texas, where late September tended to mark the time of the first cold fronts of the year, and with them finally a respite from 90-100 degree (35-40C) days that had been with us since May.

After moving to Washington state I was reminded of just how much I enjoy living in a place that has four distinct seasons.

When I was little, this was the time of the year when we started clearing our very large vegetable garden where most things were coming to an end. We have a much smaller vegetable garden now, although it provides a lot of our fresh food. My parents were very dedicated about making sure everything was neat and tidy for spreading fertilizer and letting the ground "rest" before the next spring planting season.

Sometimes I would get to help my father put in winter potatoes and winter garlic that would lie dormant in the ground till the soil warmed in spring, and then would sprout to give us late spring/early summer crops.

The mornings are getting cooler, and it won't be all that long before we see the first morning frosts. I look forward to that... but not so much to the ever-increasing cost of heating the house!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Friday!

How about you? Do you have particular memories associated with autumn, or ANY season? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

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Created at 2024.09.27 00:03 PDT
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