Remember back in the Fall, when we were all sweating from the heat and were completely over the 3-digit temperatures?
Remember when we were dying to wear riding boots and scarfs and various shades of brown and orange?
Remember when Sarah Powers wrote this letter to all those people gloating over their pumpkin spice lattes and over 10,000 of us read and shared this letter because we all knew exactly how she was feeling?
Well, I do.
And I thought that it was important to take a moment to tell those of you who may have exclusively desert landscapes, that according to the tree in my backyard:
Fall has officially begun!
Yes, the rest of the country may find it all a little odd that fall comes to Phoenix in early January. Yes, our children may grow up completely confused by those who follow a more traditional, less creative seasonal calendar (and also don’t eat their Christmas dinner outside on the patio) but let’s put all of that aside and celebrate what’s really important. Fall has officially come to Phoenix!
Our children may get burned on metal swings and plastic slides all summer long. We may not fully understand the relief and joy at discovering the first spring flower. Autumn may be more sundress/ less corduroy. And our Christmases are never classically, iconically white.
But guess what? Christmas is over!
The charming white blanket that wrapped the rest the rest of the country in yuletide joy has turned to icy, slushy, dirty gray— while we lookout over palms trees and a cloudless sky.
Celebrate. It’s FINALLY our season!
This week, the rest of the country is under winter weather advisories. Moms back east and in the midwest are learning how to recognize the signs of frostbite in toddlers and trying to find ways to entertain older children- whose school was canceled again!
We however, are meeting friends at the park for playdates and sitting outside for lunch-dates! When we leave our houses, we are not putting preschoolers in bulky winter coats, or pre-heating our cars, or scraping ice off our windshields. Our mudrooms are inspired by Pinterest suggestions to maximize backpack storage and have never actually seen a single pair of muddy boots!
This is the time to celebrate where we live!
Despite my joy, I concede that it is a bit crazy that fall has come to Scottsdale in January. But what’s even crazier than my tree shedding yellow leaves in the middle of winter is how many green leaves are also growing.
Are they left there from summer? Or, in a town where winter doesn’t actually exist, is this a gentle sign from nature that the heat is, once again, right around the corner?
Enjoy this season! Go out and play while you can! Happy Fall Scottsdale!
